The Post-Partum Post

Hello everyone, I (finally) had my baby!  It's been quite some time since I posted but I don't think I have to explain how busy I have been. Between a new baby and the ever busy summer social life I havn't had much computer time.
It has been some of the most challenging but best weeks of my life. It's both better and more sucky than I ever expected. The post partum blues pack a wallop. At the same time when that little guy smiles at me I am on top of the world. Talk about an emotional roller coaster.
If you have read my other posts you know I was planning a birthing center birth.  Well, I got transferred to the hospital because the baby had an arrhythmia, even though it resolved itself before the birth.  Ultimately however it was where I needed to be, I would have been transferred anyway. My water started leaking on Monday morning and I was in labor for more than 48 hours. I narrowly avoided a c-section and had the vaginal birth I wanted and me and baby are great!  He weighed 9lbs and 11 oz and I had a very very small tear. I was healed and stopped bleeding by two weeks. I am so grateful! I will eventually post a birth story but I wanted to share some details about post partum recovery that lots of people don't seem to talk about. So, Dad if you're reading this you may want to log off. You have been warned.

Ode to Coconut Oil
I found this wonderful product was invaluable after I had that baby. I used it for EVERYTHING including:

1. Nipple Cream
2. Cloth diaper safe Diaper Cream
3. Way too much information but: it kept my lady parts from sticking together as they were healing.
4. Padcicles
5. Belly rub

I'm sure there is something I am forgetting. Oh... and it made the worst UTI in history more tolerable.

Breast feeding and doing your own thing.

Having my baby in the hospital I didn't get the best breastfeeding support. My nipples hurt, bled, I couldn't get my baby to latch on and just when I was starting to understand why mom's choose not to breastfeed my nurse-practitioner step-mom came to the rescue. So let me just say: to those moms who were not successful at breastfeeding I totally get it. But it is definitely possible. You just have to stick to it and find all the best information possible.  Don't get discouraged. Also, concerning breastfeeding as birth control, I got my period back at 7 weeks so don't trust it! I am exclusively breastfeeding too.No pumping! After a bumpy start my baby started nursing great and actually did such a good job at it I ended up with an oversupply.  Which brings me to my next topic.

Staying Flexible
Some of you may remember my post about my parenting choices and while I still agree with everything I put on there, I did change some things.  For instance at about 7 weeks I had to give the baby a pacifier. Oh the dreaded paci. I still feel weird about caving on that one but the little guy loves to suck and I had a major oversupply issue that was causing reflux.  So I'm here to admit having the paci can be benificial.

Another thing I have to admit... I got an epidural.  It's a long story but after 3 days of labor there was no way I could push that baby out without some rest.  And that was with my hubby and doula sneaking me food. Ironically I don't thing the epidural worked that well. I could still feel everything, except my right leg.  What the epidural did though was make them cut that awful pitocin down from  "16" (whatever that means) to a "2" so I could sit still long enough for the epidural.  After the epidural I was kept at a 2 on the pitocin so I think that may have been a huge part of the pain relief. I'll never know. Well, maybe until the next baby which will most definitely be at home barring any serious complications.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the cloth diapers are AWESOME!

Visitors
I had the blessing of my mother in law staying with me for a few days shortly after Eli came home from the hospital. I thought I wouldn't want visitors but it was awesome not to be alone like I was in the hospital a lot of the time. I was there for 3 days after the birth and it got lonely sometimes even with a new baby to play with.   If I had had him at home or had come home after 6 hours from the birth center I may have wanted the alone time. But, I kinda wish I still had people here to help! If you can, postpone visitors until the newness has worn off. You'll feel better about having a house full of people after you'e had plenty of your own snuggle time.

Pain
Having a baby hurts. Personally, I thought postpartum sucked way more though. I also got a UTI because my "witch" of a postpartum nurse practically yanked my catheter out.  I bled worse from that than I did childbirth.  It also hurt worse than any part of labor.  The coconut oil helped a lot.  I also had to ake some antibiotics and my baby and I are still recovering from thrush.  So, if you've ever had a mean UTI, rest assured you can probably handle labor pretty well.


My Husband
I seriously don't know how women with husbands who don't help do it.  I'm blessed to have a hubby who works from home so he has done about as much as me excepting nursing the baby.  He also went from a guy who had never held a baby to baby-expert almost instantly.  I am so thankful to have him and I'm pretty sure I would be falling to pieces without all his help.  He also loves the cloth diapers and is usually the one who does the washing. I'm done bragging now, the point is line up a good long term helper.  Hopefully that person can be the baby's father.