[Weekly Digest] Postpartum: Week 2

How I feel (Overall): This week is proving to be an improvement from the last. Not just in terms of recovery, but in terms of AJ's progress. I see a schedule slowly taking shape - John managed to extend his paternity leave for another week because I broke down last week and told him I needed him for another week. Fights with Mum, mainly due to parenting differences, is getting worse. Sigh.

Breastfeeding is still taking a toll on me - painful nipples, blisters and even a little bleeding situation once - so tempted to give up. But I shall now. If I have the supply, I will strive to make this work, for the sake of AJ. I want nothing but the best for him.

TOOK MY FIRST SHOWER IN 8 DAYS.

Pain areas: My bandage came off after the end of Week 1. Paid a visit to Kamaljit for a Week 1 checkup and she said I've healed wonderfully! Yay. All the effort I put in to prevent myself from sweating and infecting the incision paid off. All of John's and Mum's pro-activeness in making sure I don't sweat up a storm, definitely paid off.

To be honest, it feels weird without the bandage now, as thought my fresh wound is exposed to the harshness of the world, vulnerable and ready to be attacked... Okay maybe I'm over-dramatising it a little but it does feel strange. I need to get used to this! I'm so afraid to touch it.

How I coped: I took my first shower (in 8 days!) and it felt.so.good. I feel like a new woman again. To give you an idea, pre-baby I used to bath twice a day, no less, and sometimes more. So going 8 consecutive days without a shower has been nothing short of a miracle for me. It doesn't help that I've got 'sweaty' genes, meaning I sweat up a storm almost everywhere I go in Malaysia (I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who sweats more than I do).

Granted, John wiped me down daily in those 8 days, but a damp cloth doesn't compare to the feeling of having warm water running down your skin plus the smell and feel of soap & shampoo.

I still have difficulty getting out of bed, takes me about 20 seconds to roll to my side and use my arm to lift my torso and upper body off the bed. And each time I do this, my lower abdomen where my incision is, hurts a ton. You know what else hurts? SNEEZING. After my shower, as I was putting on my clothes I let out an involuntarily (and huge) sneeze, immediately causing me to double over clutching my torso. It felt like someone literally stabbed me with 100 knives at once.. I seriously thought my stitches had split open - a visit to Kamaljit proved otherwise (phew!).

AJ's Progress: He's crying less this week. Last week (week 1) we had a fever scare. The no-touch forehead thermometer that Mum bought us kept showing that he was having a fever (hovered between 37.5-38.5 degrees celsius). We immediately packed our bags and made our way to Pantai Hospital. Because it was past 12am, we went straight to emergency ward. He kept crying and crying and the whole ordeal was terrible for us. Coupled with sleep deprivation, we were absolutely shaken.
Luckily, the paediatrician on duty at the time took one look at AJ and said "He's hungry".
I breastfed him on the spot (with curtains closed of course), and true enough he settled down immediately after.
Supposedly, having a fluctuating temperature like that is extremely common for newborns, particularly because their immunity and bodily functions/systems are not yet fully developed and they cannot regulate their body temperatures as well as we adults can.

Other than the fever scare, he's settled down a little bit. A scheduled visit earlier this week to Dr. Yong (Pantai Hospital Paediatrician) shows that he's lost 11% of his birth weight! From 3.28kg down to 2.92kg - which means he's not getting enough food, which absolutely explains his frantic screams and cries the last 1.5 weeks! We were so desperate because my milk supply hadn't come in yet, John drove out to Tesco (on just an hour of sleep - poor guy!) to get Similac (formula milk) for him and we fed him through a syringe to avoid nipple confusion as we planned to still breastfeed him once my milk supply comes in.

By the way, we didn't have a good impression of Dr. Yong - didn't appear dedicated & resourceful, and I had to ask a billion questions only to get either a "Yes" or "No" or a coy smile from him.
We asked Kamaljit for a PD recommendation and we were referred to Dr. Altaf in TTDI.
Paid a visit to his clinic at the end of the week and he's just amazing. His clinic is always packed - and what I really like about it (and I found this to be true of Kamaljit's clinic as well) is that it is a first-come-first-serve basis.
Essentially, you walk in from 9am to 12pm and write your name down on a numbered list which gets cancelled off one-by-one. If you come early at 9am, you'd be sure to get first dibs. If you come too late like past 11:30pm you'd be sure to be wait a long time because by that time there would've been at least 10 people ahead of you waiting to see Dr. Altaf.

Anyway he got weighed and put on 200g in less than 4 days!! Went up to 3.1kgs. We were so happy.

Things to be Grateful for: AJ has gotten back some of his birth weight and is overall a healthy bubs.  Mum is becoming more helpful - she took a one day hiatus and coached it down to Singapore where she caught up with Aunt BL. It was a good break for John and I too - sometimes you need that couple-alone time to get your heads back straight on again. Also grateful for all the well wishes from friends and relatives - we feel so loved and we can't wait for everyone to meet AJ. He's been such a blessing! Grateful also for a smooth recovery. My belly is slowly deflating... I give myself up to week 6 to get back my flat tumtums!

