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Elora Leigh is 4 months old!⁣⁣⠀ ⁣⁣⠀ MY Elora Leigh is 4 months old!⁣⁣⠀
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MY LORD. The joy and light this little girl brings our family🥺 If you would have told me last year that in one year’s time we would have had a baby and be living in a pandemic idk which one I would have believed less. Probably the baby. And yet here we are. Surviving through a pandemic with a toddler and a baby. AND A BABY.⁣⁣⠀
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My pregnancy with Elora was one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve ever done. Pregnancy after loss is extremelyyyy difficult (for reasons I will go into on a future post). Pregnancy after loss during an unexpected pandemic.... intense to say the least.⁣⁣⠀
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I could not speak in absolutes about the future, as grateful and as hopeful as I was I could barely speak about being pregnant again. Yes, I allowed myself feel all the things but in a way I’m only just now starting to process everything I felt during her pregnancy (thank you therapy🙌). For much of it I was in denial that I would actually get to bring a living baby home. The trauma and ptsd from losing Liam was ever-present. I was next level terrified she too would die before I ever got to meet her. I was holding my breath and hanging on for dear life.⁣⁣⠀
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So every single time I look at this girl I am still in disbelief that she’s here. She is here and she is healthy and she is thriving. The miracle that she is is not lost on me, the miracle that ANY baby is born healthy and alive is not lost on me. Every single day with my kids is a gift, as much as I lose my f*cking mindddd🤪 every day with my babies is a gift.⁣⁣⠀
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These days we’ve learned to celebrate the simple things and the little things, and today that’s four beautiful and chaotic months with our sweet baby girl💕
Friday we took Luca to see dino bones and the t-re Friday we took Luca to see dino bones and the t-rex exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History and it was... rawrrrr-some 🦖 lolz. I’ll have you know I reached a new level of multitasking when I was chasing Luca and taking pics of him while nursing Elora in the carrier🤪 highly recommend learning that skill, gives a whole new meaning to hands-free 😆🙌
Luca is three🥳🦖 Andddd I feel like I have a Luca is three🥳🦖 Andddd I feel like I have a teenager😭😭 we had a mini dino bash for him, Alex even dressed up as a t-rex (swipe for the jig and to hear Luca’s new southern accent🤣). It was special, it was fun and it was a great, no-fuss day with our fam❤️
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We’ve been through a lot in the last year but I wouldn’t say the twos were terrible, pandemic and all! I am so proud of this boy and who he is becoming. Highlights of Luca’s twos: trips to Utah, Nashville and Lake George, exploring the farm, riding tractors, helping mom with the garden, Montessori school and making friends, endless arts and crafts, weaning from nursing, potty training (not really training bc I swear I did nothing🤣), learning all about emotions, speaking in full sentences and the best part of 2020, welcoming his baby sister, Elora🥰 He has BLOWN us away with how he has adjusted to being a big brother, truly. He’s the freaking best. I’m so lucky to be his mama and it is an honor to watch him learn and grow. Keep rockin little dude, we love you times infinity!!!❤️
Elora Leigh is 3 months old today!!⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ at 3 months:⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ you are smiling up a storm and finding your voice, especially when your brother tickles your sweet cheeks😭⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ speaking of your cheeks, they are UNREAL (swipe) and we’re all convinced you’re hiding something in there!⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ you’re a chunker - opposite of your bro - weighing almost 16lbs and growing out of all your clothes by the day! ⁣⁣⠀
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keep growing baby girl, and keep shining your light, we love you bb Elora💗
Rollin with my homies😜 we had a blast trying ou Rollin with my homies😜 we had a blast trying out the @cadillac XT6 for the week, it’s the perfect midsize suv with room for the whole family - giving you a closer look over in stories! Thank you to Cadillac for gifting us this experience!!
Mental health check in, how’s everyone doing?? I Mental health check in, how’s everyone doing?? I shared how I’m doing in stories today, we made it through the holidays but it was a lot harder than I thought. I’m sruggling in a few ways. Struggling on social media with the comparison game, struggling in general as a stay at home mom of two, struggling with a fussy two month old that doesn’t sleep, struggling that I’m unable to do things for me right now (like even go to the bathroom or shower alone), struggling with the omnipresent grief and anxiety, struggling with guilt — guilt over not giving my oldest enough attention, over wanting him to start back at school again, over not being happy and grateful 24/7.⁣⁣⠀
