Recovering From the Big C

To be 100% honest, I bounced back pretty quickly after my c-section. I actually think I recovered A LOT faster than I would have had I gone through a vaginal delivery. I was up and walking around within 12 hours. Sore - yes. But for me, I was thankful to just have a sore abdomen vs. a sore you-know-what. I know many women feel the opposite - that the recovery from a vaginal birth is preferred over a c-section. I think it helped a ton that I had been walking like it was my job in the 10 weeks before giving birth. I was in better shape than I had been, and my abdominal muscles were stronger thanks to the constant walking. Now almost 4 weeks post-surgery, I'm only dealing with one small part of the incision that won't close up. The rest was healed within one week - but the right side - about a 1.5 cm section - just won't close up! So every week I've been going to the OB for them to check on it and make sure it's not infected. This process also involves sticking silver nitrate directly into the wound to "help the healing process". Not sure if you've ever experienced the joys of silver nitrate, but it basically feels like a lit match is being shoved in - burns like heck! Maybe it's payback for a relatively smooth recovery otherwise. : ) But I really wanted to write this post to let all the soon-to-be-mamas know that a c-section doesn't have to be traumatic. Yes, I will have a scar. But it honestly is already invisible (minus the part that hasn't healed). I'm happy to answer questions about my c-section - just e-mail me! I know I was freaked out before hand, so I'm happy to let you know more about my experience to help ease your mind!

No Time to Pee

When I was pregnant, I spent a lot of time in the bathroom. When I drank the amount of water I was supposed to, I felt like I was in the bathroom every 15 minutes. Now Paige is here and I can multi-task pretty well with a baby in my arms - pumping, cleaning, walking the dog, making the bed. But there is one thing I just can't do - pee! As soon as my baby cries, I'm up and running towards her to cuddle and soothe. It's only once she is in my arms that I remember that I have to use the bathroom. And at that point, it's too late. There have been a number of times over the last 3+ weeks that I'm rocking back and forth not only to soothe the baby, but also to keep from peeing on myself : )  My sister, brother-in-law and niece were visiting this past week, and I think my bladder got spoiled. Now it's back to solo-mommy duty... any way I can get that catheter back in? Just kidding... kind of : )

The Quest for Liquid Gold

For some reason I always thought breast milk was plentiful - like a tap, that flowed whenever, wherever. Pretty much filling gallon containers on a moments notice. WRONG! Breastmilk is like liquid gold. I produce about 2 - 3 oz. per pumping. That's like a single gulp by adult standards. And it takes 20 - 30 minutes just to pump that! And once I do pump it, the process of transferring the pumped milk from the pump to the storage container is a highly orchestrated dance making sure every single drop makes the transition. When you're only producing 2 oz - every last drop counts! First I take the pumps off and shake every droplet into the container - no holdouts in the suction cup! Then I gingerly walk from the living room to the kitchen - paranoid the entire time that I'm going to trip and spill the goods. Then comes pouring into the storage containers. Anyone watching me would think I was disasembling a bomb with the level of concentration I have at the moment. And next thing you know, Paige gobbles it up and its time to pump again. I go to the doctor again this week - hopefully she will have gained weight and all this is working!!