Had a c-section on a Thursday afternoon. For some reason, late Friday afternoon my doctor said I had to confirm if I wanted her to order any pain medication because no doctor would be on the floor overnight.

Still don’t understand why I had to confirm ordering the meds, instead of her just leaving an order in case it was needed. Anyway, I asked if the epidural had fully worn off and if I was already in as much pain as I would be in. She said “yeah pretty much,” so I declined. Turns out that wasn’t true.

A few hours later, a nurse came in to my room to check on why I was just letting my newborn keep screaming. She found me squirming around like a turtle on its back and sobbing while my husband was snoring and sleeping through all of it.

I remember telling her I could feel my stitches tearing every time I tried to move (they weren’t, it just felt like it). I was begging for anything to help with the pain, but since the doctor left without putting in an order for any medication, she couldn’t even give me Tylenol.

So far in my life, that has definitely been my most physically painful experience.