With Abby, I had a C-section also, but it was much easier recovering. I got a prescription for percoset, but to be honest, since she was born in October of 2005, I have STILL not finished the one bottle of pills I got when I left the hospital! There are still 8 left in the bottle as of today, and that's counting any that disappeared when "someone else" might have decided they needed one here or there for whatever reasons. (For the legal record, I'm not saying I did share them. I'm not saying I did not. Tee hee!)
This time, I was on percoset around the clock on schedule and had to call for a refill when I returned home. Since percoset requires a paper prescription and can't be called in, I was offered vicodin to make things easier. I got TWO additional bottles of that as the days passed and just yesterday went a full day without one.
It's been HARD!!! To this day, I still cannot roll over in bed. I have one position I can sleep in -- on my right side. I cannot even GET onto my left side without pain. It feels like my guts are still settling in there now that the baby's not holding them up in my chest cavity or wherever they had landed for those 9 months. I swear, they are rattling around in my abdomen!
I'd LOVE to lie on my back, but the fear of the 25-pound flying sausage (AKA: our crazy puppy) landing on my abdomen or even my actual incision site (she HAS done that in the past week!) terrifies me, so I just settle for the side position for now.
On another related note, it pretty much sucks sleeping with my back to my husband every time we go to bed now. I told him if this keeps up much longer, I'll have to change sides with him so I don't have to talk over my shoulder to him. : (
My back has been killing me - presumably from not being able to move once I get into bed, from hunching over in pain for so many days whenever I was able to get up and do things, and (thinly disguised TMI) from leaning over a little while running the Medela. I took one opportunity to lean BACK into a massage chair and ended up battering my back so that it felt bruised for a few days after. Oh, but it felt soooo good at the time!!!
On a positive note, I have no idea how or why, but I have officially lost all of my pregnancy weight and then some! THAT is one improvement this time over my recovery from Abby's birth! Of course, losing all the water weight from the IVs was a help. Those of you that saw my feet and legs in real life know what I'm really talking about. For those that view from afar, here's a picture. The camera just doesn't capture the full effect, so imagine it ten times worse and you might have an idea of how bad it looked when I looked down at my legs!
Here's another view at my weight chart showing where I started and where I am today, just because it's something about this recovery that I CAN be thrilled about. Also, I'm personally FLABBERGASTED at how easy it has been this time after it took FIVE FLIPPIN' YEARS to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight after Abby! I just don't GET IT, but I will not complain. I'm THRILLED!
The last thing I can think of that stands out is the intensely annoying NIGHT SWEATS!!! UGH! Marti was my hero last night when he got out of bed and got me a towel to put under my head. (Actually, he's been my hero is so many other ways with taking care of this baby AND me. I couldn't do this without him! I'm quite sure he puts a LOT of other dads to shame and I'm so happy to have him as my husband and partner in this adventure!)
Anyway, I went to bed with wet hair HOPING it would make me feel cooler, but I still woke up in a puddle! (Just about literally -- a PUDDLE on my pillow! I kid you not!) It's from the pregnancy hormones fading away or from those that help me make milk coming into play, or something like that. I haven't bothered to look up why. I just know it happens right now and there's nothing I can do about it except wait for it to end. I can take a shower at 3 AM and wake up in the morning a pool of my own stench. It sucks!
I told Marti that I think God created this gem as a survival mechanism for new moms. We are told that we can't have sex for at least 6 weeks after a baby is born, and truthfully, I don't know many women that would want to. However, that doesn't do much for the guys' needs and wants. So, back to the "reason" I joke that all this sweat exists in the first place. I THINK that this problem exists to keep the husbands at bay. I mean, who in his right mind would WANT to have sex with a sweaty mess of a wife anyway? The night sweats buy us wives some extra time until everything is all set downstairs at about 6 weeks or whatever.
Or not. Ha ha ha!
All I know is that today we are washing not only sheets, but the mattress cover, the pillow covers, AND all my pillows. And I don't really know why. I know for a fact that tonight I will just soak them again and it's so frustrating. Why do I even bother? Well, because I want to feel human for just a short time after I lie down I guess. It won't last long, but at least I have that moment as I fall asleep when my sheets are fresh and I don't yet feel stiff from being in the same sleep position for the last 2 weeks straight.
I'm not sure how to end this one, so I'll just throw in a few more of my favorite pictures and call it a day. Enjoy!
This one is Abby kissing the baby good night the day before she was born. This was the first and last night that she ever kissed my belly. It was so sweet when she did it that I had to have her do it again so I could get a picture of it.
This is Abby just looking so proud to be a big sister. She's already a good helper and SO patient with Mommy when I can't yet do the things she'd like me to do with her.
This is Abby and Hannah after Hannah's first bath at home.
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| Still have a belly even though I lost the weight |
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