Masochistic Mommy

So you’ve just had a baby? Congrats! I bet you’re raring to get back to your aerobics class and daily jogs (huh? who are you telling to shut up?), but hold the sit-ups. Your body has its own timeline for recovery, and it’s important to take heed. In less than a year, you conceived, developed and delivered a beautiful, living creature. To perform this feat your body underwent some tremendous changes. Even after birth, you'll experience more. Whether you had a vaginal delivery or caesarean section, this timeline is for you. Being informed of the process of postpartum recovery will help you to appreciate the phenomenal transformation your body is undergoing. Day 1: You're already 9 to 12 pounds lighter now that you're no longer carrying a 6 to 8 pound baby, 1 or 2 pounds of placenta weight, and 2 pounds of blood and amniotic fluid. The process of delivery has slowed the movement of food through the intestines, which may cause you to feel bloated or constipated. After a vaginal...

Jaundice happens because babies are born with more red blood cells than they need. When the liver breaks down these excess cells it produces a yellow pigment called bilirubin. Because the newborn's immature liver can't dispose of bilirubin quickly, the excess yellow pigment is deposited in the eyeballs and skin of the newborn. Jaundice tends to be more common in breastfed babies and to last a bit longer. In most cases, it's harmless, but jaundice phobia on the part of medical staff often creates obstacles to successful breastfeeding. The mother in this week’s Triumphant Tuesday pole vaulted over these obstacles with not one, but *two* jaundiced babies. “ When I was pregnant with my oldest son, who is now 8, I had planned on breastfeeding.  I took a class offered by the hospital I was delivering at; and when I went into labor, at 38 weeks, I made sure they marked my records that he was to be breastfeed.   Boobie-Trapped Birth My son was born after a relatively eventful 8 h...