Having a child in our city isn't a big deal. In fact, the whole city is populated with people. Having a cesarean in this town is also not a big deal. But to a girl from a different culture, it sorta was. This is my story...
I checked in the night before the surgery. We had to go to the ER to do this. I've never been in a Filipino ER before. It had 4 beds with available curtains for privacy. They asked me to sit on one of the beds so they could use the fetal monitor and check the baby. The batteries wouldn't stay in, so one person held the batteries in the monitor and one person found the heartbeat. We got into our deluxe room after a bit and ben and I slept on the couch. The last night with my big belly. I was not upset by this thought.
The following morning, in the wee hours, the nurses popped their heads in the door to encourage me to bathe...over and over again. Then, I was prepped and taken to the OR. Ben saw me to the OR door, where I was met by OR nurse Patty, who is also, in a twist of fate, our dogs' vet. We discussed the fate of our sick puppy on the way in. I was transferred onto the OR table and given a spinal. It made my toes feel tingly. and it numbed me.
Good news indeed.
I was also given something to 'help me relax.' I had the same reaction to it that I did with Ellie. I was a very happy camper. Chit chatting in Tagalog, making bets on the baby's hair color (I believe I owe Nurse Patty a Coke Light), and thinking that they really need to get some music in that room. The surgery apparently when well, Zack was born. I did not get to see him right away. BUT, I did get to see. That was a biggie. My first baby with my new eyes--no need for glasses or contacts. It is so nice to SEE.
I was returned to my room and put into the hospital bed. This, by far, was the best hospital bed I've been in--no bumps or jerks as it goes up and down. Great bed. Horrible mattress. Having to lay flat on your back for 8 hours isn't easy on a hard mattress. I came home bruised. seriously. Zack came to me right away, within a half hour of getting to the room. How do you care for a baby while you are flat on your back? that's why here in the Philippines, every body has a person who stays with them in the hospital. So, Ben held him. Oh, and they don't have baby beds available here. So, we ended up bringing in one of our plastic storage containers and putting zack in there. They thought that was really funny. The nurses all came in to see him tucked away in his plastic tub.
Oh, and Miss San Vicente came to do a 'get well' visit with the patients in the hospital and gave me a rose and a box of brownies...which I couldn't eat.
For the first time in my life, I requested the air conditioner to be turned up to full blast. I didn't realize this. It felt fine to me. But Ben went home and brought back blankets and a quilt for Zack. And he kept covering me up as I lay in bed, only to have me kick the covers off.
Oh, and you know that annoying bit where the nurses come every half hour throughout the night? They do that here, too.
The hospital I went to was a strictly vegetarian fare. So, that meant not only was it Filipino cuisine, it was tofu Filipino cuisine. Filipino food is not bad, but tofu is. really gross. I ate some bran muffin that was donated to the 'get suzy better' cause. Ben did eat some of the food. It did not sit well. In fact, it moved quite quickly. and so did he...
One of the major no-nos of have a CS is do not have a cough. It's bad.
I had a cough.
BUT, the Lord is faithful! Here, they wrap your tummy up in an exercise band after surgery. I don't know why. It was very helpful tho, as I was coughing as soon as I could sit up. The wrap, not the incision, took the brunt of the cough. Which is dandy, because I had that cough for well over a week after returning home.
I was released from the hospital 2 1/2 days after surgery. It was nice to get home, but it sure was warm. and humid. We found out at discharge that the bill was 50% more than we had originally been told it would be. Not good. And here you have to pay your entire bill before you can be discharged. All the running around that Ben did--he's a champ--ended in success and we were home by 10 pm.
As we lay down to sleep that night, comfy in my own *soft* bed, just before drifting off, I heard Ben say:
Good job.