[Weekly Digest] Postpartum: Week 1

How I feel (Overall): To sum it up in one word, hell. When I was pregnant and reading up everything I could on motherhood, none prepared me for this first week. The incessant crying and not knowing what he wants, was not only painful to hear but an overwhelming sense of helplessness also engulfed me. Luckily, John was on paternity leave and could "share" in this pain with me.

We understood from the nurses at the hospital that AJ is still trying to get used to the new environment, new smells and it is normal for a newborn to be crying his lungs out and screaming in the first few weeks, but we never thought it'd be this hard. I eventually broke down and cried to John and he encouraged and motivated me to stay strong.


Pain areas: Incision throbs and hurts. I can barely walk, let alone lift anything. Trying to prevent incision from becoming infected as we live in a humid country and chances of infection is much higher than if we had a drier environment.


How I coped: John, & Mum. These 2 people in my life are God-sent I swear. Recovering from a C-section is not an easy feat. Add to that the responsibility of a new baby and existing responsibilities of having to keep the house clean and for food to be on the table 3 times a day... John & Mum have taken all of that onto their shoulders. For them, I am ever so appreciative <3


AJ's Progress: This first week has quite honestly, been super hectic. All he's done this week is cry, feed, sleep. It's okay.. the first few weeks I know are going to be the hardest.


Things to be Grateful for: A healthy baby boy. Nothing makes us more happy than seeing AJ thrive as he does. The reason our hospital bill came to almost half of what we were expecting it to be was because he was born healthy. No jaundice, no need to be admitted into NICU for any reason. Healthy baby, happy mummy (& daddy!). Thank God.

[Tuesday Tips] Top C-Section Recovery Tips

It's been 11 days since I had an elective C section and in these almost 2 weeks, I think I am qualified to offer you some tips on how to ease your post C section recovery and feel better much faster, so you can look after your little one.

1. Get Movin'

At the hospital, the very next day after my surgery, a nurse came into my ward room and asked if I felt like peeing. I said no. I closed my eyes again, expecting her to take my answer and leave it and perhaps come back again in 2 hours' time to ask the same question until I willingly say yes. 

Not a chance. Right after I said no to her, she said "Get up now. Let's go to the bathroom." Shocked and reluctant but because she was a head nurse a knew what she was doing, I agreed and slowly moved my way off the bed with her much-needed help. 

I will admit, it was excruciating. Those first few steps to the bathroom, I've never felt more incapable in my life - it felt like I had aged in just days to an old lady with broken, brittle bones that she couldn't even walk herself anymore. I was hunched over and made the 50m walk to the bathroom in a record 10 minutes. Peeing was not a pain but I had to sit on the toilet bowl at an incline in order not to put pressure on the incision.

After that excruciating first walk, I felt so much better. So, first advice is to get moving even if you don't feel like it. Not only will it improve the circulation in your legs and prevent blood clots from forming, it also aids in your bowel movements so you don't suffer constipation which is common post c-section phenomenon. Get up and about!

2. Take Your Pain Meds

I know you're a strong lady, but when it comes to healing from a C section, don't be a hero. Take them regularly (mine was every 4 hours) even if you don't feel much pain & when the hospital offers you some, take them all. 

If you wait till longer than 4-6 hours to take your next round of pain meds, you'll regret it when the pain starts kicking in and you have to slowly wait for your meds to take effect. Not a pretty thought to behold. You just underwent a major abdominal surgery and your body is adjusting to it, so naturally it will be painful. Listen to your body and don't let it suffer from unnecessary pain!

3. Stay Hydrated

That first pee is very important after your C-section, to determine that your bladder is functioning well & good. You're going to be inserted with a urine catheter which will only be taken off the next day after surgery, but once it's out, make it a point/your goal to visit the bathroom within the next 12 hours. Of course, do this with the help of the nurses or you might fall!.

It's important to stay hydrated after a surgery to aid in the healing process and to keep your bladder movements in sync. Aim to drink the standard 8-10 glasses of water each day.

4. Seek Help (Physically & Moral Support) & Rest

Your incision and general health will take at least 6 weeks to be restored, and in this time, don't strain yourself otherwise you risk injuring your fresh wound and splitting your incision/getting an incision infection. You might look healed on the outside, but bear in mind that a lot of healing is still going on in this inside, which you cannot see. And it is important to keep in mind that you just underwent a major surgery. 

Don't carry anything heavier than your baby and organise a feeding schedule with your partner so you can have a longer stretch of rest (4-5 hours at least) as new tissue regenerates for healing only when you're getting enough proper rest. Yes you just had a baby and life will never be the same again, BUT take all the help you get offered from close friends, family and especially your partner (boyfriend/fiance/husband) because their help & support is going to come a long long way in helping your heal faster. 

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These are my 4 main tips on how to recovery faster from a C section - as much as I wanted a natural delivery, sometimes God has other plans for you (that's what I believe anyway), and despite this all I ever ask for is a healthy baby, which I got :-)

Motherhood is not an easy journey, all the late night feeds & diaper changes, sleepless days and nights & breastfeeding problems come along with it, but when you get the green light from your paediatrician telling you that your little one is doing well and is healthy, all these "issues" suddenly don't seem to matter anymore. 

AJ  has been an amazing baby - he hardly cries and when he does, it's for good reason (either hungry or need a nappy change). John and I are very blessed parents and we hope to raise him well. 

We'll take it one step at a time.