Why didn't I do this before?
Monday, July 24, 2006
I went to see the post partum psychologist today. I wasn't sure what to expect and was hoping that it wouldn't be a session where she said, "and how did that make you feel?" after every sentence. To my surprise we talked very little about how I felt or what was going on in my mind.
I told her that I was having a hard time adjusting because in addition to new baby (well, five months is not so new anymore), I suddenly developed Crohns disease, didn't respond to any medicine, and developed multiple allergies and four thyroid tumors. The psychologist was surprisingly knowledgeable about medical conditions and recommended that I have my doctor test me for for various conditions. She suggested that I see an immunologist since all of these problems have something do with my immune system and all started after the baby was born. She also recommended that I use every available resource that insurance would pay for or that we could afford such as acupuncture and massage therapy to help strengthen my immune system. Massage therapy on a doctor's orders? You don't need to tell me twice! Where's the number to my insurance company - maybe they will pay for it!
After discussing my medical conditions, she gave me a hand-out listing all sorts of things that I should do to help my body balance its self after having a baby. They were things like:
Testing for thyroid imbalance
Calcium / Magnesium Supplements
Flax or fish oil
B-Vitamins
Multi-vitamin
No NutraSweet, alcohol, caffeine, or sugar
Eat more carbs and less animal protein (difficult with my allergies)
Aerobic exercise
Relaxation/meditation
5HTP
Progesterone cream (PMS has become SEVERE since my period started up again)
We also talked about having a network of friends who are also new mothers, which I have, and how to utilize my time so that I'm not doing chores while Lilly naps and I can use the time for me.
Is that impressive or what? I feel so much better. Maybe I can actually recover from all this? Maybe I won't be eating ground beef and avocados for the rest of my life and could spend some time doing things for me, which I really miss.
I went to Whole Foods this afternoon and purchased the supplements on her list. I'm going to hold off on the acupuncture for a while because it could interfere with the homeopathic remedy I'm about to start. If Homeopathy doesn't work for me, which it hasn't in the past, then I'll try acupuncture.
I'm also going to order the Body Mastery hypnosis program because the HypBirth program did amazing things for me when I was pregnant. Too bad HypBirth doesn't offer anything focused on healing the body past the immediate postpartum phase. I even contacted the author and asked if I could pay her to create one for me. No such luck. The Body Mastery will have to do. Believe it or not, I ordered a "breast enlargement" CD from them a few years back. I was sick of my size A bras and thought "What the heck. I have nothing to loose". Needless to say, it didn't work. Even after having a baby and nursing for almost four months, I'm still a size A.
posted by Avorie @ 6:00 PM,
2 Comments:
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At 8:52 PM,
liz said...
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I will gladly trade you some of my pre-pregnancy DDs for some of your A cup!
Sounds like your session was both productive and confidence boosting.
Your bravery has inspired me to look into a postpartum specialist of my own.
Also: the thyroid can really screw you up. Prior to pregnancy I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and I took medicine through the entire pregnancy, having bloodwork done at every prenatal visit. Now that the baby's here, my levels are futzing about again (my hair is falling out in handfuls [more than just postpartum loss], my skin is horribly dry, and my nails are cracked and brittle, not to mention my lack of libido). So if you haven't already, I highly recommend having thyroid levels checked out. Easy to identify and easy to treat.
Either way, I'm so happy to hear that your session was a good one and that you feel like you're moving in a more positive direction. I think all the advice was wise, and I'll happily take some of that advice for myself! -
At 7:25 PM,
Isabel said...
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I'm glad that things are looking up for you. I know that when I've gone to see a therapist in the past I always feel so much better after just talking to them. It's good to just have someone to listen to you.
I hope some of the suggestions work.
