How lovely to be a women....

Like me :)

Well, on the whole, this recovery has been much better than the first two. Perhaps it is because I knew what to expect. Maybe it is because I am not recovering from labor as well as major abdominal surgery... Whatever the reason, thank heavens for small miracles!

I can happily announce that I am walking at a snails pace instead of slower now. Amazing how having an incision so low makes for controlling the lower half of my body more difficult. Not difficult, per se, but painful-ish. This makes some normal things interesting. Things such as stepping into the shower, lifting my feet for washing or putting shoes or pants on, and walking. Thankfully, we are at 10 days post surgery and most definitely improved. I feel like I can safely take a shower... my feet may not be the cleanest, but at least I can do it by myself (until this point, Hubby {bless his husbandly soul} has been helping me). And, I put on my shoes all by myself :)

Also, the bruises are fading from the IVs. Lets just say that me and IVs don't get along. The bruise on the left they didn't even get in. The one on the right lasted less than 12 hours. They put it in at 1 am (when I was admitted) and had to take it out before the surgery the next morning at 9... It was red, hot and painful. They got one to last for 24 hours in my hand though. And the bruise at the top near the elbow pit on the right is from where they drew blood before I left.


Another interesting by-product of the surgery was having to have a catheter for a week. As far as I understand (which I admit my understanding is limited) is at some point (possibly traced back to my first c-section) my bladder had attached itself to my uterus. I remember after Kaitlyn they were a little worried about my bladder, but nothing really came of it. This time, they had to cut through a small portion of my bladder to get to my uterus because it had attached itself so high they couldn't just push it down. So, after Dylan was out, they removed it from my uterus, pushed it down to where it was supposed to be, and repaired the incision. I got to keep the catheter and bag for a week to make sure my bladder didn't stretch too far and heal properly. As another interesting by-product, I now have a bladder infection. Joy of Joys...

And, I am just gonna come out and say it... Having the stomach flu (and not the upper kind, the lower kind) while in the last month of pregnancy is the pits. But, the by-products of said stomach flu is another thing: Hemorrhoids (which I have thankfully never had before, and did not get until the week before I delivered). Yes, I said it out loud and admitted to getting them. Apparently pregnant women are susceptible to them anyways, but being sick is not helpful. And then, still being sick on top of having them was one of the most painful things (next to labor) I have ever done. Luckily, now that Dylan is out, things are healing nicely there too.

And the insomnia? Virtually gone! I can fall asleep most nights and early mornings again without much trouble.

And Dylan is the bestest third child in the world! He is so mellow. He sleeps most of the night in his cradle. And he gives me a stretch of 6 hours at night. He only eats every 3-4 hours. And the engorgement and nipple soreness lasted a blessedly short amount of time.

So, all in all, it has been a successful delivery :) Besides having a wonderful child, I also have a relatively decent recovery. And, although I hate to admit it, the whole scheduled thing was quite wonderfully convenient...