Anyone having a difficult recovery?

[mags]

Despite having had two other children and pretty much bouncing back quickly after birth, I'm having a really difficult time recovering from birth this time. The biggest difference was that I had more prodromal labor than my other births, a much larger baby, my worst birth exp so far and I think my episiotomy is worse this time (had episiotomies with other two as well, but it did not hurt as bad as this one). Is anyone else having a hard time recovering? I can't seem to get out of that, "totally exhausted" stage. DH has been a tremendous help, but he only has about one wk left at home before he needs to return to work and I'm worried how I will be able to handle all three kids on my own. Plus, the baby is sleeping horribly at night, I've been avging *maybe* 3 hrs of sleep at night at most and dependent on naps during the daytime. However, once DH returns to work, I won't have the luxury of napping during the daytime. UGH. Just wondering if anyone else is having a hard time this time around too.

[plantmama]

I had a really rough recovery with my last. He was very big and I had some bad tears...it takes awhile.
I felt good for the first few days this time but I've defintely been crashing.
So dd is a week old today and I'm sore, exhausted and just emotional.
The baby blues came with my milk and have somewhat past now but I was feeling it again by the end of the day yesterday.
Dh is already back at work. My sister is here so and has taken older two out so I better go nap
Hang in there!

[Avani]

Well i am alone with 6 kids all day and night. THe first week was tough because i was sore and my toddler really wanted me to get him everything and carry him. I'm not all that tired but i have using homeopathic Arnica and Kali Phos and i continue to drink nettles and alfalfa tea. My accupuncturist cooked me a huge steak which seemed to really replenish me. I also have gotten adjusted by a chiro and got some accupuncture done to help with my recovery. My house is way messy and i'm not getting much done but i'm just letting it be for now. I'm 2 weeks postpartum now and i'm not sore anymore but my bleeding has gotten really heavy. Plus this babies dad has contacted me a few times and then never showed up when he asked to come and meet her and i just got so angry and emotional all over again. I am very weepy but not in an overwhelming way. I take Motherwort daily which really helps. My accupuncturist took my placenta for encapsulation which i am supposed to get on friday and i know that will be the biggest help.

[Sarahstw]

I think I'll count myself in that category. We are two+ weeks postpartum.
I'm still dealing with the infection that I had in labor. I managed to fight off a UTI and a yeast infection last week. But I still can't walk. The leg issues that severely worsened at the end of my pregnancy are still with me. I have trouble even rolling over in bed. After seeing an osteopath last week it's much better but I still can't function like a normal person. I'm starting to have fantasies about walking. I can barely make it to the store around the corner right now, which is really bad for my mental health. If I can't find a way to distract myself for at least part of the day I just end up crying all day. As it is I wake up and go to sleep crying.

[katylynn]

Mags-
I think I could have typed your first few sentences word for word!!!! I am 2 wks pp today, and have just started to feel better "down there". This was also my third child (and third epis.), and it has hurt way more than the other two!! With them, I think most of my pain was attributed to the uterine contractions afterwards, not the epis. My "little" guy was also my biggest child by over a pound, and he came out fast, so I think that might have something to do with the pain. I also suffered from prodromal labor for about a month prior to birth, so I hear ya on that one too!! Maybe we can attribute all of this to the "third child syndrome", ha ha!! The only thing I have going for me is that he is sleeping well--3-5 hr stretches at night and will go back to sleep right away. This is a good thing, because my husband only took off of work the days that I was in the hospital. So--here's to hoping that you're LO will start sleeping better before your hubby goes back!!

[christibale]

I am having a terrible recovery. My baby is almost a month old and is really doing well. My tear has not yet healed and the stitches have ripped out 2 times despite me not getting out of bed much. I have to have reconstructive surgery to handle the damage done now even though it was a 1st degree tear.

My 2 year old is not adjusting well, and I'm not being a good mama to her. The baby is happy and loving though.

[BlueWolf]

I'm having a hard recovery. I got an infection in my c section incision. I've had to pack the wound twice a day with gauze and take an antibiotic every 6 hours. I'm really sore around the wound. I've also been suffering from PPD, but went to the doctor last week and I'm on Zoloft now.

Breast feeding is a lot harder than I thought it would be, and I just don't make enough milk to satisfy my baby. I make about 1.5-2oz and baby can easily consume 3oz, so I've been supplementing formula as I try to get my milk supply up. My breast and nipples just hurt Baby dropped a ton of weight going from 6lbs 11oz to 6lbs 3oz in less than a week because she wasn't eating enough. We finally got her weight back up to birth weight. It's been so frustrating.

DH goes back to work on Monday, and he travels for work so he'll be gone until Friday - home for the weekend, then gone again. I don't know how I'm going to do this on my own.

[Quindin]

I am
I had severe after pains for almost a week, and only began feeling relief from the bruised/beat up feeling on my body from giving birth at 3 weeks (could barely walk)
Then at 3 weeks I developed mastitis and now thrush
It's been tough...

[fawnanddoe]

Physically I have had an easy recovery, besides mastitis.
Emotionally, however, not so easy. I finally went to a therapist today and I scored high on the PPD scale AND the postpartum anxiety scale. So yeah. I figured this would happen with all that I have been going through, but I needed to be told by a professional that this is what it was. I also think DH needed to hear from the therapist that I am not crazy and that I am going through this right now. This past week has been the worst so far!
It will get better!
I hope all you mamas heal up soon

[BC mom]

I am 12 days pp and I am still very sore. I feel all sprained and bruised inside and around my pubic bones. It was very painful to walk or move until 2-3 days ago, now it still hurts but not as bad. My baby was posterior and took 3 hours to push out and needed a little suction at the end. I guess this is why I am so sore! I can't wait to be able to be more mobile and active with my toddler.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

ds turned 2 weeks old today. he was only 4 lbs at birth, 6 weeks early, and this is by far my hardest recovery. the labor was no cakewalk (put on mag= stuck in bed, plus pit and arom and i was in PAIN!) i chose no epi just because i knew lil guy would prob have enough issues being born preemie. i'm having headaches, swelling, dizziness major back pain, am exhausted (found out i'm anemic for the first time in my life) and am weepy for the stupidest thigns it seems. add that ds is not nursing, so i am pumping, fortifying, bottlefeeding and the washing all associated paraphanalia associated with that.

ds poops out easily and hardly seems to want to eat. he is up to 4-9 as of today, but i am wary of how much of that is that i am basically trying to force him to eat instead of letting him have what he wants when he wants it. it is just harder w the fortifier because unlike mama's milk once he has started the feed it has to be used within an hour or discarded. i am a good pumper, but it is still a big hassle. i have 2 other kids to take care of and i just don't feel i am worth anything as a mother right now to any of my kids, and not much of a wife to my hub either. the nurse that came today to do the home visit called and made me an appt with the doctor's office w someone i havent even met there. (i was previously a midwife patient who had to transfer to an ob- i met and liked both the babycathers, but this person tomorrow (a PA) will be entirely new to me.

dh is stressed to his limit too. he has been on fmla because he had no time off left, so we're broker than broke right now. we're staying at hub's parent's house because i was on bedrest for so long and i was unable to help get anythign rearranged so it still hasn't been done. we have no rrom there right now. i need to sell girly clothes to get them outta the house (and get $ in) since we are NOT having any more kids. it is only a 2 bedroom trailer, and we have no space in it.