Question:
My baby will be just over 7 months old when I have surgery...

Is there anything I can do to help myself care for her after surgery? My husband is taking a full month off work to help around the house and with the baby. Plus I have 2 teenagers that I am hoping will be of some help when they can. But, I am momma and she will want me to snuggle and such. I am having the lap surgery so I am hoping that it won't be too hard to hold her. She weighs 16 pounds now at 6 1/2 months. Does anyone have any advice or experience with this? Surgery scheduled april 8th. Thanks    — A. S. (posted on March 18, 2002)

March 18, 2002
I was under strict orders from my Dr. no lifting for 6 weeks. Said not even to vacuum.Lucky for me. I had open RNY, But you probably still don't want to be to strenuous, even with LAP. Best of luck to you.
   — Christy R.

March 18, 2002
If your husband or teenagers can pick her up and put her in your lap, or you lie on the bed and they can put her there with you, you should at least be able to snuggle some.
   — garw

March 18, 2002
I had the LAP and my doctor said no lifting anything over 10 pounds for 8 weeks.
   — Patty H.

March 18, 2002
When I had my surgery, my son was 8 months old.(I am now 14 months out and he's 22 months!!) I remember answering a question similar to this at the time. I found it in the library and have pasted it here for you. I,too am a stay at home mom and I have 4 children ages 13, twin 4 year-olds and a 9 month old. I am almost 6 weeks post-op open RNY. My recovery has been smooth sailing and I bounced back especially quick. Here is a little of my post-op experience: of course my 13 year old is independent, my four year olds require attention. I was able to fix their meals and help them dress as soon as I got home. Some things that I had difficulty with--giving them their bath -although they could climb into the tub, it was difficult for me to bend over and wash them I was able to do this after about 3 weeks. They also go to preschool and I had to have my husband help get them there and back because I was unable to put my baby into the car seat. With my baby I required more assistance. My mother came everyday and got him out of his crib and brought him downstairs. Once, he was downstairs I was able to pretty much do everything. He has a bouncy seat and a walker that I was able to get him in and out of pretty easily after about 2 weeks. I ONLY did this from a seated position. I have yet to pick him up or put him down while standing. I would sit on the couch and "drag" him out of his walker and put him on the coffee table to change his diaper. I also fed him in one of these chairs- of course lifting him in and out of his high chair was "illegal". Then each time he went to bed or got up from bed someone had to carry him up or down the stairs. When he got up, I would change his diaper or clothes while he was in his crib. Giving him a bath was impossible since I would have to bend over the tub to put him into his bath ring. Anytime I had to lift him after about 5 weeks, I would hold him close to my chest/abdomen in order to not strain these muscles so much. My doctor has a 15 pound lifting limit until 8 weeks and my little guy weighs 25!! I did feel a little like a burden and am extremely independent in caring for my children otherwise. So, it was difficult to ask for so much assistance. You will find that each day you can do more than you could the day before. With your husband there for a month full-time, it seems that he can do the lifting duties. Just put a pillow on your tummy when you hold her. Have someone hand her to you and to carry her when needed. The biggest "problem" I had post op was not being able to put him into the car seat and he was too little to climb in himself. This limited what I could do. I felt great and could have been out and about a lot sooner. I hope this will help you in some way. Shelley - Shelley .
   — Shelley.

March 19, 2002
I had an open DS surgery but the recovery should still be similiar. My doctor said no lifting for 3 weeks. After that he gave me the okay to pick and carry my 15 month old son who weighed about 24 pounds at the time. I had no trouble getting him in or out of his crib or any other care he needed. By 8 weeks out I was lifting my 4 year old 45 pound son with no problems. I'm now 4 months out with no hernia and I've never had problems taking care of them other than general tiredness that comes from recovering.
   — Stephanie Z.