7x7: C-Section Number 5 Recovery

I barely got in a post last night before I drifted off to sleep. So today in my medicated haze I'll attempt to share a bit more about this phase I'm in right now. C-section recovery.

Katie at one week old

One week ago I had my fifth c-section. I hope to share the birth story as soon as I have some time on a real keyboard!  At one week postpartum I'm doing really well. I am glad I was able to spend three nights in the hospital. The first night, I was still tied to the bed, with loud "inflating compression devices" on my legs, an IV in my arm, and a catheter. I was also itching like crazy due to the effects of the morphine in my spinal. I was pretty uncomfortable! And so hungry!

But the next morning at 6am they were able to remove everything except my IV. This allowed me to get out of bed, use the restroom, and move around. From this point on I was pretty much independent with caring for myself and the baby. They finally let me eat breakfast Thursday morning; I hadn't eaten since about 8pm Tuesday night! Later that afternoon they took out the IV too, so I was finally freed from all the connections and could really move around the room and also walk down to the snack room for my pellet ice, apple juice, and graham crackers!

I've been taking Motrin and Oxycodone since then and am slowly spreading it out more and decreasing the dosage. After my first c-section I didn't even use pain killers once I left the hospital! But after each subsequent surgery I've realized I need to stay ahead of the pain and usually take it for 1-2 weeks.  If I've missed a dose of medicine by several hours, I start to feel the effects, with physical pain as well as emotional waves. I'm trying to rest in bed as much as I can and am very grateful for the help from my parents and food that friends and family have brought. 

Baby's first outing to my doctor's office yesterday for my staple removal (This usually happens in the hospital, but there was some confusion with the doctor's orders). She's so tiny!

I've had two instances where I've been standing for a long time and have started to feel a lot of pain and stinging at my incision. One of the times I was doing dishes and it started bleeding. When I told my OB about this, he gave me the evil eye and took a deep breath of disappointment. So I know I need to take it easy and let some things go. It also helps if I wear the belly binder I got at the hospital. It gives me support and protects the incision too. 

One of the hardest parts about my recovery this time is my inability to take a bath! That has become my main means of stress relief and relaxation, especially at the end of an emotional day (and we know that I've been a bit emotional the last few days)!  But there is a risk for infection with submerging my incision in the water, and so I'll have to wait a few weeks for that. 

The baby is really easy. All my newborns have been like this. They've taken to nursing really well. I generally have some pain and scabs that go away after a few days. But honestly the baby just sleeps, wakes for a bit, fusses, I nurse her, change her, and she sleeps again. She's mostly in bed with me and I'm able to nurse on my side, so I definitely get enough sleep with just a couple wake ups for diaper changes. I usually get one or two naps during the day too. I can't complain. We have been using the Fisher Price Rock and Play by the bed, so it's nice to have that for her when we need a safe place to put her down. 

We have our rental cabin for one more week, but we haven't decided if we'll go back home before then, nor how we will get my car home before I'm allowed to drive. But it's a busy and stressful time for Steven at work as they're moving to a new office. In fact, he took the boys with him to stay and work for two nights while the girls and I are here. We miss them, but it has sure been nice and quiet today! Katie's baptism is scheduled for Friday afternoon, so I'll be resting up to handle that drive across town for the ceremony and dinner outing afterwards. 

Me and my little snugglebug!

So overall this has been another smooth c-section recovery. My labors and deliveries tend to be the difficult parts of my childbirth experiences, so I'm grateful that once I get through those I have these relatively easy recoveries with time to just rest and love on the new baby!