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If I learned anything last year it was to accept my feelings as they come and not label any as “bad,” so that’s what I’m working on, that’s my daily reminder. As my friend said to me today, this is hard, it’s the trenches!! Be gentle. It’s hard and wonderful all at once.⁣⁣⠀
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Check in below👇⁣⁣⠀
❤️ - I’m feeling great⁣⁣⠀
🧡 - I’m feeling ok⁣⁣⠀
💛 - I’m surviving⁣⁣⠀
💚 - I’m struggling⁣⁣⠀
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Let’s show up and support each other and remind each other we’re not alone in these hard days🖤
Took this week to unplug and reflect. Wild year. M Took this week to unplug and reflect. Wild year. Mixed feelings about a new year is not foreign to me, this is how I felt last year going into 2020. 2019 was Liam’s year, it was the worst but it gave me a perspective I’ll never lose and one I carried into 2020.⁣⁣⠀
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Through hardship you grow.⁣⁣⠀
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2020 saw more focus on me, on my mental wellness + on my family. Less worrying about what people think of me, less apologizing, more doing what makes me happy (or gets me through the day). More of that in this space also. I’m not going to be everyone’s cup of tea so might as well be me, ALL of me💯✌️⁣⁣⠀
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I’m not a resolution or goal setter when it comes to a new year, I try to focus on reflecting, releasing what doesn’t serve me any longer + manifesting/using affirmations to bring the good. Still working on what those are exactly for 2021!⁣⁣⠀
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In the meantime I wanted to share some of my big 2020 memories and wish you all love, light, peace and healing in the new year✨⁣⁣⠀
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1-2. Our new family unit🧡⁣⁣⠀
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3-4. The birth of our daughter, Elora, the best thing to come out of 2020. She is the brightest light.⁣⁣⠀
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5. Luca’s love for his sister + once again navigating a “new normal” in our family.⁣⁣⠀
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6. Pregnancy after loss. Amidst a global pandemic. While wrangling a toddler. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done, it was pure survival mode (+ still is postpartum).⁣⁣⠀
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7. Growing the most beautiful dahlias and diving more into gardening than ever before, mostly as a form of therapy, AND sharing it all with you guys — connecting through our gardens was one of my favorite parts of the year + growing this community has brought me so much joy!⁣⁣⠀
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8. Finding my groove and launching my oils business — never thought I would make this extra income + be able to pay off debt😭⁣⁣⠀
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9. Luca turning 2 and weaning + potty training at the same time — his decisions, not mine!⁣⁣⠀
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10. Liam’s due date in April. I remember wishing more than anything for the chance to deliver him healthy and full term, pandemic and all. We miss our boy + are moving forward WITH him, we’ll love him forever from afar❤️
Chaotic and beautiful and hard and exhausting and Chaotic and beautiful and hard and exhausting and awesome❤️ exactly how I want to remember this day. We’re sending you big love this Christmas, complete with our best “ewie smiles” (Luca’s term for silly faces🤣). I love how Doobie snuck his nose in there too!! Swipe for some special moments/things of the day❤️❤️
⋒ 8 weeks of Elora Leigh ⋒⁣⁣⠀ ⁣⁣⠀ ⋒ 8 weeks of Elora Leigh ⋒⁣⁣⠀
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You have been here in our arms for almost two whole months and my heart still skips a beat when I wake up and see you next to me. You are truly here. I still can’t believe you’re real and you’re ours.⁣⁣⠀
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At 8 weeks you’re not such a tiny babe anymore, you’ve doubled your birth weight and grew four inches — a testament to how much you love to eat😅🍼 (pic four is day 3 for reference!). Your chubby cheeks are also a testament to your love of milk😍😍 The super sleepy newborn days are over😭 You’re waking up more and more, crying more too (see pic three🤪), but still giving us good stretches of sleep (4-5 hours) at night. You don’t love cuddling with me as much as your brother did, I’m still in denial over that! And you’ve broken out of the swaddle, sleep sackin it up already! Luca loves you more than anything and is always wanting to hold you and help me clean your “spiggups,” he calls you “mista baby” and it killssss your dad and I every time🤣⁣⁣⠀
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I feel like you just arrived but also like I’ve known you forever. Happy 8 weeks of life Elora, you are so loved💗⁣⁣⠀
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#8weeks #eloraleigh #watcheloragrow
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Christine Covino

