Advice for handling small kids

So less than 24 hours to go and all paid for - no turning back now! I'm feeling pretty calm at the moment, my main worry is for my 2 gorgeous kids, age 5 and 19 months. Obviously they don't understand what's happening, my eldest will think I'm away with friends for the night and I'm gonna come home with a very painful chest infection. My OH is taking a week off work to look after them and whilst I don't want to shut myself away from them, I'm scared they might accidently hurt or damage me! I know I mustn't lift them, but does anyone have any other tips or advice on what I should expect to be able to do and when, specifically with the children?

iv got four kids, the little ones are only 2 and three so i just told them i had sore arms and that they had to be gentle :good: .... they can still sit on your lap for a cuddle etc but i did find it frustrating as it felt i couldn't get close to them! and we were so used to having our cuddles...
anyway, be kind to yourself! dont feel guilty....like i did... the first few days are pretty rubbish and frustrating but you will feel soooo much better in a few days! you will be sooo glad you did it and wonder what all the fuss was about...

its also a good time for mummy to sit and chill and for daddy to do some bonding!

good luck

Hi Carrie,

I had mine a month ago and could probably bore you stupid with information! So I'll give you the highlights but if you think I can be any more help please just ask!

I have 2 children as well, 18months and 3yrs, so pretty similar to yours in their needs.

I stayed the first 3 nights after my surgery at my mums. I could have stayed longer but cos I missed the kids I came home early. And I nearly packed my bags after just an hour at home to run back to my mums! The main reason is cos I felt tired and vulnerable, after 3 quite days I forgot just how hyper 2 kids could be! My 3 yr old was pretty good, I didnt go into detail with her but I told her mummy had sore boobies! But my youngest obviously too young to understand did hurt me a bit. Its so hard to cuddle without tensing, even if she was sitting still, cos I was mentally preparing myself for pain. My little one, Katie, on quite a few occasions put her elbow right in the middle of my boob to lever herself off to go back and play! It sounds horribly painful, but in truth I think a lot of it was mental, the physical pain really wasnt too bad!

Having your hubby at home for a week is great! You'll definitely need him to do the majority. But you probably wont need to completely shut yourself off, but my advice is to chose a time to see them when they're calm!

The second week for me was a bit trickier cos my hubby went back to work. I had family come over to help out but I did a lot on my own. My main concern was lifting Katie in and out of her cot. I managed in the morning by taking the side down, which freaked her out, so I did have to lift her down, but not right over the full height bar so was easier. I made sure for the first few days of the second week I had someone here to put her down for her afternoon nap, cos lifting her in and lowering down seemed like too much. But by midweek I ran out of helpers and had to do it myself! Didnt feel great but certainly doable!

Also taking them out was tough in that second week and I needed help. Lifting Katie into her car seat, cos its at an awkward angle - get someone to help if you can til the 3rd week. And putting the pushchair up and down and pushing it round. Again by the 3rd week totally doable - in fact I did it through snow! Not 100% comfortable but not really painful.

I think thats it really - I've probably go on far too much!

But basic summary - 1st week lots of help. 2nd week going from quite a bit gradually improving so that by week 3 you'll feel so much stronger! Im over a month now and can do everything fine.

The only other thing I would add, is that I felt VERY TIRED! Im back to normal now, but for me that was the thing I didnt expect and took the longest to pass. By the time I put the kids to bed I was ready to drop myself! It was like the early stages of pregnancy for me! Knackered!

Oh and driving! I had to take the kids out cos otherwise they go mad, but I found this hard work in the 2nd week, better by the 3rd. My sister came with me on one outing and cos she didnt want to drive my huge car, I drove and she did the gears for me! Steering and gear changing + new boobies = hard work!