I never actually tried reading "What to Expect While You're Expecting" while I was pregnant, but I did read the Girlfriends books and the Pregnancy Journal in additon to BabyCenter.com, BabyZone.com, etc. If any one of those sources mentioned that I would turn into a water balloon after giving birth, I must have disregarded it.
I first noticed it in my feet. My size 8's had already spread some with the pregnancy relaxant to 8.5, but in the hours following Claire's arrival, my calves and ankle married into one as a summer sausage cankle stuffed into water balloons with lil' smokie toes attached! My doctor and RNs confirmed that this is normal post-partum, especially having had an epidural where I was required to have an IV pumped into me. All I know is that it was so bad, I couldn't even bend my toes, and -- given that I often nurse on a chaise -- I spent a lot of hours just staring at the jointless splats of play-doh while Claire fed.
In order to rid the swelling, I pretty much avoided salt in all foods so that I would not retain any extra fluids. This is one of the "sitting month" rules that I actually followed. Oh, that and that I'm not supposed to cook, which means that my parents, in-laws, and James are stuck cooking salt-less food for me and suffer through eating that same foods themselves. Bless them.
Most of that other "sitting month" stuff? The no-washing of hair or bathing? Gross. No touching cold water? Good in theory, hard to really practice. No reading? How else am I supposed to find out whether all the baby quirks are normal?! No crying? Eh ... well, I blame it on the hormones ... and those Kleenex commercials!
Oh, yeah ... pooping is still traumatic. I feel like my uterus and bladder are going to be expelled at the same time. Stool softeners help, but I cringe even now just thinking about it! I think this is one thing that the C-sectioners have on us!
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