- The Blog -

C-section Recovery Tips: The Ultimate Survival Guide

January 13, 2019 / Mom & Baby

This post may contain affiliate linksRecovering from a c-section is no joke! This Ultimate Guide to C-section recovery is filled with everything you need to know about c-section recovery tips!

CHILLS. Just thinking about those first few weeks of C-section recovery is giving me chills. I know am a rockstar, I am proud of my labor and delivery story, but even rockstars need help!

Postpartum with a cesarean is not easy — you are recovering major abdominal surgery, handed a newborn and sent on your way. It can be a bit overwhelming for a first time mom so that’s why I am writing this post! Also because if you’re anything like me you forgot everything the nurses told you at the hospital and started immediately googling c-section recovery tips upon getting home!

Today I am sharing my C-section Recovery Tips: The Ultimate Guide – tips that helped me heal my body and mind during my first few postpartum months.

For further reading check out my New Mama Must-Haves, Newborn Essentials (months 0-6), and Baby Essentials (months 6-12) posts!

C-Section Recovery Tips: The First Few Days

Get Up & Walk

Seriously. When those nurses came into my hospital room at 2am (12 hours after my surgery) and told me I had to get up and walk I just about laughed in their faces (except I couldn’t because, well, laughing was impossible with a 6-inch incision in my abdomen). But they won, they coaxed me up and walked me down the hallway. Not going to lie, it sucked. It made me feel defeated plus I was starting to feel just how much pain I was really in.

BUT, I am so happy they got me up and made me take those first few steps. The next time I was forced to get up – the following morning – I already felt better and felt like I could go further, which gave me much-needed motivation. I made a point to walk as much as I could handle during those first days of recovery because it made me feel accomplished, plus it helped to bring down my swelling and lessened the crazy fluid retention.

Use an Abdominal Binder

I swear by these things during postpartum whether you had a c-section or vaginal delivery! An abdominal binder wraps around your abdomen like a girdle, keeping everything in place. They are amazing for a few reasons:

  • Helps you move more comfortably and with less plain
  • Provides much-need support to weak postpartum abdominal muscles
  • Protects your incision site and helps it heal by keeping stitches (or staples or glue) in place
  • Promotes quicker healing of the incision and abdominal tissues

I used the hospital-provided girdle for the first three weeks and then switched to my Bellefit corset. Check their sizing chart carefully (I went with the package of two, the XL and L, per their recommendation) and hop on a call with their customer service if you are unsure of your size.

Use CODE CHRISTINE20 for $20 off your Bellefit order!

Don’t Skip the Drugs

You just had MAJOR surgery, don’t forget that. And don’t feel bad about taking the medications – from one c-section mama to another – keep your prescriptions filled and take them ON TIME at least for the first week!

When I was ready to wean off the heavy duty painkillers I started by alternating Tylenol and Advil (one every four hours, make sure you alternate though because Tylenol can only be taken every 8 hours), and eventually just Tylenol.

Gas-X was another lifesaver for me. Those gas pains were worse than contractions! I took Gas-X regularly for almost two weeks after the c-section.

Gas pains after a cesarean are two fold — Gastro: you get stopped up from the anesthesia, and surgical: they pump air into your uterus during the operation and sometimes (most times) air gets left and trapped inside you and can cause major pain! I had a gas bubble in my shoulder that KILLED, it was terrible.

And, remember this if you are breastfeeding: a mom who is in too much pain to care for her baby is worse for his well-being than some medicine in his breastmilk. Studies have shown that these medicines are safe for breastfeeding mamas to use.

The First Pee Post-Catheter Removal

God this was so painful and frustrating. After about 12-18 hours from your surgery the nurse will come in and remove your foley catheter — that’s not the painful part, I actually didn’t feel a thing when she removed it. It’s trying to pee for the first time after it’s out. I spent 4 hours on the toilet after mine was removed because I had just drank a ton of water (they tell you to drink water to flush your system) but then I could NOT pee.

