caring for a 1 year old after the surgery? Moms and Dads, I need advice.

[ProudMama 9]

Hi everyone,

I am still kinda new to this community but I am hoping you can give some hopeful advice. So I am being sleeved 06/11. I will be home 06/14 in the evening and will have my husband with me for the following weekend. My question is: I have 1 year old daughter and i have no one to help me. We don't have any family here, so I will be with the baby by myself as usual. So i read multiple posts but they give such a broad recovery times that I am confused. The paperwork I received says do not lift anything for 4 weeks. Well, we all know its impossible not to lift when you care for a toddler. She is 24 lbs and mostly walks everywhere but there are still stairs and picking up to and from playpen/bathtub/highchair. Will my staples open? How did you do it?

[JessicaAnn 564]

Hi everyone' date='

I am still kinda new to this community but I am hoping you can give some hopeful advice. So I am being sleeved 06/11. I will be home 06/14 in the evening and will have my husband with me for the following weekend. My question is: I have 1 year old daughter and i have no one to help me. We don't have any family here, so I will be with the baby by myself as usual. So i read multiple posts but they give such a broad recovery times that I am confused. The paperwork I received says do not lift anything for 4 weeks. Well, we all know its impossible not to lift when you care for a toddler. She is 24 lbs and mostly walks everywhere but there are still stairs and picking up to and from playpen/bathtub/highchair. Will my staples open? How did you do it?[/quote']

I'm looking forward to see answers. I have a 1 year old as well, and a 3.5 year old. My husband can only stay home the weekend and that's it.

[ProudMama 9]

The same here! He can't take time off from work so the weekend after I come back is all the help I get. I really hope some people can tell me what to expect... Good luck to you!

[GirlOnFire 111]

Maybe get a step stool and have her climb into her own high chair/pack n play/etc and just hold her hand/arms to keep her steady? Is she walking yet?

[heatwhip 166]

I have a 3 and 5 year old and am 3 days post op. luckily he is off all next week because the thought of taking care of the kids right now by myself scares me!

[ProudMama 9]

IT scares you because you don't feel well? Is it the pain?

[srs82781 83]

I am currently 3 mos post op. I have a 2 yr old and home and had the same issues and concerns all all of you. Having to try to tell her that I couldn't pick her up was an issue I was struggling with.... It really wasn't that bad! She is 25lbs (petite) but very active and hard to control. Lol

I was able to get her to work with me, we started laying on the floor for diaper changes an when snuggling, instead of picking her up completely I would have her climb up to my lap. We ate picnic style on a blanket on the floor which was fun for her. (Even though my meal was in a glass!) bath time I waited till the hubby was home and just used him for getting her in and out, and at that age if you miss a bath day and do a sponge bath, no biggy.

Bed time/nap wasn't as big of an issue for me cause she is in her own bed and could climb in, but I would recommend a stool if possible. The first few days will be the hardest when u get home, but I was somewhat lifting her by 2 weeks, with caution.

I would always explain to her that I had a boo boo on my tummy and show her the incisions and she understood. Also if you have a belly binder or a maternity belly band I found this really helpful to hold everything in place when having to lift her.

It is doable for sure! And the couple of weeks till you are feeling better will fly by and you will know when your body has had enough an needs to rest.

[socklessinnyc 6]

I'm curious to see what people suggest. I also have a toddler. He's three and occasionally likes to be carried. My husband isn't taking off from work. Luckily he will get our son ready in the mornings and do his night time routine. During the day, I'm on my own :\

How about a toddler travel cot for naps? They tend to be low to the ground. Amazon has a well rated inexpensive one.

And for Snacks, instead of the highchair, use a kiddie table? I have a plastic one that I got from IKEA that's great. Sturdy and cheap.

[lizv123 389]

My weight restrictions were nothing more than 5 lbs for two weeks.

Nothing more than 10-15 for 3 weeks after that.

