As for the hospital-- everyone is quite nice and helpful. Not only were my labor and delivery nurses awesome, but some of the post partum nurses have really gone out of their way to help us. There's a lot to learn regarding the care of an infant. I've read a bunch of books and possibly every pregnancy, baby, infant, and parenting magazine published since we embarked on this journey last October. Still, its different when the baby is actually here and you're the one who's responsible for taking care of him. So, having them here to assist is a definite perk. Granted, I'd prefer to be home sooner rather than later, I'm looking at the positives of being here...and learning more from the nurses is one of them.
As for my recovery...its going quite well. I'm a bit surprised actually. The incision is only about 3/4s the length of my previous one, and the pain is much more managable. I think the fact that this surgery has such a nice "present" associated with it also helps with the pain. I'm being careful not to overdo it-- as usually the first day after a procedure like this isn't too bad. The residual pain medications are still lingering, so you think to yourself, "ah, this is going to be a cinch." Then Day 2 arrives, where you're on lower levels of pain medication and you pay for the over-activity you exuded the day prior. I was determined not to let that happen this time. So, I did exactly what I was instructed to do in terms of initial movements. By the end of Monday, I was able to sit up, stand, and walk around just a bit. Tuesday, I actually walked the entire floor of the maternity ward with Mike, which was good progress. Moving around after abdominal surgery helps get things moving, if you catch my drift, so its crucial to do so (especially if we wanted to be home by Thanksgiving).
It snowed most of Sunday night, into Monday morning, tapering off in the afternoon. Then on Tuesday, it really stormed with a mixture of snow and ice. I actually found the scene caused by the snow outside my window to be quite peaceful...then again, I think having Jack in our room, here with us-- for real--- would make any setting a peaceful one. Every time I look at him, I think "I can't believe you're here. I can't believe you're ours." I think I've even said this a couple of times out loud. He's just the sweetest little thing.
The first person to visit us was Collette. She actually arrived about 10 minutes after Jack was born and was able to spend time with me in the post-op recovery room. Having here there was just awesome. She's like a sister to me-- I should actually take the "like" out and just say she's my sister, cause thats how we are. She held Jack and kept us both company as I worked to get feeling back in my body, which took a couple of hours.
Soon after Collette arrived, Mike's mom made it to the hospital from Dayton. It was great having them there. On Monday, Kevin, Sharon & Amy visited. Watching everyone bond with Jack was just incredible. Granted, I was on some good pain killers the first 24 hours, but it was a bit euphoric to be a part of all of this. On Tuesday, Carrie, Jason Kelley & Jason Moses all stopped by-- again, it was nice to introduce our son to them.
Mike spent a bunch of time with us in the hospital, which was great. We even watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special on Tuesday night (these are by far Mike's favorite television specials....hands down). Jack laid on his chest as he watched the show....it was adorable. I think I watched them together more than I tuned into the show. The sleeping arrangements weren't the best for guests, so he headed home late at night. This way he could spend time with his mom and help get the house together. Tomorrow, we're hoping that I'll be cleared to go home. Fingers crossed we can both head home and be there to greet all the family that is coming to town on Wednesday night :)
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