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C-Sections suck! Adventuring after a c-section



THE STORY

The title says it all. If you have ever had a C-Section or surgery, you know the pain and you know the recovery process (excuse my language), sucks!


Fishing while pregnant
Fly fishing in New Mexico at full term

I had full intentions on delivering my second baby vaginally even more so, naturally, epidural free. I had been preparing myself mentally and physically for the pain that I was anticipating with a natural birth. I went in for my 37-week checkup and baby girl was breech. I knew right then what that meant but I thought I had time... My OB quickly said we can give her time to turn, try holistic remedies, but ultimately, I would have to get a C-Section. I knew all of this as a nurse but I didn't want to believe it. I left the appointment feeling defeated, feeling angry, feeling stuck. What did I do or not do to cause my baby to stay breech? My first born was head down and I had him naturally, why is it different this time? I was very active and of course, you take yourself down the tunnel of, "Did I push myself too far, was there something I did to make her breach, etc."


My husband was waiting for me in the Jeep with our son and he pulled up to the front of the hospital where I was waiting for him after my appointment. I climbed into the Jeep and he asked how the appt. went (due to COVID, they weren't letting in spouses yet), and I quickly shut down and started to cry. I told him the situation and he tried to comfort me and tell me the positives of a C-Section, our daughter coming into the world one way or another. It helped but it didn't change the fact that I was still in utter shock.


For the next 3 weeks, I mentally prepared myself for a C-Section. Nurses are the worst patients and we are even worse at taking care of ourselves. Everything I knew about surgery and OBGYN, was crumbled in my head. I had to research everything about C-Sections, as if going through nursing school all over again. The information I found was redundant and only semi helpful. Nothing talked about the truth of recovery, that it sucks! It's painful, it last weeks on end and it inhibits your ability to be a mom, a wife, even use the damn restroom on your own! No one talks about the ugly recovery.... I was in shock and mentally, exhausted from recovery. People said "C-Sections are the easy way out"... bullshit! There's nothing easy about having an incision in your abdomen and not being able to sit on a toilet, bend over to hug your toddler, get out of bed without holding on to your husband for help, having to hold your newborn a certain way to avoid pressure on your belly, suffer through the pain because you refuse to take the narcotics they so easily prescribed you... C-Sections suck!


THE PAIN

The first few hours after surgery are nothing... your body is numb from the spinal block. Your adrenaline is high from the trauma your body went through and the euphoria you feel now that your perfect baby is Earth-side. Fast forward several hours, and the pain sets in. I remember not being able to move in bed at all. I would wrap my arms around my husband's neck and he would help pull me up in bed so I could sit upright to nurse my baby. I remember having to sleep on my back for an entire month because the littlest amount of pressure on your sides, is excruciating. It feels like your organs are being squished left and right and up and down. I remember being unable to sit on a darn toilet. I would have to squat just to pee to avoid pressure on my incision... When we got home, reality set in quickly how helpless I was to become. Thank God for my supportive and wonderful husband, he did everything for 2 weeks straight until my abdomen felt well enough...


I couldn't sit on the ground like I used to to play cars and dinosaurs with my 2-year-old. I couldn't put on my own underwear. If something fell on the ground, I couldn't bend down to get it. Nursing our newborn every 2 hours at night was hard. My husband would have to help me adjust myself in bed and then get our baby out of her bassinet then had her to me. I would then put her back and help me lay down again. It was hard. I have no photos to show for this chapter because well, who can think of documenting life when life is at stand still as you push through pain while enjoying your newborn and family.


THE JOURNEY


HIKING WHILE PREGNANT
36 WEEKS PREGNANT

I am a very active mama; I love to run, hike and just be outside. I accepted being stuck in the house for the first week or so, I mean we have a precious newborn and she benefits from staying inside but after a week, I was eager to get outside. As a nurse, I knew that walking post-surgery would improve my pain, increase the healing time, and overall benefit my health and decrease risks for post-surgical complications. I knew I had to push the pain. I pitched my crazy idea to my husband and of course, he was totally for it. We headed out for our first adventure as a family of 4.


A 40-minute drive up a beautiful mountain to the top of the Sandia Mountains is where we set out on our first "hike". It was more of a 1-mile flat, well-developed trail, but it was the first time I was being this active since surgery. My abdomen was sore, but my mind was as clear as the sky and for the first time, I forgot about the pain. We enjoyed the smell of pine trees, picked wildflowers, and even more so, we were elated to see our son and newborn baby outside in the wild. I called her my wildflower and to this day, the name suits her perfectly, She's gorgeous, captivating but strong and hardy.


postpartum recovery mom hiking with newborn
Our wildflower, 1-week old

THE HOPE


I write this article in hopes of inspiring other mothers to get outside after surgery. Also, to be completely transparent and honest about the reality of C-Sections. I don't know why people say "it's the easy way out." It isn't. It's painful, it's hard, and it sucks!


Had I had the choice, I would have had her naturally of course, but sometimes, we cannot control the way our previous creations come into the world. As my husband reminded me again and again, it's not how she comes into the world, but that she comes into the world at all.


If you're going through the postpartum healing stages, remember to listen to your body. Rest, heal, love, and adventure as you see fit. This experience was beautiful despite how painful. I quickly learned how to love my new body, embrace my scar, and overcome pain while still being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a sister. Embrace the change and embark on whatever adventures life sets out for you because life itself is the adventure.



hiking postpartum adventure mom c-section
First photo as a family of 4

 
 
 

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