It felt like the worst UTI ever and it was not fun, but here’s what helped me finally go:

  • A few drops of therapeutic grade peppermint essential oil in the toilet (it diffuses up to your lady parts for a cooling effect)
  • Spraying warm water down there with the Frida MomWasher
  • Running the water nonstop from the sink
  • Bending my body slightly forward and pulling myself up to stand then sitting back down — this was hard because you can’t use your abdomen at all to stand up, you feel extremely weak, but every time I did this stand up sit down movement a little more pee would finally come out.

Not the most fun but you HAVE to pee I think 400ml with in the first few hours or they will straight cath you again!!

The First Poop

No one likes to talk about this but I’m going to be real with you – prepare yourself. Your abdominal muscles are shot, your incision stings, not to mention if you so much as twitch, let alone push a poop out, you feel like your insides will fall out.

Number one – drink as much water as you can (literally drink a TON) so you’re hydrated (it will be easier to pass this way) and practice your birthing breaths. Trust me – it was like labor all over again and I no joke used my hypnobirthing skills! Also, eating prunes can help soften your stool to make it easier to pass.

Other things you can try are Senna tea, Miralax and Colace but check with your dr first!

Check out a great Postpartum Constipation article here.

Granny Panties, Loose-Fitting PJ’s & SPANX

You’ll have your protective girdle on but you still won’t want anything rubbing against your incision site. I lived in the hospital undies and then upgraded to high-waisted granny panties until my incision stopped being so sensitive (around two months postpartum).

I also loved these pajamas and this set for how loosely they fit and eventually these SPANX faux leather leggings for how they helped suck me in AND made me feel like a put together human.

C-Section Recovery Tips: The First Few Weeks

Drink Water & Eat Healthy Fats

Not only does drinking water help with your breastmilk supply, it also helps flush out your body of the crazy amounts of fluids and medications that were pumped into you before, during and after surgery. Water is so, so important in helping your body heal quickly and efficiently, I can’t stress that enough.

Healthy fats and a nutritious diet will also help you milk supply but in addition it can help your incision and muscles recover better AND support your mental health. Don’t discount that!

Continue with Your Vitamins & Probiotics

Don’t forget to continue taking your vitamins! Especially your fish oil, this is is important for your recovery, your breastmilk and again your mental health!

Grab a high quality probiotic – after all those antibiotics you’ll have to restore your gut health. Baby might need some gut help as well, find out more about which one we used with Luca here.

Aromatherapy

You guys know I am a huge fan of essential oils, they honestly help in so many aspects of my daily life. And it was no different during my C-section recovery. Diffusing lavender can do wonders for easing stress and even managing pain, I also started using lavender and frankincense neat (topically/undiluted) on my scar when it was healed for extra skin-healing support. My doctors during my second cesarean said they’ve never seen such a well-healed scar!

I made a postpartum contraction roller as well that I used over my uterus for postpartum soreness, it was so soothing, recipe below!

  • 10 Geranium
  • 10 Helichrysum
  • 10 Frankinsense
  • 10 Lavender
  • 4 Jasmine
  • Fill rest with carrier oil (10ml roller)

Stay tuned for an entire post on pregnancy and postpartum oils and how I used them my second time around!

*Disclaimer for oils, I only use Young Living because of their purity and those are the only ones I share about because I can personally attest to their quality and functionality!

Our birth story of how we brought our son into this world. 36 hours of labor, February 15, 2018, our little miracle rainbow baby was born.
Give me allllllll the pillows!

Swelling

(Talking about overall body swelling here, see Incision Care below for incision swelling!) Stay hydrated, move around, massage and also do some dry brushing. Fluids help flush your body of water retention (which I had a TON of) and moving around (but not too much) can help as well. I also got this dry brushing kit and used it with my favorite body oil. Alex was nice enough to help brush my legs every night, it felt great and absolutely helped!

Pillows Are Your Best Friend

Use pillows to prop you up, recline, support your arms, legs, whatever – utilize pillows to get your self as comfortable as possible!

