The Not-So-Sexy Infertility Adventures of a Girl in the Big Apple

Friday, October 26, 2012

2.5 Weeks

Hello everyone, I am so sorry for the long delay in posting.  I've only just come up for air, I think.  It's been an intense 2 1/2 weeks, full of all kinds of emotions.

I'll save the birth story for a little later, but suffice it to say that recovery from pre-ecclampsia + C-section sucks!  In addition to the usual pain of surgery, I had the most awful swelling all over my body from the pre-ecclampsia and from 20 straight hours of IV fluid being pumped into my body.  I was literally unrecognizable after the surgery, and it took forever for the fluid to drain.

I'm still in recovery mode, though obviously much better now.  Unfortunately my incision isn't healing as well as my doctor wants, and they may have to open it back up and drain it.  I am so dreading that, the thought of it depresses me to no end.  In addition, I found a little lump under my armpit that I'm getting checked out.  I know it's probably nothing, but it's kind of freaking me out as well.

But then there are the little babies, who are magic, just magic.  Every time I hold them, or see their little hands clasp around my finder, my heart hurts.  They are both doing incredibly well - they spent a week in the NICU and came home with us last Tuesday.  At their last pediatrician appointment they weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and 6 lbs 14 oz, so they are now well over their birth weights.

Unfortunately I'm able to breast feed them only about 50% right now.  They alternate between breast and formula every feed, and even when they breast feed we are still topping them off with formula.  This is what my baby nurse recommends, and I'm sure it's a good way to get them to gain weight.  But I do want to try to transition more to breast feeding wholly, and I'm not sure she's going to be the one to help me to do this.  She's only here a few more days though - we just hired her to help us get through the first couple of weeks - so after that we can start to do whatever we want.

I'm meeting with a lactation consultant today who will hopefully help me more with my breast feeding goals.  Hoping, praying she can do that, as I am finding it one of the hardest things to cope with.  It wouldn't be so bad if I was fully healed, but not feeling 100% and trying to breast feed is really tough.

Anyhow, I'm sorry for what sounds like a complain-y post.  The truth is that one look at these two little babes, and it's so clear that it's worth all the pain.  Hubby and I are so in love with these two precious creatures!

Here's a pic of the little burritos, all swaddled up.  I hope everyone is doing well, more to come on birth story soon.


19 comments:

  1. Congrats - they are beautiful!! C/s do really suck just try and take it easy. Hopefully the lump under your armpit is a swollen milk gland which is common in early breast feeding . id call dr Mona gabby she's both a medical doctor and a lactation consult. Amazing with managing breast feeding post c- s and with twins. I just had a single and she was amazing.

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  2. I'm sorry recovery is not going as well as it should. Hopefully they won't have to re-open your incision. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. And hopefully your lactation consultant can help you figure something out that works for you. I'm sure it's really hard right now to try and figure out how to do everything with 2 babies and try to heal yourself. Don't put too much pressure on yourself, though. The babies are beautiful! I love how their little heads are all you can see sticking out of their blankets!

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  3. Babies are adorable! I hope your c-section scar heals and you dont have to go back to get it re-done. You are doing an amazing job with breastfeeding and all that. Hope the lactation situation works out to your satisfaction. Take care.

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  4. Your babies are precious! I had so much swelling after my c-section too. It takes a while to get to the hang of breastfeeding - you're doing great! I didn't feel like a normal person until at least 12 weeks post partum - so hang in there Mama!

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  5. You are doing the best you can especially just concentrating on loving those lil ones up! I hope the recovery gets a little easier and the breast feeding picks up.

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  6. Congrats on those 2 precious babes! I had 25 lbs worth of swelling after my c section. It took 2 weeks for me to get rid of the fluid. I felt unrecognizable! Breast feeding is hard & it took me a good 6 weeks to get established. It is way harder to feed 2! Don't beat yourself up over supplementing with formula. I had to do the same until my supply increased! The first month is super intense & the hormone crash is crazy town, so don't apologize for anything! I look forward to more pics & the birth story. It DOES get better!

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  7. Awe, they are so sweet! Hope your recovery starts to speed up very soon! Nice to hear how you are doing :)

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  8. congratulation!! baby are so sweet and beautiful....Thanks for sharing.
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  9. OMG! Look at those two perfect little burritos! Congratulations!

    You must be so exhausted. Although I didn't have a c-section, I was on IV fluids for 30+ hours and they didn't give me a drop of water during that time, so I was incredibly, incredibly bloated. It took me 3+ weeks to get rid of all of the fluid retention. But, don't worry, it will go away.

    Don't give up hope on the breastfeeding and don't stress too much about supplementing with formula. Tons of women do this and everything goes great. All that matters is that your babies are healthy and thriving and that mom is doing well.

    Hang in there and I hope you feel better soon! You're amazing and you've all made it through the first 2.5 weeks!

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  10. Congratulations! They are precious! I didn't know you had pre-e... I understand how awful it is (and the recovery thereafter). Enjoy your wonderful little ones!

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  12. Awww...they're so adorable!!! I hope you get feeling better soon and thanks for the update!

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  13. Congrats!!! Hope all is going well, they are so adorable!

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  14. congrats on your little boys! they are so precious. glad you are starting to feel a bit better and that your boys are healthy. been thinking of you guys.

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  15. Congrats Newbie!!!! Been mia on the whole blog and Facebook front (life's crazy busy) but thought of you tonight and glad to hear all is well. Beautiful babies!!

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  16. Hey Newbie - thanks for your comment on my blog regarding breastfeeding - I am better now, thank god! Using a medela breast shell was really helpful for a couple of days to keep clothes from rubbing. I wish I had bought stock in medela :) Hope breastfeeding is going better for you too!

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  18. Oh, they are gorgeous! Congratulations!!! I had an emergency c-section, too... but only one precious baby girl. Sorry to hear about your incision. Maybe after the docs do what they need to, you can use silicone strips to help the incision heal. I found it pretty useful. Okay... get some sleep now!

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