This is the day we were told we could take the baby home. This is also the day we found out that he'd have to stay for 3 more days. Miscommunication at its finest.
Friday afternoon we were going home from the hospital with plans to go back later that evening. I really didn't feel good, I was emotional and upset. MrG had hugged me and kissed my forehead and noticed that I was REALLY hot. He took my temp and I had a fever. Called the OB clinic's emergency line to see what to do. The doctor that delivered Baby G was on call (wonderful ::eyeroll::) and told us to go to the ER.
We spent 4 hours in the ER. Nurses came in and looked at my swollen, red stomach and we waited for the ER doc. He came in when I was trying to pump and was probably in there for 2 minutes tops. He called it "cellulitis" (which it wasn't) and called the oncall OB. OB didn't even come in to look at me - he just told the ER doctor over the phone to send me home with a Rx of antibiotics. He said it was probably "just superficial swelling" and that the Rx would be fine. We asked if I could have an IV antibiotic because we knew it would work faster and be stronger but they said no. The OB was IN THE BUILDING and didn't have the decency to walk down to the ER to look at me.
By that time it was too late to get my Rx filled so we went to the NICU to see the baby. We got some food and in the process of going from the ER, to the food court to the NICU 3 people asked if I was there to have my baby. "No. I had him last week." It made me feel good for sure. We visited and held him and went home.
The next morning we got up and I was getting ready. We were going to spend the morning in the NICU after I dropped of my Rx at the hospital pharmacy. I had showered and was getting ready when I felt something wet at the TOP of my underwear. I had no idea what it was but it had a smell to it too. I asked MrG what it was and said he didn't see anything. I went to the bathroom and while I was sitting on the toilet there was this gush of the nastiest looking and smelling fluid I had EVER seen. I thought my incision had burst open. I screamed for MrG to come, he grabbed me a towel to hold over it, helped me get the rest of my clothes on, got dressed himself and we were back to the ER.
A necrosis is a place on your skin/tissue that dies because of an infection. There had been a black spot on my stomach above my incision that MrG had been concerned about. Apparently that was a necrosis and that's where the huge gush of fluid came from. My incision had only come open in a very small spot but there was now a hole in my stomach above my incision where all of this fluid had pushed its way out - killing my skin and tissue to escape. This is something the OB could have seen had he come down to look at me the night before.
The ER nurse couldn't believe they sent me home the night before. She asked why they didn't give me an IV antibiotic (good question right?) I saw yet another OB from the practice whom I had never met before and he had me admitted back into the hospital.
Mr G spent the next several days running bottles of pumped milk to the NICU while I was in my room again. I couldn't go with MrG again this time because of the IV and because of the infection. I wouldn't want to risk getting those fragile babies sick out of selfishness wanting to see my little guy. Mr G would take pictures of him and bring them back for me to see but I spent from Saturday - Tuesday away from my brand new baby.
We were both discharged on Tuesday. We didn't have the coming home experience I had dreamed of. I only grabbed a couple pictures of him the day he came home. None of him with us at all. I was so ready to be out of the hospital that I didn't even care at the time.
I spent the next month having MrG's cousin (who is a nurse) come over twice a day to pack, clean and repack my wound. It was miserable having that done. It made me feel disgusting & like an invalid but it had to be done so the wound would heal from the inside out.
It has taken me a really long time to get through all of this emotionally. I'm still dealing with it a little and typing this out makes me realize that it still hurts sometimes. God really watched over us during this hard time and I praise Him daily for this miracle He blessed us with. He never said our path would be easy (isn't THAT the truth) but He was there for sure. In addition to that, my amazing husband, family and friends really helped to pull me through this. I'm in love with this sweet baby and I fall even more in love with him and my husband every single day.
We had a rough time getting here and we had a rough start. It has been a journey for sure but we're beyond blessed to be where we are now.
And seriously - if you've read all of this you're either extremely awesome or extremely bored. :)
