My Delivery Story (Part 5): Finally..

Hello peeps..
This is the last part of my delivery story (Pinky promise!)... Hope you guys enjoy it!

To my surprise the anesthetist came to me took the edge of my hospital gown and wiped my tears. "Sekejap lagi ah. Sy tau, kamu kesejukkan kan?Biasa lah tu". I wanted to say no, I wasn't shaking because I was cold. I don't know why I'm shaking and I think I'm dying so can you please do something about it? *It really was very scary, no joke* He then tucked a cloth over my chest to double up my cover against the 'cold'.

I must admit, his actions were comforting somewhat. I mean, he saw me shaking like a leaf in the wind and if he wasn't panicking maybe there were no reason to panic after all right? All throughout the stitching session I heard a stapling sound every few seconds. I don't know what that is but the paranoid side of me wondered if Dr Ramesh was 'stapling' me back together again.

When it was all over I was transferred from the operating table to another table *it took a few people to move me. I felt like a gigantic beached whale being moved to a marine sanctuary/research center*, Then from the latter I was transferred onto my bed. I was still shaking as if I was having a seizure *my sister later told me that I looked scary*. My blood pressure was taken than although they couldn't get a reading the first few tries *which I later found out was normal and it annoyed me. I mean, if the nurses knew that they wouldn't be able to get a reading from me then why did they try anyway?* They came back every 15 minutes to check my BP and I began to loathe the sound of the trolley bringing the digital BP machine because it hurts. I prefer the manual BP checker/tester/whatchamacallit.

Proof that I'm not just being whiny about the digital BP machine hurting.

When undergoing surgery one is not allowed to eat or drink 6 hours before and 6 hours after the surgery has been completed. Before Dr. Ramesh went out the door of the OT I heard him say that I was to be given a bit of water and after 6 hours, a mug of hot Milo. However, the nurses attending to me said that I was not to be given anything at all for 6 hours after surgery, not even a bit of water. The reason is that I might vomit and the heaving would make the pain of my surgical wound even worse.

While I know their reasoning was sound, I was surprised that there are contradictions between Dr. Ramesh's instructions the nurse's actions. Thing is, the nurses are saying that they are acting on doctor's orders. Hmmmm..? So did my ears played tricks on me in the OT? *Boo later told me that when he ran into Dr. Ramesh at the elevator after the surgery and thanked him, Dr. Ramesh accepted his thanks and told him the same thing I heard in the OT about giving me some water and after 6 hours post surgery, a mug of hot MIlo!* 

As the 6 hours went by, I heard numerous contradictions, even between the nurses. One nurse said that if I was really thirsty I could be given a few drops of water with a straw. Another said that I must have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for 6 hours. As for eating, I was not to have anything until I pass wind *in other words, fart*. In order to pass wind faster I was told that I 'must force myself to move around' but that I 'must not force myself'. Er, right. 

I was out of the OT by 11.40AM and by midnight I still had not pass wind. Logic dictates that in order for me to pass wind, I must have something in my digestive system but out of respect for the nurses and their knowledge I followed their dictate but after hours of accommodating them I decided to throw caution into the wind and drink hot Milo. 15 minutes later I passed wind.

So yes, Dr. Ramesh was right to instruct me to have a mug of hot Milo 6 hours post surgery. As for the nurses, I think they need to get their instructions right and not try to play doctor. Sorry to sound harsh but I had to endure 24 hours without food. The fact that I was on drip is of no consequence as I could have had food sooner. Anyway, after I passed wind, the nurse said that since it was already late it is best that I don't eat any solid food and just drink hot Milo *she didn't know I already did drink hot Milo* and I was like,"Hah! Done that!"

Okay, okay moving on with the story. It took me 2 hours to get over the shakiness from the Epidural and within the 1st hour I began to feel the coldness that the anesthetist was talking about. Thankfully one of the nurses got me a hot water bottle to keep me warm. By the time I was able to move my toes and legs the pain hit me. I felt the pain from my uterus contracting, my stitches and the wind in my tummy from not eating.

One thing that I would like to mention is that if you undergo C-Sect, you will be given scheduled pain-killer in pill form. It's included in the package. But if you are in great pain between the those times, you can be given additional pain killer shot. That is however, additional cost. *To be honest it,it's not worth it because I didn't feel any difference*.

At RMC the infants are put into a nursery, not in the same room as the mother. *I guess it is to prevent the babies from being exposed visitors. I mean, a lot of people don't think twice before touching a newborn without thinking that they might be carrying germs that might cause harm* I didn't get to hold her much on the first day because when she was wheeled into my room I was still shaking. The next time she was wheeled in I tried to reach over her 'tray and touch her but I couldn't reach her. It was really upsetting for me actually.

The next day my catheter was removed because I was permitted to eat already and thus would need to be able to go to the loo. As I was feeling well enough to walk, I kept going back and forth from my room to look at Sophie at the nursery. That afternoon we were informed that for C-Sect, the package is 2 nights and 3 days and as I had stayed over for 2 nights it meant that I needed to check out of RMC on that day. However, if I needed an extra day I could stay but at the rate of RM170 per night. I decided to check out on the day itself.

So there you have it, my delivery story. I would like to thank above all Dr Ramesh for doing a brilliant job on my surgery (so far, I am recovering marvelously), Midwife Rosemary for being so helpful and all the nurses at RMC *even the ones who contradicted Dr. Ramesh's instructions and those who did not tell me that I was going to be given scheduled pain meds and could have saved me money from having the extra pain killer shot that did absolutely nothing at all at easing my pain. Yes, I am still a bit sore about those two things in case you can't tell*

L-R: My mum, Midwife Rosemary and me.

Lots of love,
Phoebe

P/S: Follow me on just-me-bie.tumblr.com and Instagram (Phoebe_Sophie) as well as 'Like' my Facebook Page (Phoebe_Sophie).