I ended up turning wrong in my sleep and popped an internal stitch which added about another month of lift restrictions (but I was in the hospital so it wasn't hard to comply)

I don't have children but I keep up with threads like this because I have fibromyalgia and in the future when I have kids, some days lifting won't be an option. The best advice I've seen and committed to memory is this: encourage climbing. Meaning closely guide your baby while he/she gets down as far as they can without lifting them out of the high chair. And start now on having them help you get them out of the crib. Or maybe you could visit a consignment shop and grab one of those 2 floor pack and plays, so you won't strain your belly as much. Or depending on baby's weight, a bedside sleeper. Maybe consider co-sleeping/bumbo seat feedings/changing on a couch or level surface for those first few weeks. I hate to read things like this, I couldn't hold my puppy and that was hard enough! But a couple weeks or compromise for baby is worth the added years of health you get to spend with them

Wish you were close! I love babysitting good luck!

[LovetoDeath 93]

I am 4 1/2 weeks out and I have a 2 year old. I had help until I was one week out. My son does go to daycare so I was able to take him there. When getting in the car I had a little step stool so that he could climb in the car seat. I waiting until his father was home for baths and I just sponge bathed him. He sleeps in a bed now, so I can't really help with the crib issue. Diaper changes were done on the floor/couch/bed. My Dr. cleared me to lift 30 pounds at my 2 week check up. My son is 31 pounds. So I was fine by then.

I hope this helps

[lexi6510 56]

Hi everyone' date='

I am still kinda new to this community but I am hoping you can give some hopeful advice. So I am being sleeved 06/11. I will be home 06/14 in the evening and will have my husband with me for the following weekend. My question is: I have 1 year old daughter and i have no one to help me. We don't have any family here, so I will be with the baby by myself as usual. So i read multiple posts but they give such a broad recovery times that I am confused. The paperwork I received says do not lift anything for 4 weeks. Well, we all know its impossible not to lift when you care for a toddler. She is 24 lbs and mostly walks everywhere but there are still stairs and picking up to and from playpen/bathtub/highchair. Will my staples open? How did you do it?[/quote']

I am currently 9 days out. I had my surgery on 5/15 and my husband went back to work 5/20. He was with me the most strenious days. I was in bed completely for the first 3 days then feeling much better by day 5. I have a one year old so I was worried about this too but I was not bad at all.

[ashleep 22]

My restrictions were nothing over 25 lbs for 2 weeks. My baby is 25 lbs and I have no choice but to lug him around. I haven't felt pain and feel fine. But it's up to your doctor.

[TexasRed1978 17]

Have you talked with your surgeon about your concerns?

I am getting sleeved on the 25th of June and I have a 21 pound 13 month old. My surgeon said that for the first week post op I will be pretty self sufficient, but that I shouldn't be the one taking care of my baby. I asked about lifting him after that, and the surgeon said that I should be fine, but to be careful about it and to stop if it hurts.

[annapatel 29]

I was sleeved on 2/21 and had some complications so I really wasn't able to care for my child ( who was 9 months old at the time) for the first 3 weeks. My MIL was up here from Atlanta and had it not been for her, I would have been in serious trouble. I will say though as long as you are careful when you're lifting ( lift with your legs, not your back or stomach) you'll be fine. They told me nothing more than 5lbs for the first 6 weeks, I laughed. I said there is no way I won't be lifting my son for 6 weeks. We worked around it and did just fine. If you have an easy surgery, you should be ok within a few days.

[tootie 3]

I have a 2 year old as well. The first day home she wanted me to pick her up and clung to my leg insisting I do it. I explained to her that mommy had a boo boo and showed it to her. She has been very good through this process. When she wanted me to pick her up I reminded her about the boo boo and she was ok with it. I taught her how to climb up the recliner using her legs and mine. If she fell asleep in my recliner for nap time then I left her there. I've been fortunate to have 10 yr old twin boys and a husband to help in the evenings and on the weekends. Just before my two week mark I felt ok with picking her up, but not carrying her. By two weeks I felt comfortable enough to carry her again. Good luck to you!!