3 months postpartum

It sure has been a busy 3 months! It’s been difficult to find time to write, I had intended on writing earlier but life can move by so quickly. I’m doing really well and so is Junior, he is such a big strong boy I am amazed everyday at his development. A week ago today he rolled over for the first time tummy- to-back to the right and two days later he did it to the left. I’m so proud of him. I could go on and on about milestones but I’ll stop.

Specific to CP

Since so much has changed in the last 3 months I’ll try to break it down:

1-2 weeks postpartum

This was  the  most challenging period for me, getting up and down on my own was very difficult for me and carrying the baby more than a few steps scared me because I was so unstable. Luckily, Junior was born while my husband was having winter holiday  from work (he is a teacher) so he was there to support me for the first few days and then the next week my mother took time off of work to support me.

3-7 weeks postpartum

Suddenly in week 3 my hips started popping in and out of socket all the time. When I laid down, when I rolled over in bed, when I stood up and with every step I took; at the same time my ankles started to give out. This was/ is very frustrating and painful. On a bright note though I started coming up with some great adaptations for taking care of Junior independently (I may share some in an upcoming blog) and my stiches from delivery finally healed up making me at least a little more comfortable.

8 weeks-now

I’ve taken great strides to becoming more independent during this last period. I took Junior to his 2 month pediatrician appointment, my first outing with him alone. It was a bit tricky because there was a massive snow storm the night before and there was lots of ice everywhere. To initially get to my car with Junior, my brother-in-law walked me out to my car and thank goodness he did or I would have fallen on the ice. To get him into the Doctor’s I was able to snap his car seat into a stroller. The support of the sturdy stroller kept me from slipping through the parking lot and I was able get junior ever where he needed to go without fear of dropping him.

 In the last two weeks Junior has been sleeping for longer period of time at night and I’ve started to establish a schedule for him. It is in no way perfect but I am getting more rest now at night and have more freedom during the day due to regular naptimes. With some of this new found freedom I am exercising and that is reducing my hip and ankle problems.

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Being a mother is wonderful, I love it! It is however very troublesome to me to have these mobility issues. Today I tripped for the first time while holding my son. I was able to keep him safe and fairly unjostled by holding him up, securing his neck and digging my elbows into a counter-top on my way down. Although he wasn't badly hurt and was laughing and playing with me less than 5 minutes later it still terrified me.  I know my babies will get hurt (yes I plan on getting pregnant again) but I would hope and pray that no major injury occurs until their bodies are better able to tolerate it. I'm so grateful that I was able to protect my son today despite my physical weaknesses.