Bumps in the Road

The past two days have been very interesting...

On Wednesday, Mom and I took Susanna to the pediatrician for her 1-week weight check. Afterward, we went to the mall for lunch (at Chick-Fil-A, of course) and some shopping (because we're related to Jean Van Delft AND I needed nursing bras). We walked around a little bit, and then came home. Around 3, I started getting some cramps. That's normal, since my uterus has to shrink back down to the size of a fist. However, these cramps HURT, and the ones I had been feeling previously had merely been annoying. They got worse as the day/night went on, and 800 mg of Motrin and heating pads barely made a dent in them. Honestly, at the worst point I felt like I was in labor again. It was that bad.

On Thursday morning, I called my OB-GYN, and they scheduled me for that afternoon. She poked around and said she thought they were just severe uterine contractions, but wanted to send me for a CT Scan to rule out an abdominal hematoma or appendicitis. So, Mom and I headed over to the hospital, she dropped me off, and headed home to meet James' mom, who was supposed to be arriving momentarily.

[Insert fun adventure of two moms exchanging baby and keys to our Escape, and then a trip to the hospital to pick me up, with my mom leaving to go home right after]

When I got to the Radiology department, I was faced with two bits of unwelcome news. First, I had to drink this really nasty stuff that would highlight my intestines...and it takes two hours to take effect. That meant I either had to stay at the hospital for two hours OR go home and come back. Second, during the CT scan I would be injected with a contrast dye that would pass through breast milk for 48 hours...meaning I had to "pump and dump" during that time and supplement with formula.

I was able to go home and have one last pumping session before the CT scan. Thankfully, I had already stored about 10 oz of breast milk in the freezer and had another 6 oz in the fridge. I also had a bunch of formula samples that I had received at the hospital. So...we've been alternating giving Susanna pumped breast milk and formula. I just gave her the last of the breast milk, so until the 48 hours is over (at 7:00 p.m.), she'll have to get all formula. So much for my desire to give her ONLY breast milk her first six months...

Thankfully, the CT scan was normal, and showed no signs of a hematoma or appendicitis. My OB gave me Darvocet, which greatly helped the pain. I'm going to try and go without it today, and see how I do. I can't drive while I'm on the Darvocet, and I would like my independence back. The question that's on my mind: why, after a week of mild postpartum symptoms, did I suddenly get an attack of the Cramps from Hell? Anyone have a good guess?