Post Partum Recovery: the 2nd time around
It's Easier
As I waited very impatiently for Tater Tot to come out, I never really stressed about the labor process. Sure, I worried about knowing when to get to the hospital on time, but I wasn't too worried about the whole being in the hospital part. Probably because my delivery with Jellybean was relatively easy and turns out, so was my delivery with Tater Tot. Something I was totally dreading though was the post part recovery. Oh my goodness I remember that being the worst thing ever. I described that recovery period to my friends as trying to rebuild an area that had suffered through a serious war.
Fortunately, I'm learning that recovery the second time around is actually much easier! Maybe it's just me and every woman is different, but I'm pretty grateful that I get to say it's easier. I was terrified of using the bathroom after I had Tater Tot because of the trauma I feel like I went through with Jellybean, but nope, not so bad. When I had Jellybean, I showered ONCE in the hospital and I was there for twice as long. This time around though, I showered three times. Walking around has been much easier, this morning we took a long family walk around the neighborhood, something I would have had to work up to the first time around. I tore again, but the doctor said it was on the scar tissue from my first tear with Jellybean and it didn't really even bleed. I think that's making a big difference in my recovery process.
Don't get me wrong or anything, I'm still hurting! I'm still taking motrin, I'm still moving slowly, and it's not like I was out running a 5K within 24 hours of having my little one. Pushing out a baby, and in this case an 8 lb 7 oz baby, is no easy feat. Doctors quite literally say your body undergoes a legit trauma when you deliver and the recovery period should be treated as such. I'm just saying it's easer and not AS BAD as when I delivered the first time.
One thing that does hurt a billion times worse though is the contractions that happen when your uterus is shrinking back to its normal size. I didn't even notice it the first time, but that first night in the hospital, after I had nursed Tater Tot, I thought I was going to go into labor again because the pain was that bad. Had the doctors missed as second baby? Why was I having contractions AGAIN? Turns out it was just my uterus doing it's shrinking thing. This part of recovery actually gets worse with each pregnancy because with each pregnancy, your uterus stretches more and more so it has more shrinking to do. This I was not prepared for!
Nursing this time around was so much easier too. Granted, we still had to work on our latch. I had a few nurses help me and saw two lactation consultants before we left the hospital to make sure we were on the right track before being discharged. I remember wanting to quit nursing so badly after the first two weeks with Jellybean. It just hurt so bad! There was cracking and bleeding and mastitis that required a stint to the ER and me almost passing out in the waiting room from the fever. I knew what to expect this time though. I knew the difference between what felt right and what felt wrong and it was easier for me to teach Tater Tot how to latch correctly, and the confirmation from the nurses helped put my mind at ease. We're 10 days into nursing and the road to 12 months of nursing looks pretty good from here!
I also didn't freak out when my milk came in this time. Last time, I had tennis ball sized lumps under my armpits and I couldn't hang my arms down at my sides. I freaked out and saw my midwife who explained the whole engorgement process when your milk comes in. So when it happened to me 3 days post partum, I told myself, "this too shall pass" and fortunately it did over the next 48 hours. I did have a different challenge during those 48 hours though....how do I keep my rambunctious toddler from being my rambunctious toddler during that time? Because let's face it, even a feather falling on those things hurt...oh I can't? I just have to suck it up? Awesome. Yeah that wasn't fun, but we made it through and no he can crawl on me all he wants and I'm fine.
The next step in my post partum recovery is dropping this baby weight! When Amanda came to visit and I saw just how HUGE I looked from all that post partum swelling, I started getting anxious. But, I for now, all I can really do is walk. I want to get active gain, but at the same time, not at the risk of my slowing my body's recovery or potentially injuring myself. I mean, I have two kids that need me! Three if you count Matt ;) . So for now, eating healthy (although I fell off the wagon yesterday at Matt's unit BBQ), chugging tons of water, NURSING! Seriously, nursing burns so many calories it's awesome, chasing a toddler, and family walks, are the only things I can do over the next 6 weeks. I have a 5K the first weekend in October, but I'll be walking that. It's a good start though and we'll have many more family races in the future. Maybe I should get that double jogging stroller..... that would put us at FOUR strollers. Who has FOUR STROLLERS?!?!
Anyway, it does get easier the second time around. The recovery piece at least. The handling two kids under the age of two piece? Yeah, that's a whole different animal.
