Postpartum Joy

**Warning!! this is a TMI post.... meaning - Too Much Information.... you probably don't want to read it. But I still thought I'd post my wonderful postpartum happenings while I'm catching up the blog.**

We've been watching Grey's Anatomy on netflix for the last few months. Which is really bad because I'm generally a paranoid person and not good at distinguishing TV and real life! I seriously thought I was going to die from bleeding last week!

On Tuesday, 11 days postpartum, we went out to run 2 errands... I hadn't been outside all day long, I needed to just get out and do something! It was the first time we were all in the car together as a family of 4! Seth stayed in the car with the kids at Deseret book while I ran in. As I was walking through the store looking for a CD, I knew I was bleeding some. But it just kept going after a few minutes and I looked down... and I had bled through my jeans... Yikes! I left straight for the car and we went home... called the on-call doc. There was a huge gush when I got out of the car to go in the apartment - where I filled the toilet with awesomeness. I told Seth to take Scarlett to a neighbors right away b/c I definitely needed his full attention with whatever was going on.

Waited for the doc to call back... he was taking forever, I thought I was dying. Called Labor & Delivery, and was told to go to ER right away. Got to the E  (I am so happy we live not even a mile away from two hospitals!) Major gushes... it was SO gross!! Who knows how much of the fun stuff I passed, I was (am) traumatized by it all.

The ER nurse was wheeling me in while Seth parked with Lincoln. I was so distraught, but luckilynot in any pain. It was all just soooo gross!! They got me in a room... IV started, labs drawn, etc. Then I got a shot in the butt of meds that were to stop the bleeding and help my uterus contract. Which was awesome because it worked well. I soon stopped bleeding and they took me to get an ultrasound.

It was my first time being pushed around a hospital in a bed, I couldn't believe this all was going on. The ultrasound showed there was still something in my uterus to pass, but it could have been retained placenta and/or clots. An OB there discussed the options - meds or D&C - before my OB got there. I was hoping we'd just do a D&C to get it over with and I would nothing more to worry about. But after delivering a baby - the uterus is only so thick. The risks of puncturing through it are higher, as well as other risks, and I'm already recovering from a delivery anyway. So we weren't sure what to do.

My OB came. We decided to try the medication, which work 75% of the time. Just a little pill to take every 8 hours for 3 days that make you cramp/contract to get everything out of the uterus. They checked my cervix, and it was closed, so that wasn't an issue. Also, because the shot of the medicine worked well already, the chances were good that the medication would take care of the problem. So I went home that night about 10:30pm and medication was to be our fix. What a day!

I really wasn't excited to take medicine that was to give me cramps 24/7 for 3 days! But they really weren't that bad to deal with. Saturday I took my last pill of the series at 11am... took a nap a few hours later. Woke up about 2pm and realized I was bleeding. UGH! Wasn't as bad as Tuesday, but plenty to know it was back to the ER for me.

My body was still trying to get rid of something in my uterus that just didn't belong. I'm seriously surprised I didn't get rid of it considering how much I had passed since the ER Tuesday... and I may have passed it with this new episode on Saturday. But my OB and we just decided a D&C was preferred over trying another kind of medicine.

So my OB booked the OR and we headed to the ER. I got all checked in, hooked up to another IV, and waited for them to come get me. Talk about Surreal! I was wheeled through the hospital again on my bed, into the Operating Room - wow! Grey's Anatomy was coming to life. Hahaha, The surgical nurse and anesthesiologist assured me I had nothing to worry about and this routine procedure would be a piece of cake compared to Grey's Anatomy.

 The anesthesiologist who gave me my awesome epidural was the same who knocked me out for the operation. He did so well! I was in the OR one minute and woke up in the recovery the next minute. Piece of cake. It actually only took about 20 minutes total in the OR. My OB, Broberg, got it all out - he told Seth there was a lot more clots, just a little tissue. That will all go to get tested. It took about 45 minutes for me to wake up and get back up to my room. I went home about an hour later after some crackers and ice chips. What a day! It's a huge relief to know I won't (better not) start bleeding out again and this postpartum recovery stuff just might be in the tail end about now.

 Good thing this little guy is so freaking handsome!!  :)   We are So Blessed! I'm so grateful for modern medicine, It has saved my life once again.