Life after a c section

I have horrible insomnia. It's the worst. Of course I decided to browse Pinterest and saw that someone pinned something called "life after a cesarean, what nobody tells you" 

At the bottom of this blog post I will link you to the article. Feel free to scroll, if you'd like to read that first. I will be making commentary and adding my own list of things you should know, from my experience. 

"It takes longer to bounce back after a cesarean delivery"

YUP. This is true, although I feel like ppl tell you this all the time. I think going into it I didn't realize that it was major abdominal surgery. I thought it would be less intense then it was. What no one really tells you, is that it takes longer in the hospital, and you will be envious of those who didn't have a c section. Those ladies you see who are up, walking around, eating, showering etc after birth...not going to be you, and its going to suck and there's nothing you can do about it. You will be groggy and in pain. The worst part? You have to keep the IV and catheter and these weird leg inflatable things on. Every muscle will ache and you will be extremely tired (Esp if you were like me and had lots and lots of labor first) and you won't be able to sleep or comfortably rest because you have things sticking out of you everywhere and you are in pain. I do like that the article mentioned it takes up to 6-9 months to fully recover. Every on e in awhile I would get some pains around my scar tissue. Glad to know it was normal. 

"It's normal to experience pain around the incision site during the early weeks after the birth"

YUP. The article recommends wearing tight bicycle shorts to help. They make post c section girdle things, if I had known about them I would have taken one to the hospital with me. It really made bending and going up and down stairs easier, it felt like it held me together. What no one really tells you? You have to get staples taken out of your flesh a few days after you leave the hospital, it's really fucking creepy. And then you are very itchy, but you can't itch because you will be in more pain. This is also the section of the article that mentions limit stairs and lifting. This is the hardest fucking part. Seriously. All you want to do is be a great mom, but it hurts like hell to bend over to pick up your child. Thank god my baby girl was light! Also, those car seats that your baby can stay in are great for little ones, snap into the car/stroller/etc, it fucking sucks carrying that around after a csection. It fucking sucks carrying that up stairs after a csection. Get help if you can, seriously. Any help. Take it. There were days I just sat on my stairs and cried holding Charlotte bc it hurt so much to keep walking up and down. One time the dog knocked me over when I was carrying her, the pain was horrible. If you have the money get a stair chair lift hahaha

"You may have to get creative when it comes to breast feeding positions" 

This is true. And super frustrating. If you have a c section and want to breast feed, be prepared to do it through the pain. When I was up walking, I felt ok, when I was lying down I felt ok, it was the transition between the two, getting up and getting down. Well, every two hours you will have to feed your newborn. If your laying down you'll have to sit up, if your standing you'll have to sit down. It sucks and you can never get comfortable, I pray you have a baby that is easier to feed than Charlotte (although now she is a champ, it was extremely hard work in the beginning because she wouldn't latch!!) 

"You face an increased risk of postpartum depression" 

Apparently 1 in 5 mothers have this, it's very treatable, if its you get help, totally normal!! I think this is because generally when you have a c section as a first time mom, things don't go according to your birth plan, and you feel shitty about that (I did at least) you are also more isolated and bed ridden, due to longer recovery. I cried a lot at first. Unclear if it was related to these issues or the fact that Adam decided to leave when she was two weeks old. I had a major life crisis during recovery, so my crying my be unrelated, however your body has so many hotmail changes after birth and with breast feeding its totally normal, but if it lasts long and you feel like you can't take care of yourself, please seek help, it's super treatable. I was lucky, I have great friends and family who supported me through the csection recovery and the separation, support and socialization is key (so thanks guys!) 

The article goes on to talk about aches and pains associated with pregnancy. It's true, you will feel shitty physically for a while. I suggest you get rest, but if you've read my blog post entitled "sleep when they sleep" you will know its near impossible to get as much as rest as you need. 

I think the key is to know, that it does get better, you will feel better, and one day you will climb those stairs without pain. The best part? You will forget about the pain. Seriously. They all tell you they forget about labor and both and recovery pains after they see their baby...it's true, seriously. I would do it again in a heart beat, and I feel like I was in a lot of pain due to the amount of screaming and crying I did haha! It really gets better, just takes some time!

Those are my thoughts! It's painful, takes a long time to recover and getting the staples out is really fucking creepy, but its with it bc you get an awesome baby out of it! 

My only advice is enlist help, at least for emotional support and walk as much as possible. I walked every day, literally the first day they let me out of the bed I was up and waking and I really think it helped a lot! 

Here's the link to the original article: 

http://www.pregnancyandbaby.com/the-hatch-blog/articles/936975/cesarean-recovery-what-nobody-tells-you