Normal Recovery Period (NRP) after having a baby...

Originally written in 2015...

I came across a fantastic resource for Moms going through difficult post pardum changes. You know,  the temporary changes your partner and any ignorant people call, "crazy." The changes that lead to your preschooler asking you, "Mommy, why are you crying? " as she hugs and kisses you to "make you feel better."

I do know what those changes really are having gone through it 3 times. It's actually a normal response to adrenaline,  other hormones, the actual painful birth process and delivery (I mean my bones spread apart and pushed through 8 pound tiny amazing humans through a much smaller hole), and the aftermath of the immediate "epidural narcotic withdrawal", the months of sleep deprivation,  and reality of my changed, bigger body that requires work if I ever want to look tight again.  I sum this all up into three words, Normal Recovery Period. To know what women go through,  look up effects of opiate withdrawal, PTSD, effects of sleep deprivation,  effects of hormonal changes, etc. Postpartum is a combo of stuff we experience at once.

After having my kids, I know I am not myself for a little bit but after a few months,  I go back to "normal".

Let's face it, most people unless they experienced it, have no clue.  I always felt strong though. I was able to bring life into this world and I am pretty darn amazing for doing so.

However,  I still had moments where I felt weak, exhausted, and panic stricken. 

The good part of postpartum is that I actually gained a 6th sense. I became super ninja with my reflexes (catch my daughter before falling over or bumping into something) and gained an awareness of things I normally wouldn't pick up on. I knew my Dad was hurt when nobody told me (I save these stories for in-person). I could get crazy amounts of stuff done fast and have enough energy of a small army.  I could run miles, no problem. I never felt tired,  just mentally drained.  I actually like this energy and 6th sense.  I love my new intuition and wisdom.  I love how strong and powerful I feel because I am!! You gotta be to push a human out of you,  to raise 3 kids and have a full time job. There is no time to be weak. Yet, there are moments when I did feel weak but I didn't want anyone to know,  so I tried to hide it. Why? Because nobody likes a depressed person. 

I hated how my interactions with some people went down. They were not productive or positive at all. You sometimes get the people who know nothing about your situation who think they are being helpful but just make you feel worse. The most confusing interaction was when someone not close to me at all suggested I leave my kids and go to a place in Pennsylvania for a couple weeks to "regulate" myself.  Really?  My lack of vitamin D and sleep leads you to believe that I should up and leave my 3 kids,  one being a newborn who I am breastfeeding, so I can go to Pennsylvania in the dead of winter to be with strangers, away from my children who I love so much, to get better?  That was so left field and to this day I still don't get it. But I let it go and moved on.  Instead,  I took my kids to be with loving family in sunny Florida for a few days. That trip definitely helped. 

So, while I am ok now, I want to help other women going through this because there is a happy ending and you will be alright.

Just stay strong and know you have people who care. I am one of them.  I will call anyone to help or have a non judgmental discussion with if you need it.
Feel free to email me and I'm happy to talk: kblomberg25@gmail.com.  

Fantastic Resource:

http://postpartumprogress.org/warrior-mom-conference/

Remember postpartum is a temporary combination of things you experience that is good, bad, and at times ugly...

You are not alone.

You are perfectly okay as you are right now because you are coping with so many changes that you never experienced before. 

Opiate withdrawal from epidural: Epidural analgesia typically involves using the opiates fentanyl or sufentanil, with bupivacaine or one of its congeners. Fentanyl is a powerful opioid with a potency 80 times that of morphine and side effects common to the opiate class.