It's SteeTime!

I don't know if it's a good idea to write the third instalment of an ongoing ordeal. I was hoping that by now that I would be among the "bounced back" mommas. Well it has been two solid weeks today. There should be some progress right? Baby looks like a two month old and eats the share of one too  He is quiet and calm unless you are delaying with his good good. He sleeps quite well and is peaceful when awake and full. Cracked nipples make you anxious everytime it's feeding time. And that's a lot of anxiety. Objectively speaking, no one cares. My cracked nipples were not healing with nipple cream or the ebm trick. Gynae and paed had outlandish suggestions ranging from method of detaching baby to laser treatment. Insert WhatsApp emoji. You know the one. Review at the doctors gave answers to questions that we had. It turns out according the pathologists histopathology report that I had "an acute suppurative appendicitis with sections showing oedema, hy...

The fever I developed on Day 5 made me pray in vernacular. All politeness with the nurses had gone out the window. Unleash the dragon-lady. I ordered one nurse aide to bring me a personal thermometer. Another to bring me a blanket. It was 32 degrees Celsius. They both looked confused with these requests and neither of those two ever returned. My teeth were chattering and body shaking like a leaf. So this is what they mean by chills and rigors. You would be surprised at some of the concepts a medic never really understands until it happens to them. Differential diagnosis time. What could I have developed? An infection from the hospital? A urinary tract infection? Peritonitis? Peuperal sepsis? Any other sepsis? Throat infection? Cholera??? My mind would not shut down. These were all possible. Why were the nurses moving so slowly? Had they called the doctor? Where was my blanket? Why was I developing a fever now? I could hear murmurings of concern that the doctor patient in 5b is crying...

I gave birth at the same time as our mulberry tree. By the time I was discharged from hospital the black and purple berries had carpeted the ground she shaded. Our rottweiler was also pregnant. Once boisterous she was now a lazy frump always sitting in the shade of the car. I knew exactly how she felt. I'm not going to go into a lecture about how childbearing should not be a punishment and maternal mortality stats yada yada, but dude. My entire medical portfolio is based on the fact that I had children. And I would not trade my yummies for anything in the world. They and my husband are my greatest blessings which I only attained though grace. God's, that is. My experience with having a baby this time round with my second has been what others term as traumatic, complicated, and some doctors would say 'interesting'. Because with doctors you are usually reduced to a case whose value increases on whether your stories can be shared with other patients or colleagues. So y...