i finally found time to blog!
the whole experience of giving birth to raoul and his first week was like a repeat performance of what happened when i gave birth to vito --- only a little bit easier. we checked in at chong hua hospital the night before the 23rd, and i was prepped and interviewed at the delivery room where i was repeatedly asked if i was having any labor pains. (i wasn't.) after a long wait, i was finally wheeled into our room a few minutes before midnight, my cut-off time for any food or liquids. (of course i drank as much water as i could before the clock struck twelve!)
i woke up early the next morning since my c-section was scheduled at 7am. everything happened so fast after they transferred me to a stretcher and sent me to the operating room. raoul was pulled out of my tummy at exactly 7:46am and he let out a long and really loud cry!
my recovery was faster this time, although i did have to endure severe nausea at the recovery room (a reaction to the epidural and the morphine). i was able to get up the day after and walk about, and my digestive system also started to work at about the same day. for two days i was waiting for news about raoul, but they just said he was under observation. his pedia anticipated the blood type incompatibility issue and had asked for tests to be done right away.
true enough, on the 3rd day (monday) he had developed jaundice and was placed under photo-therapy. i visited him at the nursery to breastfeed but we had some problems latching on at first --- he would just smile at my boobs! after a few tries we finally got the hang of it. i visited him regularly at the NICU so i could breastfeed him.
i was discharged on tuesday, much earlier than i had anticipated. had i known what was coming, i would have requested for another day more. that very afternoon, raoul's pediatrician said he needed a blood transfusion because his hemoglobin count was going down, even though his bilirubin levels weren't going as high as expected. she said it was actually strange because it's usually worse for 2nd babies. (someone up there heard our prayers.)
we didn't have to search hard for volunteers to donate blood, several kind souls offered readily. what was difficult to find was someone who would pass the criteria. most of the volunteers were eliminated for various reasons until finally, my cousin (a pediatrician himself, incidentally) passed. but it took several hours for the entire process to be completed, and raoul's blood transfusion was delayed until the next day.
it was heartbreaking to see him going through the transfusion, but at least it was a simple blood transfusion, not the exchange blood transfusion that vito had to go through. that was a much more dangerous process that involved completely replacing all his blood with the donor blood. plus, raoul also spent less time under the bili-lights (vito spent more than a week under phototherapy, raoul only 2 days). so it wasn't quite the ordeal that we were afraid of.
having gone through worse during vito's time, there were also less tears, less anxiety. we knew raoul would pull through. although it didn't stop us from asking why our sons had to suffer at such a young age. funny enough, we got an answer after we asked the question. i got a call from a mom asking if i was willing to donate the unused bags of blood because her baby needed a transfusion too and they couldn't find any donors nor afford to buy blood. i say it's funny because the very same thing happened during vito's time. that's our role after all.
a big thank you to all those who helped us pray for his recovery. really special thanks to mimi, chelo, dindin, therese, and malou. you know why. =)
i'm happy we finally have raoul home. he's such a sweet boy! he doesn't cry much, only when he's hungry. during the day he feeds every 2-3 hours, although at night, between midnight to 4am, he's hungry every hour, and poops as often too! =) he's a creature of the night, this baby. so most days you'll find me trying to steal a few hours of sleep in between feeds. manuel has been a great help. i don't know how i'll manage when he goes back to singapore on saturday. i don't want to think about it, the thought saddens me so much.
i have to end this now, raoul needs a diaper change. =) until next time!
deja vu at the nicu
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Posted by Patricia at 3:03 PM
Labels: c-section, childbirth experience
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4 comments:
Thanks for the update Pat.
You didn't look stressed out when I dropped by the hospital. Fab still and initially thought you were blogging..hehehe.
Hope to meet baby raoul soon.
Take care.
And oh..super excited about your weight loss. Getting your sexy back. lol
this post made me soooo happy...
not only because i can read you through your blog entry...but also because Raoul is safe and healthy..
hugs and prayers to you and your entire family...
i miss you so much=)
Manuel and you are so blessed=)
your family is so blessed...im praying that will be the last time you have to endure hospital admissions with your babies...*Hugs hugs*
I am glad you and raoul are doing well. We were on our toes and knees waiting for Mimi's update about the baby during his transfusion. Enjoy ur time with him, Pat. And I hope to see you soon :)
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