My 6 week post-partum exam was Tuesday. I've been dreading it for weeeeeeeks, but I'm happy to report I survived!
Few things in life are as awkward as a gyn. exam and I had convinced myself that the doctor would tell me my uterus was falling out or that I'd have to wear adult diapers for the rest of my life. Luckily, neither of those things occurred.
It was just like an annual exam, except we talked about breastfeeding and the baby's growth too. Perhaps, the doctor was just trying to distract me because she knows I'm a spastic freak.
We also talked about birth control. I had been given the mini-pill which has low dose hormones and is safe to take while breastfeeding. Ladies who are nursing typically don't have periods (holla!) The doctor stressed the importance of taking the pill at the same time everyday, and to switch to the "regular" pill when done breastfeeding to avoid becoming the "1 in 20 who get pregnant within a year" statistic on the pill package. Can we talk about how terrifying that would be?!?! She also reminded me that "babies as cute and well behaved as Makaela aren't good birth control" and I reminded her that disgusting gyn exams are :)
Good news is that I'm healing just fine. I think I started to feel totally "normal" again at about 4.5 weeks. I had a third degree tear, so I imagine those with less trauma would heal faster and those with more (two become one in some ladies if you know what I mean...helllllo vagectum), or with a c-section would take longer. The worst part was the first couple weeks. There was just a lot of soreness and even walking seemed to put a lot of pressure on my lady parts. Oh and there was that point at about 3 weeks post partum when I thought "wow I feel GREAT" and then I attempted a jumping jack (Jillian Michaels made me)...that moment is what led to my fear of my uterus falling out. There was also the time when I googled something along the lines of "how long does it take for a 3rd degree tear to heal?" Let's just say I'm convinced people only like to share horror stories on the internet! A peek into my google search history over the past 6 weeks would provide quite a few laughs.
For those that are curious, here are the post-partum below-the-belt care tips and products that worked for me.
1. Tucks Witch Hazel Pads.....holy heaven. Buy LOTS. They are AMAZING. Trust me. I would be a spokesperson for these bad boys if they let me.
2. Stock up on what the hospital is offering you so you have "goods" for home. I don't know about you but I certainly don't know where to buy an ice-pack maxi-pad, and they really help provide short-term relief.
3. I had stocked up on the heavy duty overnight maxi-pads, but was surprised that I didn't even need pads by the end of the first week, so I would recommend purchasing pantyliners as well in case you get lucky like I did in that department.
3. Pat or dab, don't wipe. Thank you to the nurse that told me that early on.
4. Your doc prescribed you a stool softener for a reason. Don't be like me and not take it at first out of fear. It will make that first (okay, first several) bowel movements a lot less scary. Don't force things..and remember, you pushed a baby out...you'll survive this.
5. Don't overdo it. Everything in moderation or you WILL regret it later and you WILL be counting down until it is time for your next Motrin. Spend as much time on the couch as you can; your bum will thank you.
I still can't believe I pushed a human out of my hoo-ha. The human body is cray-cray. And to think, while you're busy healing you're even more busy taking care of a newborn, perhaps learning to breastfeed and trying to figure out the next time you'll get more than 4 hours of sleep at a time.
I've certainly got more to say about surviving the post-partum period, but enough is enough for now.
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