Bringing a child into the world can make us feel invincible. But here’s a note to mums who just gave birth – take it easy, at least for a couple of weeks! Read about this mum’s experience with postpartum fatigue here.
What can you read in this article?
- How the pandemic changed her plans for postpartum care
- Why did this mum of two end up in the emergency room?
- Postpartum fatigue – why you need to take it slow
My youngest child was conceived when our eldest was only 10 months old and was born when the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. We live in the city, far from our relatives who are in different provinces.
Our plan for when I went into labour was that my family comes to stay with us so that I can have help taking care of a newborn and toddler, and still be able to rest as I recovered from childbirth.
Postpartum care during the pandemic
When the pandemic started, however, our plans had to change because of the restrictions and lockdowns that prevented my family and my husband’s family from coming to visit us.
Kali was born in May 2020 via an emergency c-section. Most of us already know that when it comes to postpartum recovery, c-sections take more time to heal, and more rest is needed as well.
There are many things c-section mums need to avoid – like excessive movements to prevent the incision from reopening, certain food that may make us gassy and give us pain, and no heavy lifting for the same reason as the first.
Not being able to carry heavy things was a major problem for me as a recovering c-section mum. I had an older baby who was not very independent yet and loved being carried and hugged.
Although I did try to refrain from carrying my toddler, there were some times that I could not help but carry him and give him hugs.
Since it was just me, my husband, and our kids, we had no other help. My husband returned to work a little over a week after I gave birth. He works at night, so it is just my two little ones and me until he wakes up in the afternoon during the day.
From “being able to manage” to waking up in the ER
Everything was okay, even when my husband returned to work. I was able to manage taking care of both my newborn and my toddler and still get things done around the house. Although my movements were a bit limited, I was recovering fast and was adjusting really well to our new life; or so I thought.
2 weeks postpartum, I woke up in an emergency room, not knowing how I got there.
As I was waking up, still with my eyes shut, I could hear people talking about me. When I opened my eyes, I saw that there were medical staff surrounding me and asking me if I knew where I was or who I was, but I just could not think straight.
Image from iStock
The only thing I could remember at that moment was that I was with my mum (which was clearly a dream). As soon as I could get my thoughts together, I started answering their questions.
The last thing I remembered before waking up in the hospital was that I fed Kali at around 2 a.m., went to the bathroom to pee, and then went to bed. But how did I end up there? To be honest, I didn’t even know what hospital I was in.
At the hospital, they explained I had a seizure during the night and lost consciousness. I had to stay there for a couple of hours as they waited for me to regain consciousness, observed me, and took some tests.
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Postpartum fatigue – what other mums need to know
Everything seemed normal as far as we could tell from the tests. The doctors came to the conclusion that my body was put under too much strain and that it was overtired and overstressed.
I did not even feel tired or stressed with the kids or housework. For me, everything seemed fine and in order.
This happened to me on a weekend when my husband did not have work and was home that night. If it were to happen on a weekday with him not being there, it would have been a different story. I could have been unconscious while my kids were awake and crying for me to wake up. It was a blessing that it happened with my husband near.
For all those strong and independent mummies out there, take it from me – postpartum fatigue is real! So give yourself a break from time to time. Even if you think you are not tired, just rest and take some time for yourself. Because sometimes, we may be too busy or preoccupied with making sure others are okay and forget about ourselves.
This article was written by Kaylynn Adolfo and was republished from theAsianparent Philippines with permission.
