The D-day & Recovery

I mentally prepared myself for C-section and went with mom to the Dr's clinic on Tuesday, 23rd November 2010 around 11.30. But doc had gone for a medical camp. I whiled away the time by transferring contacts from my old mobile to new mobile. Finally she returned at 1, examined me and said - NO CHANGE. However, the pills had brought BP under control. She said it has to be a C-section and gave me a choice as to when I would like to get operated. It was my birthday the next day. The star was good until 9 AM the next day, so I said “We can have it tomorrow early morning before 7 AM (Before yamakandam) so that me and my baby celebrate our birthday together”. However, doc had a different idea. She asked me a simple question - Why do you want to get operated on your birthday? If it is a normal delivery then OK. But this is going to be a C-sec. Why?

That too sounded right to me, so I said “OK, Let us have it today itself ”. My mom said, 3-4.30 was Rahu kaalam, so better before or after. Dr.U asked us to hold on for a minute, immediately called the anesthetist Dr. M and spoke to her to check her availability. She was free and I was asked to get admitted in the hospital immediately so that we could have it before 3 PM. Time was 1.20 PM then. We came out and called S & dad and asked them to come to the hospital immediately. The hospital was hardly 5 mins drive from the Dr's clinic. By the time we went there, Dr. U had already given instructions to the hospital staff and as soon as we entered, everything happened in a fast forward sequence. A nurse came, got my medical file and directly took me to the lift. I didn’t know where I was being taken and followed her blindly. She didn’t even give time to think. In the meantime my mom was asked to get some medicine. We had packed some 5 bags and my mom didn’t know where to keep the bags and the nurse was pressurizing for the medicine. So, mom asked the nurse to take care of the bags, went to the pharmacy, got medicines, came back, took the bags and went to our allotted room. I was taken to the labor room in the 4th floor and was shaved and given enema to clear my stomach. They asked to me to sign the form and remove bangles and rings. By then mom also came to 4^th floor, reassured me that everything was going to be OK.

I was given a blue hospital gown which I wore and catheter was placed. My hair was tied up and covered with a cap. A pair of socks was tied around my legs. With all these I walked like a robot from the labor room and entered OT at around 2.25 PM. Dr.U welcomed me with a smile into the OT saying "J, Bali aadu madhiri varaadha. Sandhoshama vaa" I was made to sit on the operation board and had BP measuring apparatus attached to my right hand and pulse monitor to my left. Dr. U painted my back with a chill solution. Dr.M was busy placing IV in my left hand. My eyes were closed with a piece of cloth. Needless to say I was tensed and my BP shot up to 140/90. Dr.M was very friendly and asked me to bend down in sitting posture. She said that she is going to administer an simple injection in my spine and I don’t have anything to worry. After the injection I was made to lie down and slowly the anesthesia started working. My legs started becoming numb. By then, Dr. U had started the surgery. I could feel the incision being made from the right side of my lower abdomen though I couldn’t feel the pain. After a few minutes I could hear a gurgling sound which I guess was the suction of my amniotic fluid. It was a different experience to listen to the doctors chit chatting away about their children, their studies, etc while doing an operation. That was when I realized what my chithappa had earlier said about C-sec “Idhellaam avaaLukku Rava upma paNNra madhiri avvLo easy task” Few more minutes later, Dr. U said “Time paarungo Dr.M” I was not sure if I heard a baby's cry and Dr. U did not open her mouth. I was feeling thirsty and had a slight breathing problem - rather short of breath. A couple of minutes later Dr.U announced that “Girl Baby, J. 2.40”. Blissful moment! "Thank you so much doctor, Is she healthy? 2.40-aa?" were the first words that came out of my mouth. "YES, absolutely" came the prompt reply and it made me float in 7th heaven. Later doc said the baby was 3 Kg. Thus, Chittu came into our lives bringing us happiness, pleasure, ecstasy.

Few more minutes later, pediatrician came with the baby wrapped in a blue Turkish towel, removed my eye fold and showed me MY DAUGHTER. She was a small cute dark pink softy rosy bundle of joy. I never thought that I would cry - but automatically tears started flowing and it was an emotional moment and I kissed her. Then I was stitched up & cleaned. I think the stitching up task takes more time than actually delivering the baby. All this time Chittu was crying outside and I could clearly hear it. In the meantime Dr.S showed Chittu to hubby, mom, MIL, G chithappa and R chithi who were waiting. Dad just barged in the last but right moment and caught the glimpse of our sweet baby. Mom was the first to take Chittu in her hands. I was told that Dr.S commented “She is a beautiful baby with cute eyes.”Inside, I saw the cleaning lady put the placenta (which looked more like heart diagram in biology books to me) in a polythene cover for disposal. The assistant doctor helped me feed Chittu just outside the OT and instructed me to feed her routinely once I go back to the room. Chittu's pediatrician Dr.S had strictly instructed the hospital staff that no cradle should be given and the baby had to sleep either with the mom or with the attender only. I was wheeled from OT to the room in 2nd floor around 3.45. As soon as I came out I saw my mom - who had Chittu in her hands. She asked me how I was and said everything is OK. Then came my husband to whom all that I could emotionally say was "Ponnu dhan" and give a faint smile. My dad, chithappa and chithi waved out to me. I felt pretty OK when I came back to the room as I was still numb below the waist and the nurse put me on drips. I was speaking to everyone normally and explained what happened in the OT. But within 15 mins I was completely drained of all my energy and couldn’t even speak.

