Let's see. So I covered the good thing about being awake when Sara was born. And the bad thing about her super high bilirubin levels. And now one more fun detail about my experience in the hospital--I had a skin reaction to the iodine solution they used in surgery. If we're talking about complications from surgery, this is minor in terms of danger or affecting my health or whatever. But very very very (very!) uncomfortable. Actually, it was plain painful. My skin was ON FIRE! Oh my, how it hurt to even move. Oh my, oh my. It was much worse than the incision pain even. Ugh.
I admit, I've done plenty of whining and complaining about getting this baby here. From woes during pregnancy to stress after the birth. Yet I never expected your pity. But now I do. About this. Because it really sucked. (Just what you need when you're recovering from a C-section and trying to juggle a newborn--the skin on your tummy chemically burned.)
But it got better...after a series of almost comical minor complications in my recovery. I feel like I was at the doctor every other day for a month! I wasn't--but it felt that way. But I found myself there often enough that it did start feeling ridiculous. A friend finally suggested that perhaps I just ought to live in a bubble. I agreed.
In sum, January was an uncomfortable month. I was uncomfortable in my body. My skin was uncomfortable, my insides were uncomfortable. (I remember how getting dressed in regular clothes--and staying in them for more than three minutes--for Sara's blessing seemed a near impossible task.) I felt overwhelmed by my body--I just wanted to feel normal.
Fortunately, most things have resolved themselves. (Hooray! No more writing about my aches and pains! You can breath a sigh of relief.) And I guess I have to say I feel pretty normal now? Well, I feel much more normal than I did in January anyway.
Here's the thing about January though. All the discomfort aside, I believe it was the happiest month of my life. I shut out everything except for loving my family. What a blessing that my circumstances (help from family, friends, and an amazing husband) allowed me to focus on what is most precious to me, my children. And I was able to spend the month holding my newest precious child close to me without distractions. Sara's birth marked the beginning of a peaceful, sacred month. A time I will always treasure in my heart.