Plus – laughing, coughing, sneezing – all these little things you normally don’t think twice about feel like they can just about kill you when you’re healing from a c-section. Keep a pillow nearby so you can press it against your incision site when you’re called to do one of these ab-wrenching actions. And don’t forget to keep your abdominal binder on at all times, this will also help with laughing, coughing etc.

BONUS TIP – you’ll need that pillow when leaving the hospital. I placed the pillow over my lap and put the seatbelt over that. NO WAY was a seat belt going over my bare lap!

See a Pelvic Floor Specialist

I have been seeing my pelvic floor physical therapist for a few years now because (long story short) intercourse has been painful for me for quite some time. My therapist is amazing and has helped me come so far, she also helped me prepare for childbirth during the last few weeks of pregnancy! And now she is helping me heal after my c-section. You wouldn’t think it because the baby was not born vaginally, but the scar and scar tissue (and labor) can cause things to get pretty messed up down there.

If you are local, this is the practice I use!

Restore Your Core

Once you are cleared to do some physical activity I highly recommend starting with Nancy Anderson’s Ab Rehab program (use my discount code found below). You can have your physical therapist check (or you can check yourself) to let you know how severe your diastasis recti is. The way to begin healing your core, contrary to what most people think, is actually simple breathing and pelvic floor exercises!

Nancy also has an amazing C-section Recovery Plan that’s discounted to almost 50% off right now! I highly suggest checking out all her programs and plans!

Use code CHRISTINEABS10 for 10% off Nancy Anderson’s Ab Program!

C-Section Recovery Tips Incision Care

Here are some ways I cared for my incision site and eventually my scar:

Watch for Infection

Call your doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:

  • Fever over 100
  • Pain that does not improve (or gets worse) over time
  • Swelling and redness around the incision site or any of your lady parts
  • Stinky pus discharge

Ways to Care for Your Incision

  • Shower and lightly rinse incision with soap and water, never scrub! No baths until you’re cleared by your doctor!
  • Get yourself the Momwasher by Fridababy. Contrary to what some think, you do bleed vaginally when you have a C-section. The Momwasher was great for helping me feel clean down there and also to clean my incision site.
  • I iced my incision site (20 minutes on, 20 minutes off) with this wrap, it felt amazing and helped reduce swelling.
  • If you are breastfeeding I suggest getting creative with positions. For the first month I mostly did the football hold and afterwards, we did side-lying.
  • Collagen, the body’s most abundant protein, is critical to healing your scar. Keeping your diet high in protein will help immensely; bone broth specifically is packed with amino acids which are necessary to help your body build up that healing collagen. You can add it to soups or, like me, warm it up and drink it by the cup full. I also add this collagen peptides powder to my morning shakes!

Ways to Care for Your Scar

  • Claraderm spray by Young Living
  • Make an essential oil roller of lavender, frankincense, jojoba and vitamin e oil and roll it on morning and night!
  • Silicone Scar-Away Strips, I started wearing these as soon as my glue fell off (around 5 weeks) and continued to wear them religiously for four months. I can’t say if it was these strips for sure but I am SO happy with the way my scar looks now!
  • Massage the incision site once it is healed but asap. I started around 6 weeks postpartum and still do it every time I shower. Nancy Anderson talks a lot about this on her website and Instagram page and gives you specifics on how to do the massage. I also found a great resource here.

Ointments, Creams and Oils for Scar Care

  1. Correct-X is an all-natural essential oil ointment specially formulated to reduce the appearance of scars.
  2. Farewell Scars by Simply Earth is a blend of essential oils (myrrh, helichrysum, lavender, rosemary and lemon) that helps reduce inflammation, promotes cell regeneration and heals skin.
  3. Mederma Quick Dry Scar Oil or their Scar Cream help improve the appearance of scars.
  4. Aloe vera is known to accelerate the healing of wounds.
  5. Honey has been used for centuries to help heal wounds and scars with its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
  6. Vitamin E oil is great for any kind of skin healing.
Our birth story of how we brought our son into this world. 36 hours of labor, February 15, 2018, our little miracle rainbow baby was born.
Alex helped SO MUCH, especially with diaper changes, those first few weeks.