We started having visitors right from day 1. The numbness started going off by 6.30 PM and I started feeling terrible pain. By 8 PM, Dr.U came back to check on me. Her gift to Chittu was a cloth sheet, a couple of soft muslin white jablas, cloth nappies and kerchiefs. Thankfully, she told that I can have little amount of water whenever I wanted. I was really relieved when I heard those words because I was thirsty since 12 noon that day. I was lying on my back. She immediately instructed me to turn to the sides. I tried to turn on my left and I just couldn't. She asked my mom to bring Chittu near me and said "Look at her and turn, you can". I blindly followed what she said. Bearing all the pain, I finally turned. From then on, for the first week until my pain subsided, turning on sides was the most comfortable position to feed.

Chittu used to cry profusely in hunger and I would take atleast 2 mins to turn on my sides. It made me feel guilty but I was helpless. By midnight the pain was unbearable and the nurse gave me a pain killer injection which provided a huge relief. Chittu slept with me in the crooked single cot, or my mom pulled the attender's cot close to mine and Chittu slept in between both of us. It was decided that S will take his paternal leave for the next 3 days, so he was the one who was shuttling between the hospital and home to get me food and anything else that me / mom wanted. My mil was sweet enough to cook whatever pathiya samayal that I asked for. Next day, I was completely on fluids - Mother's Horlicks, Tender Coconut, Mosambi Juice and Oats kanji. S bought cap, mittens, booties, blanket, towel with head cap, rubber sheet, mosquito net for Chittu and feeding nighties for me. Having identified them earlier made it easier for him to buy. I had two more pain killer injections on day 2. I was on catheter till 6 PM that day. When Dr.U came to visit me on 2nd day evening, she ordered to remove my catheter and asked me to walk to the bathroom. I couldn't believe my ears. I was operated hardly 24 hrs back and she was asking me to walk. But she was strict and said I had to. It was too difficult to get up & sit on the bed, herculean task to get down from the cot (which was pretty high) and himalayan task to walk all the way from bed to the bathroom which was hardly 7 steps. I am extremely grateful to the 2 ayaahs who were highly patient and helped me for 2-3 days to walk to the bathroom. The pain was kind of ok on the 3rd day and I walked better but with a hunch. Dr. U asked me to walk erect and practice walking either in the corridor / inside the room itself to which I complied. Day 3 - I was advised to take bath & mom helped me with that. After bath nurse removed the plaster which covered the stitches. OMG, when she removed the plaster which was sticking to my abdomen, it was too painful. They had kept gauze only on the stitches and NOT in the corners. Thankfully, the stitch part didn't hurt a bit. Drips were stopped. I started taking solids. It was Idly with sugar, rasam rice, curd rice and boiled vegetables. We filled Chittu's birth certificate form and gave it in the hospital. Day 4 was a smooth ride. I took French bath that day. I did not want the aayahs and with my mom's help got up from the bed. Dr. U said that she would discharge me the next day. I was expected to have BM but didn’t. That night I was given Evict syrup and it worked as expected on Day 5. Day 5 - I got up from the bed all by my own, walked with much ease. Mom gave me head bath and was ready by 10.30 AM. The hospital gifted Chittu with a pink new born suit, towel and a bib. They wanted her to wear it when being discharged. Mom completed the formalities and we (Me, S, Chittu and mom) started by around 11 AM and reached home by 12.15 PM.

Traditional haarathi was taken for me and Chittu and I placed her at Lord Guruvayoorappan's feet, thanking him for the treasured gift that he had given me and asked him to give us paripoorna aayur aarogya sowkyam and my usual prayers. Chittu was playing & S started by 1.30 after which she slept like a log for a very long time. It looked like - she has reached HER place and this is where she can get ample rest. She took the best rest that day and the next since the time she was born. The cot at home was more comfortable for me than the hospital cot and it was easier to get up and walk. Slowly but steadily, I started doing my activities on my own - right from taking bath to taking care of all of Chittu's necessities.

Both me and Chittu had our regular doc visits / reviews and after 1.5 months I started lifting light objects (like chair, less than a quarter bucket of water, etc) and bent down for extremely important things (like picking the soap when it fell down during bath, picking Chittu when she was placed on the floor, etc). In retrospect I realize this speedy recovery was possible only because of Dr. U and her strict procedure. Long live her.

For first 1 or 2 months, both me and Chittu were sailing in the same boat - she learning to adapt to this BIG world, me learning to adapt to her habits. And as days go on - I realize - With every child, the mother is also born.