On Baby A's birthday, the c-section surgery went as planned. I walked into the OR around 9:30am and was pushed out around 2 hours later. W was instructed to wait outside while the team was getting me prepared for anesthesia. He then got invited to come in and sat next to me while the team worked on getting Baby A out of me 😂. W was a good DJ and Baby A was born while Taylor Swift's Shake It Off was being played. So...did I feel any pain during this life-changing surgery? No, I didn't. I had a spinal block. I never felt any type of pain during the surgery. Getting the anesthesia injected - however - was the most uncomfortable part of the surgery. There was a lot of pressure. I felt my back being pulled or pushed, or something. It just felt very uncomfortable, not painful, but very uncomfortable. It was also hard to try leaning toward the source of that uncomfortableness. Learning to relax while being uncomfortable was a very hard thing to do. But it was necessary. Once it...
We had our 3rd prenatal appointment on Jan 14.
I ordered some new masks from Amazon a week prior to this appointment and they had just arrived the day before. It was perfect timing for us to try them out and we love them! They're a lot more comfortable (W complained about his ears hurting when he used the old ones we got from Costco) and have better coverage (meaning they cover my chin and my cheeks without the edges flapping out). They're a bit pricier (about $2.50 per mask), but we think they're worth it and will use these specifically for our hospital visits.
This visit was quick, it was over in less than 30 minutes, from self-check in at the kiosk to saying goodbye to our ob. Not much was done and here are some remarks from my doctor during this visit:
"Here's what your ideal weight gain looks like (showed me on a screen, there was a chart), for people who had nausea/morning sickness in their first trimester, they start from here (pointed at the bottom of the screen). I'm not worried. Just keep on staying hydrated and eat what you can stomach" my weight gain was below the chart. My weight at 13 week check-in was exactly the same down to the decimal as my 8 week check-in. According to the chart on my doctor's screen, I should have gained 5-8lbs already but I didn't. She's not worried, so I'm not either.
"Keep on taking B6 as long as it helps you with nausea." Oh I will!
"It's fine to get the booster shot in February. Many people feel better when they're in their second trimester. You can take Tylenol if you do develop symptoms after the shot." I'm scheduled for my booster shot on Feb 22. Instead of getting the booster "asap" as many health professionals have encouraged, I wanted to wait until I'm in my second trimester because I really wanted to avoid that potential fever on top of morning sickness. I'm very glad my ob showed compassion and was being supportive about my decision regarding this.
"So about baby aspirin. I recommend you to take it daily to help prevent preeclampsia. You're in the category of high risk for preeclampsia because of your BMI & age. Also, I would like to get some baseline of protein in your urine. " So I picked up a bottle from the pharmacy at Westside and began taking 1 tablet before bed every night. So far I haven't felt any side effects. The pill is tiny and easy to swallow. The urine collection kit was umm...a bit of a surprise. I'll share about it in another post.
Lastly, during our Q&A, we asked about the general procedures for when a NICU is needed because Kaiser Westside doesn't have one. Our doctor said if we know ahead of time (before delivery), they may ask us to go ahead deliver at Kaiser Sunnyside (has NICU, about 45 minutes drive from home). If NICU is needed after the baby is born, then they would stabilize the baby and transfer the baby over, whether by ambulance or by our own vehicle that'll depend on the situation. After much thought about this, W and I decided we will stick with Westside for delivery, for now, unless our doctor believes we need to deliver at Sunnyside then we will just go straight to Sunnyside.
Our logic is this: if we're in a situation where labor has started, without any sign of distress, Westside is closest to home and we're most familiar with this hospital so we go there. If during any of the future visits, our doctor finds the baby to be in distress or sees the baby will need extra care after being born, then we will go straight to Sunnyside. I feel a lot better now that we have a solid plan in mind. 😊
Things we did at the hospital today
OB Dept
Doppler, listened to baby's heartbeat for the first time!
Q&A (asked about preeclampsia and procedures for emergency situations when needing a NICU)
Lab
Picked up a 24 hour urine collection kit
Pharmacy
Picked up a bottle of baby aspirin ($5, paid with HSA)
💗 CM
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