I did it! After a scheduled C-section at 39 weeks and 5 days, I made it to the 4th trimester during a global pandemic. It was scary to be pregnant with the unknown complications of COVID-19. Would I test negative before my delivery? Would I be quarantined away from my baby other than to breastfeed him? Would the hospital allow my hubby to be in the operating room with me? There were so many unknowns during this pregnancy, and tears streamed down my face as soon as I heard my little rainbow baby scream as he was pulled from my womb. We did it! We made it through! Now the tough part was about to come. Having had my first son almost 10 years prior, I remembered the late-night fussiness, the difficulty latching, the postpartum depression, and the list goes on.
Second time around
I think knowing what life with a newborn could look like this time, I was much more mentally prepared than I was the first time around. As soon as I was all sewn up from the C-section, the nurse unbuttoned my gown and had me begin nursing. I am not sure if my nipples were calloused from nursing my first son for 2.5 years or what, but it didn’t hurt this time. It felt a lot more natural at that moment.
As I was wheeled into my post-op room, with my mask, it dawned on me — we just had a baby! Everything I had been dreaming of during our long four-year fertility battle, complete with a miscarriage last year, had finally come true. I was holding my rainbow baby, and my heart was so full for the first time since my mom died three years ago. It was the most euphoric feeling — until I had to change Max’s first diaper. Then it hit me. I had just had major surgery, and in the next 24 hours, we would be heading home from the hospital with a newborn to a full house with our quarantine dog and 9.5 year old. Could I handle all of that?
The gravity of the surgery was starting to settle in
I was definitely wearing the iconic hospital mesh panties with the humongous pad. There was also another baby-sized pad going across my C-section incision, which had stitches, glue, and staples — OUCH! My legs were in the compression boots attached to the hospital bed. The road to recovery was going to be rough, especially with the gas coming in and my milk coming in for breastfeeding.
Before my doctor would release me to go home, I had some milestones I had to hit — going to the bathroom by myself after the catheter came out, going to the bathroom (you know what I mean, LOL), walking on my own, and promising to take it easy once I got home. Check, check, check, check. We were out of there in 24 hours! Woo-hoo!
The next 24 hours were straight-up painful
The gas came in. I stopped taking any pain medications and realized how hard it was to stand up, how tender my incision was, and how my guts felt like they were spilling out. And the pads — I just felt UGH with the pads and mesh undies. I took a very painful shower, and then tried a bunch of the products I had researched and ordered from Amazon: Proof! heavy period undies (bye, mesh panties and giant pad), then the Belly Bandit C-Section Recovery Undies on top of the undies, and then I wrapped myself in the Luxe Wrap by Belly Bandit.
Relief! It felt like I was being held together and in an instant could stand up and walk straight. While that was problem-solved, my nipples and boobs were sore from on-demand nursing to get my milk to come in. Not to mention, Max had jaundice from being a different blood type than me, so the more I nursed him, the more the bilirubin would come out in his poop.
Sometime in the first couple days after Max’s birth, I woke to a very swollen armpit. What the heck?!?! It was so tender to touch. Of course, I went to google what this was, and it was a plugged duct. I remember from having my first son, Eddie, that a warm compress and then gently massaging it with the back end of my electric toothbrush would clear the duct, and sure enough it did. The milk shot straight out of my boob. Phew! One plugged duct down, and hopefully no more in my future.
Now that the duct was under control, I had to get dressed and go get my C-section staples removed. I was a little nervous since it was still so painful, not to mention I was not looking forward to the post-birth weigh-in. Those body image issues from my first pregnancy were starting to creep in. I also had to figure out the car seat/stroller situation by myself since the hubby couldn’t come with me because of COVID rules. Why are strollers sooooo tough, especially when you have a newborn screaming for you to hold them and you’re sleep deprived? Like anything, I took a deep breath, and it all turned out OK.
The rest of the week, I stayed home
I knew I couldn’t be in this condition and be a decent human without asking for help, even though I like to do everything myself. I added Eddie and myself onto the hubby’s vegan meal–delivery service, cut the coffee so I could sleep when the baby slept, started taking my Mommy Made Encapsulation pills (I had my placenta encapsulated), and tried to roll onto the couch and bed as much as possible and just rest.
It’s tough with a second kid, but my doctor was very straightforward about how the more I took it easy, the faster I would recover and get back to life as I wanted it. I was grateful that the baby was gentle on me. He had only a few needs — diaper changes, feedings, and wanting to be held as he fell asleep. I could do that, and I knew this would be the easiest stage of having a baby. Plus, I was here for all the baby snuggles and newborn smells.