Post-Cesarean Mental Health

Ask for Help

On top of figuring out how to care for your newborn you really need to focus on healing your body. Steer clear of heavy lifting and household chores and ask for the help you need! Do not feel bad about it, your friends and family are usually more than happy to help! Ask them to come over and cook, clean and help you with baby. Your main focus should be on feeding the baby and managing your pain.

Grieve If You Have To

And be kind to yourself. It is extremely common for emotional scars to run deeper than physical scars in C-section mamas. If this is you I am so sorry. I wish I could sit with you and listen to your story and cry with you. I was in your place for the first couple months of my motherhood journey.

What helped me was to remember that my baby and I came out of the whole thing HEALTHY. I eventually became filled with gratitude. I was so, so thankful we live in a day and age where modern medicine exists. This is how I navigated the grieving process of the birth I had planned on having with Luca. It was really hard, and I felt like a failure at first, but I focused on what I was grateful for and that helped so much.

The other thing I suggest is writing out your birth story. Physically write it in a journal, type it out and email it to a friend or save it as a Word doc to your computer. Talk about your story. I am still talking about my story and it helps so much!

Acceptance

Its ok to feel disappointment, frustration, and anger. It’s also ok to feel happy, grateful and sad all at the same time. Give yourself grace mama. Motherhood is weird, you will have crazy, whirlwind emotions all at the same time! But you WILL get to a place of acceptance. Perspective is everything.

That all being said, if you think you may be experiencing symptoms of PPD (Postpartum Depression), PPA (Postpartum Anxiety) or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), PLEASE call your doctor immediately!

You are NOT ALONE, 34% of women describe their birth stories as traumatic and 20% suffer from PPD. Here are some resources if you need them:

  • Watch this video for a better understanding of traumatic birth.
  • Find your local ICAN chapter (International Cesarean Awareness Chapter) to connect with other C-section mamas.
  • Postpartum Support Website and Hotline

Always remember, taking care of yourself is taking care of your baby!

I hope you enjoyed my tips, let me know of ways YOU cared for yourself during your C-section (or vaginal) birth recovery below in the comment section!

Our birth story of how we brought our son into this world. 36 hours of labor, February 15, 2018, our little miracle rainbow baby was born.

Recovering from a c-section is no joke! This Ultimate Guide to C-section recovery is filled with everything you need to know about c-section recovery tips!

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Comments

  1. Alicia says

    January 13, 2019 at 12:12 pm

    This is SO helpful! Thank you for sharing. ❤️

    Reply
    • christinemcovino says

      January 13, 2019 at 10:05 pm

      Yay!! I am so happy you checked it out, you are going to do AMAZING Alicia!

      Reply
  2. Stacey says

    January 14, 2019 at 12:41 pm

    I am not yet a mother (would surely love to become one soon though – trying!) but this is an excellent post. Thank you so much for compiling all of this into one document. I will for sure be bookkeeping this page and using it as a resource later on … I think some of the information provided here is helpful for any new mother, not just those that went through a c-section. Thanks again for this!

    Reply
    • christinemcovino says

      January 15, 2019 at 2:13 am

      That is amazing!! Kudos to you for being ahead of the game, and you are so right! This post turned out to be about healing in general after birth which is something I think needs to be spoken about much more! Thank you so much for reading!!

