When can you start lifting things?

Hi,
I am pre op- booked in for April and am starting to get a bit nervous. My worry is how long will it be before I can cuddle/lift/hold my children. I have 2 girls aged 8 months and 2 years old and one is still being bottle fed and the other need help on the toilet etc. my husband can get a few days off and my mum will have them for a few days for me- but after about day 7 after my surgery there is every chance I will be on my own with them for some part of the day- will I be able to cope? Any experiences/ advice would be greatly appreciated x

Coping with children varies from person to person babe - a child of 8 months is a good weight to carry so I do think you'll have some difficulty there if you have to lift the child at all.

You may feel a bit stronger after about the 2 week mark but even then no-one can be sure that you, or indeed your baby would be say to lift, or be lifted. The last thing you'd want to happen is for you to put your recovery back, or worse, so damage and need a re-op, or worse still drop your child!

Its something you need to take very seriously hun and if you can get constant help for at least 2 weeks that's something, but the guideline for your healing really is no lifting for 6 weeks although with small children we all know that's impossible. But most mothers do have the majority of help e.g having the baby lifted from the cot and put on the floor so you can go down to the baby, rather than you having to lift the baby to you. Make a little bed on the floor for the baby etc...

Your two year old you definitely won't be able to lift babe, cuddles on the sofa and playing on the floor again will help you out there.

With two very small children you're going to need more that a weeks support for sure though hun. More so for the children's saftey lovely as you will not be fit to care for them both alone.

Sorry if that's the last thing you wanted to read but I'm sure you'd rather the truth so you can at least try to prepare, asking friends or extended family to all help out where they can. Xx

Thanks so much for your reply cookie- my husband has his own business so he can be at home for the most part but if he has to go out for work- he has to go (he even had to go to Spain last minute on my due date for Poppy so not sure a boob job would be enough to keep him here- it's the nature of his business unfortunately). So I kind of have support around me- but not gauranteed. I will have my mum and mother in law on standby just in case. I don't want to delay my op as as going back to work in May, got a holiday in June and want to have it done beforehand.

Recovery is going to be hard- I better get all my cuddles in the next few weeks! X