Twin Tips- Recovery After Twins… Trust Yourself (Guest Post)

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Today our guest post on the week long topic, Recovery After Delivering Twins,  is brought to us by Sonora. She gives insight on her twins’ battle with TTTS- twin to twin transfusion syndrome- and her recovery after delivering them via c-section.

Every time I am pregnant, I reach a point of fear where I know that inevitably, this little person or persons inside of me are going to have to come out. I know that sounds silly because what do you expect when you get pregnant? But it always scares me that I have to get the baby out of ME.

I had been holding off labor with bed rest and medication for several weeks but six weeks before my due date, the boys were determined to arrive. Because my boys had been battling TTTS, it was decided by all that the safest course of delivery was a C-section. I had never had one before and was not prepared for the pain and length of recovery after.

I was able to stay in the hospital for five days after the boys were born which was such a blessing as they were in the NICU just downstairs from my room. I was able to fully medicate the pain, rest all day long, and visit my boys day or night. Coming home without the boys was bittersweet and a mixed blessing. I knew the boys were being taken care of and in capable hands, but I wanted them to be my capable hands.

At the same time, their NICU stay allowed me to be able to spend some much needed one on one time with my then 15 month old and four year old daughters. My NICU nurses told me to allow myself seven hours of sleep each night before getting up to pump. I think that is the only thing about the NICU that was truly wonderful. The opportunity to sleep and recover so I could be at my best when the boys did come home. Even so, I missed them horribly while they spent 2 1/2 more weeks in the NICU after I came home.

My husband had taken so much time off during my pregnancy due to all of the complications, that he had to go right back to work when the boys came home. I am so lucky to have my mother living nearby and she came over during the day to help me with the kids and the house. I also have wonderful neighbors who helped bring in dinners for a week and drove me to and from the NICU once a day until I was recovered enough to drive myself.

I admit it was an experience I wasn’t fully prepared for, so here are just a few of the things I learned and would pass on to anyone else as advice:

1. Don’t feel bad if you need to take the pain medications for a bit after you come home. You have to take care of yourself in order to be able to take care of your babies.

2. Wear a C-section recovery band like this one. It provides support and relieves some of the pain.

3. If you have little ones at home already like I did, figure out a method to get them in and out of their cribs without you having to pick them up. I set a stool and a chair beside my 15 month old’s crib so I could help her climb in and out without me having to strain and pick her up (a no-no after C-sections)

4. Pre-cook and freeze meals, or if you are on bed rest and can’t, see if you can enlist friends and relatives. It relieves so much stress to know you don’t have to worry about making dinner for a bit after the baby is born or comes home.

5. If your baby or babies are in the NICU, take advantage of the time to recover and REST as much as you can!

6. If you have other kids at home, plan babysitters for them ahead so you can go to the NICU at least once or twice a day and spend time with your babies.

7. If you are feeling blue or depressed, contact your doctor, call your family or friends. Don’t feel bad that you are sad or scared. The worst thing you can do is suffer alone. My doctor offers shots to new moms for a few weeks after giving birth that balance out your hormones and help to fight the baby blues. They were incredibly helpful for me.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

When all was said and done, it took longer to recover from having twins than I thought it would. It was about a month before the soreness at the C-section incision site lessened to a comfortable point. I could still feel some discomfort if the site was pressed on for most of the year after. My boys are 13 months old now and I have no more pain at the site and very little scarring.

My best advice is to trust yourself in your ability to know what you need and what your babies need, ask for a LOT of help, and enjoy getting to know your new babies. Before you know it, they will be a year old.

Sonora blogs over at Twinfinity and is also a part of our Twins {& MORE} Board. You can read her bio here.