      Reply

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Elora Leigh is 4 months old!⁣⁣⠀ ⁣⁣⠀ MY Elora Leigh is 4 months old!⁣⁣⠀
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MY LORD. The joy and light this little girl brings our family🥺 If you would have told me last year that in one year’s time we would have had a baby and be living in a pandemic idk which one I would have believed less. Probably the baby. And yet here we are. Surviving through a pandemic with a toddler and a baby. AND A BABY.⁣⁣⠀
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My pregnancy with Elora was one of the most mentally challenging things I’ve ever done. Pregnancy after loss is extremelyyyy difficult (for reasons I will go into on a future post). Pregnancy after loss during an unexpected pandemic.... intense to say the least.⁣⁣⠀
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I could not speak in absolutes about the future, as grateful and as hopeful as I was I could barely speak about being pregnant again. Yes, I allowed myself feel all the things but in a way I’m only just now starting to process everything I felt during her pregnancy (thank you therapy🙌). For much of it I was in denial that I would actually get to bring a living baby home. The trauma and ptsd from losing Liam was ever-present. I was next level terrified she too would die before I ever got to meet her. I was holding my breath and hanging on for dear life.⁣⁣⠀
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So every single time I look at this girl I am still in disbelief that she’s here. She is here and she is healthy and she is thriving. The miracle that she is is not lost on me, the miracle that ANY baby is born healthy and alive is not lost on me. Every single day with my kids is a gift, as much as I lose my f*cking mindddd🤪 every day with my babies is a gift.⁣⁣⠀
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These days we’ve learned to celebrate the simple things and the little things, and today that’s four beautiful and chaotic months with our sweet baby girl💕
Friday we took Luca to see dino bones and the t-re Friday we took Luca to see dino bones and the t-rex exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History and it was... rawrrrr-some 🦖 lolz. I’ll have you know I reached a new level of multitasking when I was chasing Luca and taking pics of him while nursing Elora in the carrier🤪 highly recommend learning that skill, gives a whole new meaning to hands-free 😆🙌
Luca is three🥳🦖 Andddd I feel like I have a Luca is three🥳🦖 Andddd I feel like I have a teenager😭😭 we had a mini dino bash for him, Alex even dressed up as a t-rex (swipe for the jig and to hear Luca’s new southern accent🤣). It was special, it was fun and it was a great, no-fuss day with our fam❤️
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We’ve been through a lot in the last year but I wouldn’t say the twos were terrible, pandemic and all! I am so proud of this boy and who he is becoming. Highlights of Luca’s twos: trips to Utah, Nashville and Lake George, exploring the farm, riding tractors, helping mom with the garden, Montessori school and making friends, endless arts and crafts, weaning from nursing, potty training (not really training bc I swear I did nothing🤣), learning all about emotions, speaking in full sentences and the best part of 2020, welcoming his baby sister, Elora🥰 He has BLOWN us away with how he has adjusted to being a big brother, truly. He’s the freaking best. I’m so lucky to be his mama and it is an honor to watch him learn and grow. Keep rockin little dude, we love you times infinity!!!❤️
Elora Leigh is 3 months old today!!⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ at 3 months:⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ you are smiling up a storm and finding your voice, especially when your brother tickles your sweet cheeks😭⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ speaking of your cheeks, they are UNREAL (swipe) and we’re all convinced you’re hiding something in there!⁣⁣⠀
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⋒ you’re a chunker - opposite of your bro - weighing almost 16lbs and growing out of all your clothes by the day! ⁣⁣⠀
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keep growing baby girl, and keep shining your light, we love you bb Elora💗
Rollin with my homies😜 we had a blast trying ou Rollin with my homies😜 we had a blast trying out the @cadillac XT6 for the week, it’s the perfect midsize suv with room for the whole family - giving you a closer look over in stories! Thank you to Cadillac for gifting us this experience!!
Mental health check in, how’s everyone doing?? I Mental health check in, how’s everyone doing?? I shared how I’m doing in stories today, we made it through the holidays but it was a lot harder than I thought. I’m sruggling in a few ways. Struggling on social media with the comparison game, struggling in general as a stay at home mom of two, struggling with a fussy two month old that doesn’t sleep, struggling that I’m unable to do things for me right now (like even go to the bathroom or shower alone), struggling with the omnipresent grief and anxiety, struggling with guilt — guilt over not giving my oldest enough attention, over wanting him to start back at school again, over not being happy and grateful 24/7.⁣⁣⠀
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If I learned anything last year it was to accept my feelings as they come and not label any as “bad,” so that’s what I’m working on, that’s my daily reminder. As my friend said to me today, this is hard, it’s the trenches!! Be gentle. It’s hard and wonderful all at once.⁣⁣⠀
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Check in below👇⁣⁣⠀
❤️ - I’m feeling great⁣⁣⠀
🧡 - I’m feeling ok⁣⁣⠀
💛 - I’m surviving⁣⁣⠀
💚 - I’m struggling⁣⁣⠀
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Let’s show up and support each other and remind each other we’re not alone in these hard days🖤

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