Recovery Items
It’s been a HOT minute since we typed out some thoughts in this blog space. I, Tracy, recently had a pretty intensive surgery and have been recovering for several weeks. I’m doing well, but have been struggling with exhaustion. Little things, like going to a follow up appointment, wear me out quickly and extensively.
Much like when you have are expecting your first baby, I didn’t *really* know what to expect. I prepped as much as I could, with the knowledge I had, before surgery- both for home life and work life. (I’m so thankful for our team filling in for me while I’m away.) But some things, also like having a baby, you just don’t know to expect until you’ve experienced it.
While I’m (obviously) back to work a little, the entire recovery process is long and slow. I’m determined to heal as much as I can to protect my body and to hopefully not have to have this surgery redone in the future. It feels good to honor my body’s healing, even if it isn’t postpartum and I don’t have a baby, because of how much this body did for years growing and sustaining life other than my own.
With some of my procedure being related to issues I incurred during child birth, the recovery has been eerily similar to the postpartum period, especially my cesarean. (Minus the sweet baby of course!) It has made me consider what I would do differently if I was having a baby now (theoretically of course) versus what I did when I had my first baby.
Here are a few things I think I would do/buy/have:
Get a rolling cart: You can find videos of people prepping these for the postpartum period all over TikTok/IG and Pinterest. I have one next to my bed that I purchased for surgery recovery and it has been THE BEST. Obviously with no baby, the cart is filled with all stuff for me and my recovery, (snacks, meds, drinks, wipes, recovery instructions, etc.) but if it was prepped for postpartum I’d also include diapers, wipes, changes of clothes, etc. I love it because you can keep your drink on your nightstand, but everything else in the cart. You can roll it easily over to the bed or push it back, out of the way.
A kindle holder and page turner: I spent many night feeds in the early newborn days watching friends and other tv shows with my older kids, and playing on my phone with my youngest. If you’re someone who needs to be alert during feeding sessions in the early weeks, and you’re a reader, the kindle holder is amazing! I attached mine to my rolling cart for post-op, threw on a page turner, and can get all snuggled in, set up, and easily turn pages with just one or two fingers. (I never was able to read books when nursing my babies, but this would’ve been a game changer since you don’t have to hold the kindle physically!)
Prep with easy prepared foods for breakfast and lunch. Our community has been absolutely amazing to us, providing us meals. One thing I forgot about, though, was being able to prepare food myself once my husband went back to work. (Again, post-op is a little different, since I couldn’t bend and I can’t push, pull, or lift anything over 10lbs.) A dear friend brought ready-made food from Costco and it has been such a game changer to be able to just pull something out to eat for myself.
Squatty potty: pretty self explanatory, but you can also mimic one with two rolls of toilet paper. Post-op poos and postpartum poos (especially after a c/s) are *prettttttty* similar.
Stool to help get into the bed: I was not expecting it to be so hard to get in/out of the bed after surgery. My bed doesn’t seem that high up off the ground. But, with fresh incision/s, it definitely is too high. I used a little step stool that gave me *just enough* boost.
A Rocket City Doulas postpartum and infant care doula– I mean, obviously. I couldn’t not say it. If I could do it all over again, I’d hire a postpartum doula for after my last two births. I could have used the extra support to allow my body to rest and recover well.
Of course, this isn’t an extensive list of all of the recovery Items I prepared for surgery, OR all the things I would prepare with for the postpartum period (like peri-bottles, etc). But, they were a few things that have helped me significantly that would have been amazing after birthing a baby! (And if anyone needs my surgery list with suggestions that might not be the same as someone having a baby, hit me up! I have more on that list!
What do you always suggest for someone’s recovery post-birth? Are there any that aren’t typical? Let us know in the comments!