Hello Everyone~

**I typed this up the other day, yet forgot to post it - so here it is.  It's kinda garbled and confusing, but gives you some info as to how things went those first few days.  Enjoy~~

I'm tired, but I thought I would pop in and say hello!

You've already met Micah (isn't he adorable?!) - thanks my hubby!  

All in all, things went fairly smoothly.  My OB said the surgery could not have gone better!  She said I have a thin section which we already knew about from last time, but that she would not call it "dangerous".  She is most concerned about a future placenta attaching to, and growing THROUGH, the incision scar on my uterus.  This can happen with *any* repeat c-section, as you can never be sure where the placenta will attach on the inside of the uterus.  So obviously, with each pregnancy, you are taking that risk.

Also, you heard about my spinal headache.  That was fairly awful!  About 3am, the evening following the c-section, I began having a headache.  It just kept increasing in pain.  It was first between my eyes, then also began at the back of my skull, towards my neck.  My OB arrived abotu 7am and I told her about it - she thought it *may* be a spinal headache, and told me she would send anesthesia to come talk to me.

Basically, during my spinal, my spinal cord membrane was punctured.  Some fluid began to leak - this caused the fluid level that surrounds my brain to go down a bit.  So my brain - yes, my BRAIN - settled down a bit onto my skull.  Ick.  It began to pull at the connective areas inside my skull (the front part, inbetween my eyes & the back of my skull, towards my neck).

My only relief was to lie down flat.  That took away the pressure and the pain would mostly go away.  Except I needed to nurse the baby (I can't really do that lying down in the beginning).  I took pain meds, as much as I could, drank lots of caffeinated pop & laid down as much as possible.  Yet 24 hours later, things were not improving - so we decided on the more aggresive form of treatment:  a blood patch.

Basically, they go in the same place as the spinal, except this time with an epidural, and insert some blood (taken from my arm, right there) and try to get it right by the puncture.  This forms a clot and kinda seals up the hole.  The fluid amount return to normal and the brain no longer rests against the skull.  Instant pain relief.  Amazing!!

I would tell ANYONE - if you have this type of headache, just do the blood patch!!  Save yourself the pain.  My recovery from the c-section was really great, but I couldn't get past the pain from the spinal headache enough to even realize how I was doing.  

I am now at home, trying *really* hard to take it easy.  My other four kiddos are with a friend 'til Friday afternoon (what a blessing!).  The docs told me to take it easy, as the blood patch could potentially come undone and reopen the puncture if I push myself too hard.  I also have a backache, which freaks me out with each pain, as I'm petrifried it means I have dislodged the blood patch and the headache will return.  Ugh.....

I've got tons to share, lots of pics, all that jazz, but I'm tired and need to nurse lil' Micah.