Carver Stephen Pugmire (C-section)

I am not sure if I have an account for all the kids on the delivery of each. But this is Carver's Story! It was a planned c-section. Which there are not very many surprises that come with that. But in the delivery room there are always fun things going on and weird feelings to experience! My due date for Carver was June 10th 2010. The Dr. Always takes the babes out a week early. So to my surprise He told me it would be three days before my delivery because it was on a first come basis. So that made me a little mad. I wanted this little guy outta me. But I agreed Of course. I get really bad anxiety attacks occasionally. So I was scared that I might go into labor before I had the c-section. The c-section was scheduled at 12:15 in the afternoon which meant hospital arrival was at 10:15am. This was a surprise to me because my previous 3 were at 6am in the morning and I had to arrive real early to get the babes out. I arrived at the hospital and I got into my gown. The night before I thought I would draw a smiley face on my belly with the phrase "bumpity bump" on my belly. SO I did. By morning and a shower later, it was gone. Well mostly gone. When We were waiting in the room I looked at my belly and could see that the permanent marker was not completely gone. The nurse had me take a urine sample. I noticed that they had a permanent marker for writing names on the pee cups. I re-drew the smiley and came out to show David that it was back. I thought I might be too embarrassed to leave it and have 4-7 men/ women looking at me down there. David and I sat waiting for the Dr to get to us. I showed the nurse my belly and she got a good laugh. My mom and and sister in law showed up to be with us. We sat around talking and waiting. we took some pictures for scrabooking later. It seemed like forever. For me especially because I have to fast for the surgery. My head was hurting and my tummy was grawl ing. The anisticiologist (sp?) came in to talk to me about where they would be poking me and if I had any questions. The Dr Finally showed up after that. They walked me down the hall to the delivery/operating room. It is always a cold walk down the hall and I always feel like my bum is hanging out of those gowns. The guy that pokes the big needle in ya started right away. This is where I panic. I had mom there to comfort me so I would not move or scream. It is always so uncomfortable getting that in my spine. I don't know if anyone else has a fear of this but I do. I have spina bifada in my back. ( ya gotta look that one up now) So once you know what that is you will know why I worry. Patients are able to have children normally but the whole concept of sticking something in my back with this condition makes me gag. They lay you down pretty fast when you have it because your body from your breasts down get really warm and numb. My favorite thing is the blow up raft they use to transfer you to beds. I always feel like I am gonna go rafting down a river when they blow that up. It is so funny to me. They draped warm blankets over me and had David hold my hand. (fingers). My mom was suppose to be out this time around and we were going to just have my sister in law stay but we got the "BIG" room. DR Ok'd both of them and David to be in with me. HOW COOL! Usually on 2 people can be present so we have alternated parents the last few times and this made my experience much cooler. The Dr's poked at me and asked if I could feel anything (NOPE). So they began. The sensation of them touching me is so bizarre to me. You are so numb yet you know they are touching your belly and moving things around. The taste is a weird metal taste. I always look up at the Dr's and they always ask if I am alright. I think it is funny when they ask because I feel totally fine but like I am in a dream or something when they are doing the c-section. Weird feeling. I think I need to attend a c-section that is not my own. Then maybe I can gain some perspective. The Dr. was laughing when he saw my bump with the cute smile face I drew on it. He asked if I drew it and I confessed up! He thought I was pretty talented drawing it by myself upside down. They told me that I would need to take a deep breath in when it was time to deliver Carver. I did but that did not help a bit. He pushed so hard on my stomach I thought everything was gonna come out. I felt like a big ZIT that someone was trying to pop. (bad example, but that is how it felt) The baby was not wanting to come out. He pulled an "Eli" and went back up and was rock solid in me. It concerned me at first. The Dr. of course did not tell me that he would be vacuuming Carver out with the vacuum. I guess he did not want to worry me. SO he was sucked out. He had a nice bruise to show for it too later. I felt relieved finally and was so glad he was alive and thriving. David is usually not one to take a lot of pictures of me but this time he got the most bloodiest shots of Carver and the Dr's helping him out. He said he just went on the other side where they were, closed his eyes and just started pushing the button on the camera. I think he looked a few times because there are some good shots. They weighed Carver and measured him. Then He came immediately to me for a first kiss. I always get a tear in my eye when I meet my children. It is the most beautiful thing to see when they are right out of you. SO I did. Mom and shawn took turns holding while daddy took pictures. Then they switched and it was a nice experience having my sister in law there. They don't have kids so it meant a lot to me that she was there. I hope she enjoyed being there too. They spend a good amount of time sewing you back up. I had a lot scar tissue from my previous pregnancies. SO they took a little bit longer to sew up and fix me. Once I was all sewn up they took us to our room. The nurse we had was really nice. Her name was Audrey. She was very good at making me feel comfortable and suggested I breast feed right away and get that close contact. Which I always want right after but forget about. I feel so wasted after delivery that all i want is sleep. Having the baby close by is good but I always forget that I actually have to do something now. So we started the breast feeding. I got on more meds for pain maintenance and decided I was the happiest I would be...until they gave me more pain meds. Once I got more I was even more comfortable. The morphine makes me very loopy and I can barely keep my eyes open or hold a normal conversation. But I was on it because I needed it. They eventually switched me to percocit. I love hospital food! SO I was asking for it right after delivery. They gave me Ice chips