From shin-lengthening to online shopping, Kristen Bell said she considered lots of options while recovering from the December birth of her second daughter, Delta Bell Shepard.
A month and a day after Bell's husband Dax Shepard appeared on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" to offer light-hearted takes on the "difficult" C-section birth of their second daughter, it was the actress' turn to tell DeGeneres delivery-room tales. As it turns out, Bell said, Shepard was being "very dramatic," and it wasn't all that bad — at least while the epidural lasted.
"As someone who has never experimented with drugs, I really enjoyed it," said Bell, prompting laughter from DeGeneres' studio audience. "It was kind of a wonderful experience for me. While they were doing it, I actually thought, like, 'What else could we get done down there? Maybe lengthen the shins?' I’ve always wanted to be like 5'7". Just anything to keep the epidural flowing."
That feel-good feeling, however, wouldn't last.
"About six or seven hours later, I’m sitting in my hospital bed, and I say to Dax, 'Well, I think the epidural has finally worn off.'" Bell said. "And he looks over and I am scratching holes in my face like a meth addict. And I’m like, 'I think it might be time to re-up, I don’t know, 'cause it’s definitely worn off.'"
Bell said a dose of Benadryl made her feel more relaxed. Maybe a little too relaxed. Not only would the actress take long pauses between her words — "I would just [zone] out" — but the dosage also came with another unusual habit: online shopping.
"Do you know what looks really good when you’re on that stuff? Hand bags — or throw pillows or rugs," Bell said. "A picture of a throw pillow was as mind-blowing as seeing 'The Matrix' for the first time."
Aside from recovering from medications, Bell's been busy since leaving the hospital, caring for the 7-week-old Delta and her 22-month-old sister, Lincoln.
"This feels like a vacation, coming here," Bell told DeGeneres. "It really does. Everyone here speaks in full sentences, and no one's asked me to wipe their buns — yet."
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This article was originally published Feb. 16, 2015 at 2:31 p.m. ET.