Postpartum Recovery & Mommy life

No one really likes to talk about their body post-delivery or how your stomach will look like after giving birth or even when you will begin to lose the baby weight. These ideas of a perfect body after birth are a lot to take in when you’re a first time mother. I on the other hand was in no rush whatsoever to get back to my body. I was more concerned about enjoying Maddox and learning everything I could about being a mom.

When I gave birth to Maddox I was very swollen and I was on pain meds that would knock me out for a couple hours. Being in the hospital for 4 days didn’t help me recover or rest at all. In fact, I was more tired, stressed, and I wanted my bed so bad. I remember the first time I showered after giving birth it was the greatest relief ever but when I saw how swollen and big I was I did get a little concerned. All my nurses said it was totally fine! A C-section was a serious surgery that took some time to recover and that my uterus was still big and it was going to shrink down with due time.

Once I was discharged from the hospital (without Maddox) I came home and Christian had everything at home nice and clean so I could just relax and lay in bed. Because we live in a town home I was not able to go up and down the stairs due to my incision. Instead, I decided to move back down and sleep in the sofa. Because Maddox stayed in the hospital I was out of the house a lot sooner than I expected. The typical Hispanic mom back in the day will tell you “stay home with the baby for the first 2 months because they don’t have their shots.” My mom understood I needed to be at the hospital feeding Maddox and spending time with him as much as I could (since we didn’t have that mom and baby bonding time.) I thank God now about our situation because all the walking I did helped me recover a lot quicker.

While Maddox was in the hospital I was at home resting and being taken care of by Christian and my mom (who cooked and made oatmeal juice all day long for me) Christian would help me shower, clean my cut, and help me use the bathroom while putting a pad on me because I couldn’t bend forward. During this time my body was slowly recovering and I was losing all my water weight and the swelling was lessening. My stomach was still big and it looked like I was 5 months pregnant again! But once the baby was home and I was on this supply and demand milk production I started losing weight like crazy! That was not my main priority but it helped so much with getting my uterus back into its natural shape and place. With all the walking, breastfeeding, and pumping I did I was back to my weight by the time Maddox turned 1 month.

My incision was healing healthy and honestly I didn’t feel pain at all once I was home. I’ve heard horror stories about C- sections and how painful and hard it is to recover but luckily my story is different. Yes, there was times when I wanted to cough or use the bathroom and it took me a little longer than expected. Or I wanted to reach for something in the kitchen and I grunted with some pain but it was all moderate pain which was tolerable. My stomach does have minor stretch marks but nothing where I can’t wear a bathing suit or feel embarrassed about. My boobs also feel like they have dropped but as long as Maddox is still feeding and loving his breastmilk it does not bother me at all. As for my official weight I am back to my normal weight which is 115. Christian and I will begin working out and spinning like we use to once the doctor clears me to go back to the gym. For now, we do minor workouts and mostly strolls through our neighborhood with Maddox. I can honestly say my recovery was all thanks to the long hospital walks to visit Maddox and the great healthy food my mom was cooking for me.

After I fully recovered and Maddox was home for good the real struggle began. Those long restless nights and all those breastfeeding and pumping sessions were crazy! But I enjoyed them all. The first couple months flew by which took a lot of adjusting. I was not use to caring for another human being the way I care for Maddox who consumes my day with love and laughter. I’ve learned to split my day with me time, baby time, and Christian time (date nights) as a married couple we have learned to adjust and take life one day at a time. The first months with a baby can be overwhelming and there is a lot to take in especially if you are breastfeeding because it can come with a lot of stress and questions. But it all comes to an ease once you've learned your rhythm.