Il Paradiso: Madison 5

That second day, man...was that ever a wallop I didn't see coming.  I was all blissed out in mother zen mode for a good 12 hours after the birth but then between the mag sulfate and the referred shoulder pain which left me sobbing in the middle of the night with full body shakes as Tempest cried for food in tandem, the initial euphoria wore off.  I was angry that I had to endure that freaking dose of IV mess just because I had the misfortune to develop a serious complication before birth.  I wanted to be free to enjoy my daughter and the "golden hours," as they're called, immediately following delivery without being pumped full of controlled substances.  Rhett and I made the best of our unique situation and I'd like to think that despite everything, we did, as Dr. Garfinkel said at my 2 week incision check, "handle it with grace."  The moral of the story is, though it was about a million light years removed from what I'd call my "ideal birthing scenario," it was the way Tempest was destined to come into this world and I needed to accept that. 

The payoff from il purgatorio is the promised land of the Madison maternity suites.  (Um, hello, 10 million dollar renovation completed in 2007.)  Though smaller than my high-risk accomodatios, this room is bright and cheery with big windows looking out over, well, the parking garage (but we had lovely sunsets!)  We are moved to room 5 directly in front of the nurses' station which is like Grand Central compared with the eerie quiet of Jefferson.

I like the happy, bustling vibe where I can feel like any other new mother on the ward.  Our overnight nurse is young and blonde and immediately registers my shoulder misery.  She squirrels away about a dozen of those snappy instant plastic heating packs for temporary relief before offering me Percocet which she assures me won't affect my milk supply or the baby.  YES PLEASE, I practically scream in her face.  I honestly feel like I'm being stabbed repeatedly in my right shoulder with every breath I take so if narcotics are the answer, well then, fine.   She'll be with us until 7:00 AM and then again the following night.  Two 12-hour overnighters back to back?  That's rough but she, like every other nurse we'll meet from now until we leave, is truly dedicated to the job.  This is why we chose Morristown before we even met our new OBs. 

Later Wednesday night/Thursday morning, some other things happen.  Yes, that's vague.  Sorry.  I can't really say what specifically - too much time has passed - but the "things" include another bilirubin test for Tess which actually goes up from her initial reading.  That's not abnormal, as levels peak 5 days after birth, but it is concerning.  Lactation Annie (for Annie Potts, because I can't remember anyone's actual name, apparently) returns and sends reinforcements every 12 hours until discharge.  I will say, these lactation consultants have a tough job.  They have to win over highly sensitive, zonked out, hormonal new mothers but in my case, I have "an excellent supply and letdown" so my baby is going to be just fine once she masters the swallowing thing. 

Tempest is getting plenty of sweet, sticky colostrum (yeah, ok - I did try it.  It's practically unavoidable as it gets all over your hands when you're attempting to express it...) via spoon, bottle and breast but she needs to supplement with formula to increase the volume of intake so that her outtake increases.  We need her to poop - and fast - since that's the only real way to jolt her renal system into ridding her body of the excess bilirubin.  In short, baby needs to take some massive BMs and we've got to feed her every 2 hours, whether she's sleeping or awake, to make it happen.    I try not to take the news of having to supplement too personally.  After all, my daughter's well-being and victory over jaundice is dependent on filling diapers so I do what I need to do, even if I'm not thrilled by the prospect of bottle-feeding formula. 

In the end, Tess will have approximately 2 oz of formula total in the hospital and maybe 4 oz at home after our first meeting with the pediatrician.  Fun fact: babies have stomachs the size of a grape at birth and after the first week, they're about the size of an egg.  She'll never remember the Enfamil and somehow I doubt it has interfered with her IQ score but dang, some of those pasty poops we will never forget.