Postby stayathomemuminsw11 » Thu Feb 14, 2013 10:21 pm
Hi there,
I had a hideous first birth, (emergency c-section) and planned an elective second time around, but ended up with a semi-emergency one under GA (I went into labour before the scheduled date). I didn't go through labour for very long before I had my c-section, so it was as if it was planned really.
Anyway, I don't want to worry you, but I really did find the recovery pretty hard-although I was out and about reasonably soon, stuff like bath time/shopping/cooking etc was tough.
We arranged for an amazing lady who is a postnatal doula to come and help for 3 weeks after my son was born (just a few hrs a day), doula's are not cheap, £20 an hr, but we took the attitude that we would just spend the £ and cut back in other areas, and it was the BEST money we have spent. I actually enjoyed the weeks after my son's birth despite the tough recovery-she made it enjoyable by just being amazing.
Things she did:
Washing
General Tidying up
Cooking, both for me and my husband, and for the freezer and for my 3 yr old
Looking after one or both kids while I slept or if I needed to go out
Helping me with all aspects of the baby and his routine, although I chose to bottle feed, she is also v experienced with breastfeeding help
And much, much more! She also took the initiative-I didn't need to tell her what I needed-she just did it!
She has been a lifesaver, and in fact she still helps us once a week for a few hrs and my baby is now 3 months! Sadly we'll have to stop her coming soon, as she really only works with families with newborns, but I am certainly going to book her again if we have a third!
Please do PM me if you'd like her name and number or any more info?