I have a little soapbox about this, I guess!
I am a person that after I have a baby I am white, weak and faint easily. Since I am a person that hates that, it is hard for me, especially when I see people who are up and back to work right away.
But who are the ones that are the better for it? Are the ones that get right back up and at their work or the ones who are forced to rest longer?
I do not have any grand statistics, but I do know that I have been told by older women that the better we care for our bodies after we have baby,the better health we will have later in life. I don't know that for sure, but it makes sense.
I had to realize there was a huge wound inside and even though I could not see it, I was not doing any favors to my family by getting up and around too soon.
What is too soon? Well, we all know it taks 6 weeks for our uterus to get back to size, I think I would prohibit activities for at least that long. I try not to leave the house ever for at least 2 weeks, staying mostly sitting during that time.
I try to make things easier on myslef by doing things to ease life before the baby is born so this can be possible.
I think preparing your family for the fact that Mom/wife is going to be down for awhile helps.
Sometimes I have had the tendancy because I do not feel so well, not to eat much after the initial 2 weeks or so. I am tired, but not strong enough to be cooking. People don't think that you may need help after that, but I thinkt hat is when it is easy to over do. When your baby is 4 week, you are feeling good from all the rest and you decide to clean closets! You are so tired by the end you are sick.
So, I guess with this, I am saying take care of yourself and rest after a baby so you can take care of your family better later.
It is hard during the time, but important!
That is a good post, Martha. I am already worried about that time frame after this baby comes. From 2 to 6-8 weeks people have got over the excitement and it is harder to get help but still just as important. I will have one of my sisters here but sometimes that is almost more stress for me… I hope to have a very clear schedule for her so that she knows what is expected everyday and I don’t have to spell it all out. It is so hard for me to ask for help- even from Matt. I feel like if I was just more organized or disciplined then I would be caught up. It is equally hard for me to let things slide… Yeah, I think I need to make some changes in both areas. Thanks for the reminder. ~Diana
Remind me again in 3 months! The gals at my church are great. They give you a couple of meals for the freezer, then in the next couple of months when you aren’t feeling up to making dinner, wah-la! There they are, sitting in the freezer just waiting to be eaten! I am hoping that I will be able to put away some in the month after we move before baby comes, to make it that much easier.
Thanks again, Martha!
I agree with your post Martha! With our first baby we actually stopped by Walmart to shop 24 hours after I had her!
With #2 I was at the laundrymat when she was 3 days old!
With our 3rd I tried doing the same and ended up very ill, the Lord forced me to take it easy, even though sadly I returned to work when he was just 3 weeks old. I wasn’t a stay at home mom until he was about a year old, and have been home ever since.
I have progressively with the last 3 babies gotten better with my “down time”, and with our current baby stayed down a good 4 weeks doing the bare minimum, and am just in the last 2 weeks getting back into things, and I haven’t felt this good after giving birth in a long time! The rest definately helped!
So I agree with you, you must take time to rest!
I didn’t give my children enough credit on how much they could help “tend” to me.
Even my 20 month old could bring me diapers etc. They are a blessing!
The worst was my aunts story of how she didn’t rest after a baby, she had a c-section. She bled inside and never realized it until later in life and ended up with all her uterus, bladder, and other parts fusing together from the blood. She had to have a emergency hysterectomy and has problems still from it because everything was one big mass. That really sealed it for me, although I have not had a c-section, it really made me think of how it effects you later in life.