I am finally feeling well enough to ...do other things besides lay on the couch and snore like a rhinoceros. This c section recovery is no joke. I know the natural non epidural moms get all the street cred in the birthing world, but this has been so hard also. And it goes on for WEEKS.
I knew it would be painful and crappy, but I just could not imagine in what way, as I have never had surgery or anything.
I've also been nursing which is like a 24/7 job and it's totally for the birds, but I feel so guilty that I had June removed from me at 37 weeks that I will just continue probably until she does not want to nurse anymore (same with Georgia which was around 6 months). So between the pain medication, the actual pain, the nursing (first week complete with cracked bleeding nipples and painful engorgement), and post partum bleeding, you can believe me when I say these past two weeks have been just a big bucket of fucking fun.
The good thing is that June is sleeping and eating and gaining weight, Georgia has had a really easy transition to big sister, and I am only 7lbs away from pre pregnancy weight so yay glass half full.
I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I was cut open. I don't know if other people have a hard time with this. Like, if I actually sit and think about it I start to have panic attack symptoms. It's annoying, and I wish I could just forget about it, but it just bothers me a lot. You can't see the incision at all so it isn't a physical thing. Blah. Need to move on.
So the hospital stay after the surgery was really weird because I was so looped on pain meds. My fist day there, like I said I didn't know which way was up, and thank goodness Kelly and Jill were there to make me laugh and just for moral support. But actually by the way, laughing after a c-section is a really bad idea, so maybe don't invite them to your c-section recovery! OMG, laughing, coughing, sitting up...PAINFUL. So so painful. The first few days sucked while my body started responding to the pain management schedule.
So anyway, here is how the recovery went down. It was a long long time before I could feel my legs. Like a really long time. Everything I read about c sections said to get up and start walking as soon as possible so I was so anxious to get the hell up, I was getting mad that it was taking so long to feel anything. My first adventure out of bed was to go to the bathroom after they removed the catheter like 17 hours later or something. Or 14 hours. I really don't know. It was like 1AM when I decided to use the loo and I called the nurse to please help.
My night nurse Helen was a SAINT. A godsend. OMG. She helped me to the bathroom, helped me sit down..there was so much blood..I mean sorry if this is graphic,but this is what happens after you have a baby. You don't just waltz to the bathroom without a care in the world. The first trip to the bathroom is SCARY. I was scared. Quivering in my booties. Every time I looked towards the can I heard a low, loud MUHAHAHAAAAAA directed my way and I just did not want to go!! But, in the end nature wins over so yes, my first trip to the bathroom happened, and Helen the night nurse was there to help me and clean me and if you ever plan on giving birth just throw all of your dignity out of the window the minute you find out you are pregnant, and don't plan on getting it back until the baby is like 6 months old. People poke you, insert things in you, look up you, cut you open, see you poop, wipe you after you pee, clean your blood, change your pads, and milk you in front of your friends and husband. Then you get home and you spray milk all over everything and your hair falls out.
So anyway after my trip to the loo I was feeling brave so I rang Helen at about 2:30AM and asked her ...for tea. Just kidding. I wrote that sentence in an English accent. No, I asked her if she could please help me walk down the hallway. She held my one arm and pushed June in her little bassinet with her other arm ( babies are not allowed to be in the rooms by themselves obviously!) and oh my god the walk was the most painful 30 steps of my life. My whole body felt like it was on fire. I kept saying to myself "keep going, keep going" I thought my knees were going to give out or I was going to have a heart attack or something. But, I did it. And then walked again a few hours later, and it did keep getting easier and easier. By the next night I could walk up and down the hall alone, and use the bathroom by myself, so I took some more percocetes to celebrate and gave myself a big pat on the back!
The other thing that was hard was that I could not lift June in and out of her bassinet. Like, I just physically could not. Chris did not stay over the first night because we had Georgia at home and did not want her to feel like we neglected her, so I said I would be fine, but actually I could have used someone there to help me get June in and out while I was feeding her and then putting her back to sleep. I felt bad calling the nurses for this and did not anticipate how immobile I would really be after a c section. After a vaginal delivery you know you don't use your vagina to lift anything (hopefully) but you do use your abdomen for everything so ...every little movement was a million times harder.
So, more of the same. I was there for 4 days and went home on Thursday early evening and made myself a little home on the couch. The pain meds just kept me so out of it, I actually can't remember too much..I just slept and fed June and watched other people clean my house and bring me things when I asked. my incision hurt less and less each day. Georgia's transition to big sister has been extremely non eventful. She is very proud of her new role and has asked to help with chores, and basically has been excellent. When the pediatrician came to the house to do June's first well check up, she told us how to "handle" Georgia, that there was going to be hitting and defiance, and I was like, "no..I don't think so." and she kind of dismissed me and said, "well yes she is going to start hitting." I was sort of offended, but then just said to myself that she does not know Georgia at all. My god lady, don't you know my kid speaks French and does double digit addition??! We are way past hitting. Actually, we never really got into hitting. A few times here and there when she was younger, but anyway, the point is that she is doing great! She is a natural big sister!
So now I am just down to taking one motrin during the day if I need it. I walked 4 blocks to CVS yesterday which was a big deal, and I think today I am going to do my hair and put on some make up. Please contain your excitement.
So that is the 2 week post c section update. I have no updates on the baby. She just eats, and sleeps, and poops..doesn't cry a lot and is totally adorable. I'll let you know if anything changes!
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