"S" days 25 to 31: Road to Recovery

We spent the end of S's first month in recovery and adaptation mode, following my appendectomy on Saturday, December 18th. As the percocets wore off on Sunday evening, I was in quite a bit of discomfort which the prescribed Tylenol 3s were only partially able to mitigate. It wouldn't have been a huge deal pre-baby, but with S here and Chris back to work the next day, I was going to need some help!

The first thing we figured out was how I was going to breastfeed over the next little while, since the standard cradle hold put too much weight on my tender belly and side lying was pretty uncomfortable as well. Women who deliver via c-section (a similar situation) tend to nurse using the "football" hold, however I'd tried this already and found it quite awkward. (The lactation consultant we saw early on thought my arms were too long for it to be comfortable!) So Chris and I amended the hold by constructing a "pillow tower" beside the boob I planned to nurse on and positioning S on top. The tower consisted of one of those standard U-shaped pillows on the bottom and a "My Brest Friend" on top. I hadn't really used either up until this point (preferring just a regular, firm pillow to support the cradle hold) but they certainly came in handy for this contraption!

Dad and Linda brought over beef stew the next day and also picked up an extra Bummis Fabulous Wet Bag for me that I found on Kijiji - brand new for $10 from a seller in Baden. (No more "transitional" dirty diaper piles bunched up in the basket during laundry time - w00t!) Chris' parents came over that evening with some groceries - lotsa fruit, prunes and other healthy "regulatory" stuff. (Mom and Baby were both a little blocked up since the operation!)

Mom and Norm came over on Tuesday and were super helpful. Mom did a bunch of chores such as sterilizing the bottles and pumping equipment we'd used recently, and Norm managed to jump my car (the battery had conked out due to non-usage at some point since S's birth - I think I mentioned this in a previous post.) Mom and Norm also got in some good snoozy time with S. No wonder she cluster feeds in the evening and stays up so late - she does all her sleeping in the afternoon!



















S finally pooped later that day and it was a dandy! Mom was all proud because it was HER prefold that successfully held in the mess. :) I was feeling somewhat weak & dizzy by the end of the day, but the tenderness in my belly was starting to subside, allowing me to move around a little more easily and get some stuff done myself.

Chris' parents came over again on Wednesday, affording me a much appreciated nap in the afternoon and allowing Chris and I to get out and finish our Christmas shopping that night. "Santa Sharyn" was feeling particularly festive!



















Finally, Mom came over once more on the Thursday for more baby time, enabling me to get all the gift wrapping done. Chris and I are lucky to have our families so close by - without all the support this week, it would have been a lot more challenging to recover, keep our home relatively undisgusting AND get everything done before the holidays. Love you guys!! Laughs and winks from S too!