#2 is here and even got a name on the 2nd or 3rd day. He was only 9#12oz at 38w - much smaller than we had thought, but still a fair size. Other than the kid, July has not been the stellar month I imagined: long story short....moderate spinal headache + high fever/infection of undetermined origin + second lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis = debilitating spinal headache, several trips to the ER, a vast amount of morphine (not nearly as fun as it sounds), 11 extra days in the hospital. Thank goodness for health insurance.

If anyone knows me IRL, please feel free to volunteer your toddler-sitting services before he finally succeeds in killing off #2.
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Congrats on #2, wow...sounds traumatic...hopefully someone will chime in with some help - my two are only 16 months apart and although my MIL is a PIA, she was a great help during those first few weeks, and I wasn't receovering from all of that!

well wishes for a speedy recovery

ml

If they don't get the depth of the epidural just right, lingering headaches can result.

More: med site

Blllleeeeeeaaaahhh I want to vomit. Good strategy to keep the childless of the M&D board.

And even those expecting children. I'm literally shuddering.

Thanks. Yay for good insurance with no paperwork involved. I didn't check the link, but A spinal headache is what you get when the teensy hole that they use for a spinal or epidural does not heal and spinal fluid leaks out into your system continually. It causes a nasty headache when you are not laying flat on your back. If they make another hole to check for meningitis, the headache gets about 10x worse and you start thinking brain tumor. It is more likely with an epi than a spinal due to the larger size of the hole with an epi. The relatively simple cure involves making yet another hole in your spine and shooting about 20cc of your own blood back in to clot over the hole(s) (which is not possible if you have any bacteria in your blood, which I did).

No one makes you get an epidural. Although I suspect that sometime partway into labor, you'll be begging for one, headaches be damned (esp. if you're birthing enchilada-boy).

Epidural, baby!
 

[Oops.]

Epidural, baby!
 

Or in the alternative, Smuggy McSpermMaker, you could come to the hospital with me and while in the throes of insurgency I could grab your balls so hard you cry until my kid goes to college. Just a thought.

The downfall of civilization began when husbands entered the delivery room.

Where's atticus these days, anyway?

Pft.

My husband was actually something of a help in the first delivery room experience. Whatever brownie points earned, though, were substantially tainted because he would repeatedly lament what a trauma the delivery room experience was -- FOR HIM!!! -- because he was so exhausted afterwards. If there was ever a time I contemplated the 'ol "arsenic in the coffee" trick, it was then.

Epidural, baby!
 

My first was induced and I had some stupid idea about seeing how long I could go without an epidural. After about 8 hours of pitocin and stuck at 3 cm with the cx going off the charts, I finally gave in and got it. Best thing in the world. 40 minutes later and feeling waaaaay better, baby born with a couple pushes.

My second was natural labor, about 6 hours total, got the epi as soon as they said I could. Much more enjoyable. Pretty much talked through it.

The idea of an epi horrified me before I gave birth (okay, giving birth terrified me, too), but it was the.best.

No, but it's pretty high on the list of options for those of us who end up with c-sections.

Mr. Lex, who was somewhat traumatized by c/s #1 (which, to be fair, involved a whole lot of blood on the floor and problems breathing on my part), told me the night before surgery he would prefer not to be in the OR this time. I told him I would prefer not to be there either, but neither of us had a choice in the matter, so wear washable shoes.

Epidural, baby!
 

You say this, yet no accusations of being a Smuggy McSpermMaker from RP? Jeez.

Ah, does the putative dad read this board?