What to do with my kids...

I'm having a TAH-BSO on 6.21.05. How much will I be able to interact with my children when I get home? I have a three year-old and a one year-old. Also, how should I prepare them? I'll be in hospital 2-3 nights and they will be with my mom (in our home). Thanks.

I have a 4 yr old and when I got home we did stuff in my bed. Crayola has made some wonderful mess free markers and finger paints and I allowed DD to do that with my bedtray in my bed, she also thought it was pretty cool having her meals and snacks in my bed with the tray (she started insisting on it, she thought it was to cool). You'll want help for a good couple weeks with your kids, their needs are endless and it will hurt constantly getting up and down.
As far as your mom comming to stay, I would start to get them excited right now, telling them you are going to have so much fun with grandma when mommy goes away to the hospital. Tell them when you come back you are going to have a big boo boo on your tummy and they have to be super careful, show them your incision as soon as you come home so they can see to be careful. We bought dd a Dr. kit and she had fun pretending to listen to my heart and such. She really nurtured me and had fun reversing the roles.
It is hard having little ones with this surgery because they are so use to mommy taking care of things and certain stuff only mommy will do. When those times come just go slow and try not to lift them completely, I found it helped having a foot stool that she could stand on so I didn't have to bend over and lift her. I know there are weight restrictions, but with little ones it is almost impossible to follow them. Good luck to you!!!!

I had a LAVH with A&P repair and bladder work done 10 weeks ago today. I have 4 kids (16 dd, 9 dd, and twin boys who were 2 1/2 at the time of surgery). I really worried about my kids and how I/they would handle it.

I told my young ones that I had a big boo boo in my tummy and that when I come home from the hospital I wouldn't be able to pick them up. I told them they could hug me and kiss me and still touch me. When I got home I showed them where they had cut me for the laproscope. I, also, had to wear the cath home and they saw that.

My mom and mother-in-law took turns watching the twins the first two weeks. By then I had the cath out and had more strength. I was surprised how weak I was the first few weeks. I could not even shut the car door or reach up to pull the chain on the ceiling fan. Plus, I was scared of someone hurting my belly. I did not have a lot of pain, but was tender. I don't think I could have watched them at all the first couple of weeks home. I had an extremely hard time concentrating. I couldn't read or watch tv. My eyes seemed hard to focus.

I have yet to pick them up. They weigh around 30 pounds. I miss this very much. My surgery was due to prolapses. After a hysterectomy it's very easy to have prolapses. It weakens the pelvic floor. I don't ever want to have repair work done again. It was much harder to recover from than the hysterectomy. I have tried to take very good care of myself in my recovery. The boys sit in my lap and cuddle next to me. It's not the same as picking them up and carrying them, but it will do.

Take care,
Donna

I know those lifting instructions seem really difficult to follow, and they can be with small children.

However, please follow them! My ds turned 4 just a 2 weeks after my surgery, and at the time he weighed about 40 pounds. I didn't lift him until 4 months post-op, which probably sounds extreme - but I didn't want to jeopardize anything.

The three-year-old can crawl into your lap, and the one-year-old will have to be handed to you. Until you can lift, you will not be able to care for the one-year-old by yourself, and that's all there is to it. I'm sorry to sound so harsh, but unless your doctor says it's OK to lift that much weight, don't do it !!!

Even when I started lifting my son, it was another month before I would carry him anywhere. There's additional strain put on your body when you try to walk while carrying something.

all around for speedy recoveries.