To begin with, I looked terrible. I had bruising on my face and blood-red eyes from pushing so hard. (The nurses told me to hold my breath while I was pushing. Note to self: don’t hold breath while pushing.) Mostly, though, it was the blood loss and tearing that were killer. When I asked the doctor how many stitches were going in, she said something like “oh, I’m not sure – there are a couple layers, so it’s hard to tell.” So... Gah.
The first time I stood up, I fell. (A nurse caught me & helped me back to bed.) The second time I stood up, two nurses caught me. I wasn’t able to walk comfortably for about three weeks. I wasn’t able to carry my daughter up stairs for a week – and then, only with her in a sling because I needed both my arms to manage the climb.
And then there was the breastfeeding. I had been warned by friends and books that it could be tricky in the first few weeks, but... OH MY GOD. When Frances was about a week old, I actually broke down crying in anticipation of feeding her. It was excruciating, far worse than labour. I was told that there was nothing wrong with her latch, she was gaining weight beautifully – I just had to toughen up the girls. I didn’t get bearable until about ten weeks and it wasn’t comfortable until about the 12 week mark. NOT NICE.
At least I had a godsend of a baby and of a husband. Steve took three weeks off when Frances was first born. Which was amazingwonderfulpriceless. I don’t think I changed a diaper the entire time he was home. And the girl was a superstar sleeper and champion eater. If the two of them hadn’t been so great... eugh.
9 comments:
Yikes! Not fun.
I will admit that there are some things-to-dread here that I had not encountered before. That's a good thing, though. I have no kids yet, and am collecting these tidbits from others so that it is as unlikely as possible that something crappy will totally surprise me. "You mean I've only got second degree tearing? Pshaw!"
@curiosity: You're my first comment, so... Just so you know, you totally made my day. AND... it got WAY, WAY better. Best advice for new moms: Expect the worst!
(Also, I'm going to figure out how to get Blogger to tell me when I have comments. So I can, like, notice them. =P)
Yikes! That's horrible! I'm so glad that it's better for you now. I don't have kids yet either (I followed you here from Amalah's advice column :) ) but I like to read about what to expect when I do, since my boyfriend and I are pretty serious and probably in the next few years . . . yeah. Anyway, good post! :)
It gets WAY better! Eight months in, it's fantastic. =)
This is why I took my pain pills (for my stitches) long after I'd healed. Nursing can be brutal.
I didn't even get pain pills!
Nursing is brutal at the beginning. Even with a so-called perfect latch, i ended up with a blood blister on my boob, a blood blister! I used to cry & drug myself with Tylenol before, fyi - tylenol does nothing!!
But, I am so glad I toughed it out, once you get it down pat, it's the best thing ever!
Hey!
Formerly Jess Lin here...(from the pool) Stumbled across your blog by googling the Baby Weights class at FPRC...
Anyways, just wanted to say I had a baby this year and had a similar experience to yours, the labour was really not that bad but no one told me things would be so uncomfortable after!! Expecting the worst is definitely the way to go.. and lots and LOTS of lanolin - think I used a whole tube in my first week of BF. Anyways glad to hear you are doing so well.
Hey, Jess - Congrats! I was also the QUEEN of lanolin!
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