instead and some pudding. I almost threw that up. I think I got about 30 water bottles full of Ice chips down while we were there. I think I only got about3 bottles full of water down me. I drank a lot of juice and ate all the meals. I even asked for more meals around 12am because I was so hungry. Breast feeding makes me so hungry. We were all settled in and the Dr's kept asking us for the name of the baby. We were not sure. I asked David and he had no suggestions what so ever. Mine were all wrong. Even the name we finally decided on was not right for David. But that is his name and he can change it later if needed. We did not give him a name. We left the hospital. Tried to come up with a name for 7 days and then Finally settled with Carver Stephen Pugmire. Stephen is from Davids dads middle name. Carver is a name I saw in David's email one day from work. I really like the name and decided that he was not going to be named anything else. He let me have my way and Carver was finally named. I just sent in the official paper on Friday. SO he is named!!! I hate returning home from the hospital. Most would be happy to get home. I knew I had 3 anxious children awaiting us and very little help at home. So I was happy to be at the hospital if they would keep me. The day finally came where we had to pack up. I told the nurse not to rush us out like they do with most their patients. I told her I was having pains still and it would take awhile to get me going. Which was not a lie. I was in pain. But I think I had some mental pains to about leaving. SO we took our time and they were very understanding. I had some visitors at the hospital. Not many. My family on both sides visited and my 2 best friends came! I was happy they did. I love seeing them and showing off the baby. They always hold them and sit and talk with me. It is very important to me when they come. It always strengthens our bond as friends too. When we got checked out, David pulled the car around and loaded us up. We drove to theno's Dairy (instead of home this time) and realized AGAIN that we forgot the pain meds. We do this every time but we usually make it home first. So we turned back around. How annoying. He got the meds and we headed yet again back home. We were greeted by 3 anxious children waiting to see their brother again and my mother in-law. I think my other sis-in law was there too. I was so out of it. We let the kids see Carver and then I took some pictures. We were settled in. Now for the real Pain. The C-section is nothing compared to the recovery of major surgery and having to figure out a newborn while in pain. We needed a lot of help this time. My pain was more intense and with more kids at home it was more than we could handle. We set up some meals with our church. Very nice of them to offer even more than 2 meals. On wed we will have had a week and half of meals. It has been very helpful. We also set up back up care with Microsoft for someone to come out last week and this week to care for my kids. I am not mentally or physically ready to manage all four. David is still working until the end of this week. This has been a life saver. The kids are taken care of and I can rest. My pain has been really bad but I had to get off my pain meds last week due to an allergic reaction I had. This is probably the worst post partum (SP) so far. The Dr. said that with all the hormones being released, that my body is releasing them in hives. Maybe I was to anxious about coming home or whatever reason. I got taken off everything. I can only take IB profrin. Which helps but is not successful in getting rid of all the pain. I guess it is good but now I suffer headaches due to being addicted to the narcotics they gave me. I might take some today just so I can sleep. They put me on benadryl and some lotion for the hives. The hives were so bad that I could not stop itching and they started bleeding on my heels. It was nasty. They have finally started to go away. But I can tell if I get to worried about being around the kids or something makes me nervous they pop up again. Dr said emotionally I sound fine but that my body is just dealing with the hormone change and anxiety. So everything is coming out in my skin. I hope that is all I have to deal with. The only other thing I need to get use to is Dean trying to climb all over me. I have not adjusted to him being around me and Carver. With Dean only 20 months old, he is still very active and wants lots of attention. So I sit. In my bed for the last 2 weeks. My back hurts, and I have a bruised tail bone. I am happy though. I went for Carvers second PKU and the Dr Said I looked Happy. She said most people come in looking pale and slumped over. I was cheerful and happy, she said. I took that as a great compliment. How can someone not be happy, to get a baby out. I was even more happy when I hoped on the scale yesterday and noticed the 20 pounds I gained was gone plus 6 more pounds. SO I lost it all already plus an extra 6 pounds. Not for long though. I know I gain 10lbs with breast feeding. But I will take that loss for now as a good thing!

When we first got home Carver was up at night and slept during the day. he still sleeps a lot during the day but he will sleep at most 4-6 hours at night. Which i think is great. He will not lay flat though. He sleeps in his car seat. I know I should let him cry and sleep on his back but he likes to be upright. Maybe he has reflux who knows. However he will sleep, that is how he will sleep. As long as it is not his tummy.Most my kids were swing kids. They would not sleep unless they were in a swing. they needed that movement to keep them asleep. We have been truly blessed to have so many meals brought in an help with laundry and kids. I am so thankful David still has a job to go to and able to care for his family. I am excited to finally have him home to help out. I know a month is a long time and i will probably want him back at work in 2 weeks but I am happy he will be able to bond with Carver more. Such a special time for them. I feel like I have hogged that time to the max already. Carver, we are so Happy you are here finally and so happy for the joy you have brought already. I can not imagine my life without you in it now. The kids love you and we love you. What a great experience to be able to have you. What great Dr's we have had with all the kids. What great medical technology and advancements there are that allow me to have kids. Without these we would not have you beautiful children! I feel so lucky to have had four kids so far with my set backs. Little blessings walk in front of me each day. Thank you Heavenly father and David for everything! I love you!