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The Road to RecoveryNov 26 '05 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Childbirth = Pain...any way you slice it. It's part of the process and there's no avoiding it. I briefly talked about my recovery from my c-section and I decided to share my experience with you all. It’s amazing the things you remember and how vivid they seem when you start to think and relive those memories. Needless to say, my recovery from my c-section is definitely one for the books. I remember being on the operating table and wondering when they were going to actually start the procedure. Not too long after that thought my husband’s head pops out of nowhere to give me the news about our son. The fact that he came out not breathing still gives me chills to this day. I remember going into such a panic that I started to hyperventilate and I had to force myself to calm down. Anyhow, right before they whisked me off to a recovery room, I kissed my husband and told him to watch over our son. The Recovery I think I remember being taken down to the recovery room, but I also remember waking up feeling numb from the waist down. At first I thought maybe they did something wrong because I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t feel my legs. What the heck was going on? Did they give me too much anesthesia? Was I gonna be confined to a wheelchair? What was going on with my baby? When can I see him?!!! I want to see my baby!!!! Once again, I had to calm myself down before I really hurt myself. The nursing staff in the recovery room was pretty helpful and empathetic to my situation. One nurse, whose name escapes me, was extremely helpful. One of the first things I noticed when I woke up was how dry my mouth felt. Every 10 minutes or so, I needed a drink of water and this same nurse would bring me a glass. My lips were also fairly chapped and she brought me some lip balm after each water run. Each time she brought the water and balm, I’d ask her if she knew anything about my son’s condition or how long it would be before I could go up to my room. She didn’t have any information on my son, but she did tell me that once the drugs wore off and I had mobility in my legs, I’d be able to go back upstairs. Every so often, the nurse would stop by and ask me to try to move my legs. The first time I tried to it felt like I was moving concrete blocks. What in the world did they give me? That stuff had some kick!!! I didn’t push myself to the point of exertion, but I had a plan to get moving so I could see my son. The nurse did find out that he was in the NICU and was going to be transported to Halifax but wouldn’t do so until I got to see him. That was all the motivation I needed and I think after about an hour, I regained feeling in my legs, the drugs had worn off (for the most part) and I was being brought back upstairs. Seeing My Son for the First Time The first time I saw my little Elijah, I really couldn’t see him. I was on a stretcher, he was in one of the warmers and there were tubes from all directions coming out of him. I got a good look at his feet, which had band-aids on them, but for the most part, he looked good. He was fairly big and had a lot of hair. I was told that before he was transferred they would bring him to my room so I could get a better look at him, which made me feel a little better. When I got to see Elijah, all I kept thinking was, “Oh my goodness, you were inside of me not too long ago and now, here you are.” I remember saying to him, “Hi, I’m your mommy. It’s so nice to meet you finally. I can’t wait to hold you and see your beautiful eyes. I love you.” After, I kissed my fingers and touched his hand. My goodness, his hands were so tiny. My First Night Alone – Sort Of After visiting with family and seeing my son before he left, I was finally able to take in my surroundings. I also realized that I was pretty much bed-ridden that first night. I hadn’t realized it, but the doctors had placed a catheter in me and I had been going to the bathroom that way. To be honest, I’d heard of catheters, but didn’t really understand their purpose. I got to understand very quickly. I remember the first time I realized I had one. I kept feeling something between my legs but not really sure what it was. It felt weird and certain points when I tried to move in bed. When I finally got the courage to ask what was between my legs, the nurses told me where it was. OK, now I get it. I had a fever during labor and was being monitored, so I was getting antibiotics through an IV. Throughout the night, the nursing staff would come in to check my catheter and give me my antibiotics. The first time I got the antibiotics, it stung like you couldn’t imagine. First it felt cold and then tingly and then very hot, and these feelings were running through my veins. I still cringe when I think about that. That night seemed really long and I remember how hard it was to move. I could only sleep on one side and to try and move, I needed the bars on the side of the bed for support. Oh man, this was not going to be fun. By the time the next morning rolled around, I was told I was going to be getting out of bed and allowed to take a shower. I remember in my childbirth class hearing that after a c-section, the first time you try to move after the surgery is one of the most difficult tasks a new mom would have to perform. The nurses also warned me and let me know there would be at least 2 in the room to help me. I didn’t realize just how difficult it was going to be. Before I could get out of the bed, they had to remove the catheter. When it was being removed, memories of my water breaking came rushing back into my mind. It was just weird on all levels. Then it came time to sit up. They told me that after a c-section the first time you try to get up is the worst feeling imaginable. Ha! It’s even worse than that!! Just trying to get one leg off the bed was like working an 8-hour shift. It took me about 20 minutes to get out of bed. I just couldn’t believe how difficult and painful that one simple act became. Then I had to walk. My legs were like lead and each step took every ounce of energy I could muster. Thank goodness for the nurses and their patience. They were very encouraging, caring and really looked out for me. When it came time to take a shower, I couldn’t do it alone. My whole body was in pain. My arms, my legs, my stomach, my entire body felt like a huge pincushion being stuck with millions of pins. That initial shower felt really good and painful but I was glad to get it over with. After that first day, my recovery seemed to progress fairly nicely. When I got home, I couldn’t do my normal daily activities and that bothered me a lot. I had to depend on my husband and other family members to take care of the house and cook while I took care of Elijah and myself. Another setback was that because of the infection, I had to go in for IV antibiotic treatments twice a day for 5 days. You can imagine the fun I was having that first week home – IV in my hand, recovering from surgery, trying to nurse, in a lot of pain!!! But things got better and I’d regain my strength more and more each day. Back to Pre-Pregnancy Weight Before I got pregnant, I weighed 125 pounds. When I was full term, I weighed 150 pounds. Within two weeks of coming home I was back to 125 pounds. Today, I’m at 118 pounds without exercising. Believe me when I tell you I was all baby and the weight just seemed to peel itself off. By the second week, I was moving about better, but I still had a fairly large stomach. I just gave birth and it still looked like I was 5 or 6 months pregnant. My stomach also looked like a shriveled up raisin or as my husband put it, “Elephant skin.” I wasn’t insulted much, but looking at my stomach, it does have that elephant-like texture and my skin color around that area has gotten 4 shades darker. I look at Elijah then I look at my stomach and think "Wow - I carried him inside me for 9 months." It's a pretty amazing feeling. Sweatpants and baggy shirts were my fashion wardrobe for about 5 weeks. On November 4th, I was finally able to put on a pair of jeans. It was the first time since January that I wore a pair of jeans and I think I called everyone and told them. I was so excited and proud of myself. Final Thoughts I have to say that I was pretty fortunate with my delivery. Granted, I would have like it if my son and I didn’t have to go through all that we went through, but it was a learning experience. This was a true test for me to see if I could handle it. I think I did fairly well. My incision healed up nicely, I’m able to move about fairly quickly and so far, we’re all doing very well. If your delivery ends up being a c-section, planned or not, just remember this is major surgery, you will need time to recover and you won’t be able to do all your normal activities right away. Heck, even today I’m not doing all of my normal activities. I’ve got a new life to take care of and he takes priority – along with making sure I’m fine. Take all the help you can get in the beginning and don’t feel as if you’re being dependent on anyone. You’ve just done one of the biggest and most rewarding jobs of your life. You will be tired – if help is there, take it!!! Your body will thank you for it. Take care and thanks again for reading.  |
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