Post part 'em

For the longest time I always thought it was "post part 'em." Am I the only one? I also thought VBAC was V-back. None of it made sense to me. ("post-partum" still seems like a weird word.)

Lars was born on a Sunday night and we came home on Monday night. Then he and I spent an entire week in my room. I went downstairs maybe once a day.

The kids came up occasionally to entertain us with fancy tricks like swapping PJs.

Then as you know we had the wonderful and unprecedented treat of having TWO grandmas stay with us for a total of one month.

My mom stayed for 3 weeks because she had the time off from teaching school and because the placement of 4th of July weekend made it practical for traveling. Then Matt's mom came for a week while he went on a trip with the youth from our church.

I have never taken it so easy after a baby. Of course there have only been 3 times but anyway, after Theo's C-section I "overdid it" several times before I figured out that I shouldn't be out walking around in Target for hours while still on Percocet. After Ida was born I rarely rested and a long night of trick-or-treating ended in some nasty mastitis. After Lars was born I took my doula's advice and the advice of several friends and refused to use stairs for the first 2 weeks unless absolutely necessary. I took at least one nap a day if not more and I let my mom cook, clean, do laundry, and take the kids to the park. When she left, Lars was 3 1/2 weeks old and I actually felt rested and ready to be on my own. A few days later, Lynnette came to keep us company while Matt was gone and I gratefully let her cook, clean, do laundry, and take the kids to the park too. Plus our family got through pinkeye, a couple of feverish flus, toilet training, itchy allergies, and endless tantrums with the help of these ladies.

I feel so spoiled. I really didn't need such a long time in terms of physical recovery but I will always be grateful for it. The first few days of my recovery were pretty rough. The next 2 weeks were better. By the end of 3 weeks I felt almost myself again. Aside from my own issues, it was harder than I thought it would be for my kids to adjust both to a new baby and to the wide-open routine of summer, all at once. When Babs and Lynnette left I knew we were ready to be on our own, and I really appreciated my 2 beautiful preschoolers, their enthusiasm for being with me and baby Lars, and the strength and desire to run my own household. It has only been a week of "normal life" (still haven't been back to church yet though... maybe next week) but, aside from a few desperate moments in the middle of the night, I know I can handle it.

The hormone/sleep quotient that comes with newborns (hormones go up, sleep goes down) makes everyday things seem so overwhelming, no matter how many other kids or responsibilities you have. I feel like having our moms here for so long let me take a nice deep breath and prepare to plunge in. I know this was a special treat which may not happen again: I will never forget how wonderful it was to be mothered for an entire month after Lars's birth and how much I learned from our mothers during that time. I don't know how I could ever thank my two favorite moms for their sacrifice and kindness in coming so far just to be with us.