Re: Study - Small fibroids (Cheryl)

[Guest guest]

It would have made

> me unnecessarily anxious about my fibroid, which was on a stalk

outside my

> uterus (I had a myomectomy after my daughter was born).

>

> Cheryl

Hi Cheryl -

Hey, one question for you . . . I know your daughter was 4 mo old

when you had your myo. How on God's green Earth did you get through

the 6 week recovery while trying to care for her? My uterus is still

unable to contract fully due to my huge roid - which is making my

tummy look like I am still prego. My OB is guessing surgery will be

the best alternative . . . and it would be right around the time the

twins are 4 to 5 months. I can't imagine trying to care for them and

recover too. The c-section recovery has been bad enough . . .

Please, tell me your secret!!!

Thanks lady,

[Guest guest]

My daughter was 7 months old when I had my myo. I scheduled it for that time so

that I'd have some time to see how much my fibroid would shrink after the

birth. Three months after Holly's birth, the fibroid had shrunk from 13 cm to

11 cm, and four months later, it was still that size. I also scheduled the myo

for that period because I was trying to fit it in before Holly learned to

crawl. I figured she'd be enough of a handful for my husband to take care even

before she started crawling. As it turned out, she didn't start crawling until

she was 10 months old. (And--this just in--she started walking last weekend, at

14 months.)

My myo recovery was easier than most. That's probably partly because my fibroid

was on a stalk outside my uterus, so my doctor didn't need to cut into my

uterus much. He basically just shaved the stalk off the uterus. Also, while in

the hospital and at home, I tried to speed up my recovery by using only as much

pain medication as was necessary and by walking early and often.

My husband stayed home with Holly the week after my surgery and took care of her

by himself most of the week. My doctor told me I could lift her (she weighed 20

pounds at the time), but I waited a few days before trying that. My husband was

pretty ragged by the middle of the week. As you know, taking care of young

babies is physically and emotionally demanding, especially if you're the only

one who's doing all the work for a few days. Heck, even one day can take a

toll. I work four days a week and am home alone with Holly the fifth day, and

it took me a while to get used to how tiring it was. My husband found out that

being at a baby's beck and call 24 hours a day is quite a challenge. (He helped

out with Holly before my myo, but never for such a long time by himself.) Since

my husband looking pretty worn out by the middle of the week and I felt up to

it, I started helping out a little. For example, I told him that if he put

Holly on the changing table, I'd change her diaper. If he put her in the high

chair, I'd spoon-feed her meals, and so on. That way, he still had to do the

bulk of the hard labor, but at least he had a few minutes to himself. I was

relieved that my doctor told me it was OK to pick up Holly and hold her,

because it was great to be able to spend my extra time with her reading books

together.

At the end of the week, I wished that had gone to work and taken Holly to

day care (her day care is near his office, which is an hour away from our

house). I didn't need my husband's help around the house, and having Holly home

all week just created unnecessary extra stress for my husband and me.

The next week, went back to work and Holly went back to day care four days

a week. The fifth day, I took care of her by myself. It was tiring, but doable.

We just stayed around the house and did some low-key stuff. The next week, I

went back to work. I worked from home for two weeks, then resumed commuting to

the office.

One baby is hard enough to take care of; I can only imagine what it's like with

two! One of my friends had twins just before Holly was born, and it's really

amazing watching her and her husband take care of them. They have remarkable

organization skills, patience, and strength. I don't know if I could do what

they do as well as they do it.

The other thing to consider is that Holly was delivered vaginally, so I didn't

have to deal with a C-section recovery period.

I think the key is just to do only what you feel up for, and to get help with

anything else. It will be hard on your husband, so if you have family or

friends who can come over for an hour or two here or there, it will be a big

help. If family and friends can't provide as much help as you need, I suggest

calling a visting nurse organization or a mother care organization to see if

they can help. Your obstetrician or midwife can probably suggest one. Another

idea is to have a teenager come over to babysit here and there.

BTW, I found that the first three months with Holly were the toughest. Something

magical seems to happen when babies reach the three-month mark I think

you'll find that things will get a little easier in a month or so.

Cheryl

Quoting Crockford imacrock@...>:

> Hey, one question for you . . . I know your daughter was 4 mo old

> when you had your myo. How on God's green Earth did you get through

> the 6 week recovery while trying to care for her?