Recovery

After 22 hours of labor and an eventual c-section, it was time for rest and recovery. First we all headed back to my labor room for a short visit and picture taking. We were all exhausted but elated to have the babies delivered safely. 

I promise I know how to hold a baby, it just looks weird because my arms were still numb from the epidural.

Seeing them with their babies was the best feeling in the world.

I can't say enough nice things about these Dads. They were so great throughout our journey, but especially in the hospital - they trusted me to take care of their babies and followed my lead when it came to medical decisions. I've heard stories about pushy parents with unreasonable expectations, but they were perfect.

I won't bore you with a play-by-play account of the recovery, this is more of a highlights reel.

Timing - the delivery was Friday evening and both the babies and I were discharged Monday morning. We were all ready to bust out of there - the nurses were amazing but there's only so much hospital food and boredom a person can take.

Blood pressure - the last few weeks of pregnancy my blood pressure had been wavering between normal levels and slightly elevated. I typically have excellent blood pressure, so this was for sure because of being pregnant. It was still elevated in the hospital and continued to go up after delivery. The doctor even considered keeping me until Tuesday for monitoring, but they decided my numbers were low enough that I could be released and monitor from home. I'd been hovering in the same range Monday and Tuesday and it's just started to trend down as of this morning. It will be a big relief if I can make it through the next few weeks without having to be put on blood pressure meds!

Catheter - also known as Battle Royale: Woman vs Bladder - I was dreading this part since it happened before during Josie's c-section. As part of my c-section prep the nurse placed a foley catheter, which was then removed 12 hours later (6:00 am Saturday). I was told I needed to pee on my own within 4 hours (I didn't) otherwise I would get an in-and-out catheter (I did). The catheter brought immediate relief but didn't do anything to remind my body how to pee on its own. This time I had a 12-hour window, which came and went with nary a drop of pee. I tried all the tricks but nothing worked. Then I got a second foley catheter (10:00 pm Saturday) that had to stay in for 24 hours. That catheter came out Sunday night and finally, FINALLY I could pee on my own which would allow me to go home on Monday (blood pressure issue notwithstanding). This is very common after anesthesia but it doesn't make it any less frustrating to not perform a basic bodily function.

Pain - so far the pain was and continues to be manageable. The only time the incision really hurts is when I have a full bladder pressing on it, or if I twist too much trying to get up. I'm trying to find the right balance of rest and moving around so that I don't overdo it, but also don't get too stiff from sitting too long.

Aftermath - perhaps the most sobering part of the whole thing is that I was told I shouldn't carry any more babies. On one hand, that's totally fine - our family is complete and I wasn't planning on being a surrogate again. But on the other hand, there's something so painful and final to say "I can't have more children." As usual, my coping strategy is to make jokes, so I told my husband he has to behave since I no longer have the option of starting over with a new husband and a new family.