As I waited very impatiently for Tater Tot to come out, I never really stressed about the labor process. Sure, I worried about knowing when to get to the hospital on time, but I wasn't too worried about the whole being in the hospital part. Probably because my delivery with Jellybean was relatively easy and turns out, so was my delivery with Tater Tot. Something I was totally dreading though was the post part recovery. Oh my goodness I remember that being the worst thing ever. I described that recovery period to my friends as trying to rebuild an area that had suffered through a serious war.
Fortunately, I'm learning that recovery the second time around is actually much easier! Maybe it's just me and every woman is different, but I'm pretty grateful that I get to say it's easier. I was terrified of using the bathroom after I had Tater Tot because of the trauma I feel like I went through with Jellybean, but nope, not so bad. When I had Jellybean, I showered ONCE in the hospital and I was there for twice as long. This time around though, I showered three times. Walking around has been much easier, this morning we took a long family walk around the neighborhood, something I would have had to work up to the first time around. I tore again, but the doctor said it was on the scar tissue from my first tear with Jellybean and it didn't really even bleed. I think that's making a big difference in my recovery process.
Don't get me wrong or anything, I'm still hurting! I'm still taking motrin, I'm still moving slowly, and it's not like I was out running a 5K within 24 hours of having my little one. Pushing out a baby, and in this case an 8 lb 7 oz baby, is no easy feat. Doctors quite literally say your body undergoes a legit trauma when you deliver and the recovery period should be treated as such. I'm just saying it's easer and not AS BAD as when I delivered the first time.
One thing that does hurt a billion times worse though is the contractions that happen when your uterus is shrinking back to its normal size. I didn't even notice it the first time, but that first night in the hospital, after I had nursed Tater Tot, I thought I was going to go into labor again because the pain was that bad. Had the doctors missed as second baby? Why was I having contractions AGAIN? Turns out it was just my uterus doing it's shrinking thing. This part of recovery actually gets worse with each pregnancy because with each pregnancy, your uterus stretches more and more so it has more shrinking to do. This I was not prepared for!
Nursing this time around was so much easier too. Granted, we still had to work on our latch. I had a few nurses help me and saw two lactation consultants before we left the hospital to make sure we were on the right track before being discharged. I remember wanting to quit nursing so badly after the first two weeks with Jellybean. It just hurt so bad! There was cracking and bleeding and mastitis that required a stint to the ER and me almost passing out in the waiting room from the fever. I knew what to expect this time though. I knew the difference between what felt right and what felt wrong and it was easier for me to teach Tater Tot how to latch correctly, and the confirmation from the nurses helped put my mind at ease. We're 10 days into nursing and the road to 12 months of nursing looks pretty good from here!
I also didn't freak out when my milk came in this time. Last time, I had tennis ball sized lumps under my armpits and I couldn't hang my arms down at my sides. I freaked out and saw my midwife who explained the whole engorgement process when your milk comes in. So when it happened to me 3 days post partum, I told myself, "this too shall pass" and fortunately it did over the next 48 hours. I did have a different challenge during those 48 hours though....how do I keep my rambunctious toddler from being my rambunctious toddler during that time? Because let's face it, even a feather falling on those things hurt...oh I can't? I just have to suck it up? Awesome. Yeah that wasn't fun, but we made it through and no he can crawl on me all he wants and I'm fine.
The next step in my post partum recovery is dropping this baby weight! When Amanda came to visit and I saw just how HUGE I looked from all that post partum swelling, I started getting anxious. But, I for now, all I can really do is walk. I want to get active gain, but at the same time, not at the risk of my slowing my body's recovery or potentially injuring myself. I mean, I have two kids that need me! Three if you count Matt ;) . So for now, eating healthy (although I fell off the wagon yesterday at Matt's unit BBQ), chugging tons of water, NURSING! Seriously, nursing burns so many calories it's awesome, chasing a toddler, and family walks, are the only things I can do over the next 6 weeks. I have a 5K the first weekend in October, but I'll be walking that. It's a good start though and we'll have many more family races in the future. Maybe I should get that double jogging stroller..... that would put us at FOUR strollers. Who has FOUR STROLLERS?!?!
Anyway, it does get easier the second time around. The recovery piece at least. The handling two kids under the age of two piece? Yeah, that's a whole different animal.
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| Oh padsickles, hello my old friend. |
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| My toes turned into vienna sausages AFTER I had my baby. The swelling after baby was ridiculous the time around. |
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| Feel so gross in this picture, but grateful for friends who are so eager to visit. |
Still as beautiful as ever!
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