Okay, so after an easy pregnancy and a rough 32 hour labor that ended in a c-section I finally had this amazing little baby boy. I know because I’d seen him for 60 seconds in surgery before he was whisked away with my husband following him.
I laid there for what felt like an eternity, turns out it was about 45 minutes, but there were complications post-surgery. The 6 ladies in the room swarmed around chattering and my body swayed left and right as if I was a boat at sea. Through the chatter I heard something about a blood transfusion. I put it out of my head, but then I heard it a second time…blood transfusion. My life started to flash before my eyes. Would I ever see my baby again? I asked the ladies what was going on. The response was just that they were having a little harder time than usual, and I was losing a lot of blood. Flashes of my life continued, and my thoughts got carried away before yelling out, “I’m going to get sick!” The anesthesiologist just before starting the c-section drilled into me the importance of not getting sick and to let her know immediately if I was. She ran over to me and stuck a needle in my arm, “That should do. How are you feeling now?” I’m not sure what was in that anti-nausea cocktail she stuck in my arm, but by the time she asked me, I was feeling totally fine.
My doctor ended up getting all the pieces put back together and they opted not to do a blood transfusion. I was finally wheeled out of surgery. I couldn’t wait to see my family and my baby boy! Except they wheeled me into a room that had a curtain partition and a couple of computers. I laid there in my thoughts, again, for what felt like forever, until a nurse came in to get on the computer. She didn’t say anything to me, she was just plucking away at the keyboard. I asked her “Where am I? Where’s my family? When do I get to see my baby?” No answer and no acknowledgement. I must have asked 4 times before she finally came over to me and said, “What’s that, hon?” Duh! I repeated a fifth time, “Where am I?” I received a blank stare. “Where’s my family?” Another blank stare. “When do I get to see my baby!?!” This time she rubbed my forehead, brushing through my hair, “Oh, it’s okay honey.” It’s okay honey, are you kidding me! I must have given her the death stare because she immediately turned and ran out the door.
A few minutes later my hubby, Steve, walk in the door. Whew, I thought, finally seeing a familiar face. He walked over to me and asked me if I was okay. I responded, “Yes, where’s our baby?” He just started laughing at me and asked again. “YES! WHERE IS OUR BABY AND WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON!!??!!” That only made him laugh harder at me. Then he finally gave me some clarity. “Hon, you sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown. Wah wa-wah wa-wah wah wah…”
I think I just started crying at that point. Steve snickered at me but kept talking to me and staying by my side. We eventually got moved to a room and our baby was brought to us.
I was so out of it! I remember my brother-in-law coming to visit us and I can recall bits and pieces of the conversation and feeling, but in all honesty, I think that anti-nausea cocktail threw me for more than a loop. I didn’t appreciate or like that feeling at all! On top of that I wanted my catheter out and to do so meant I had to get up out of bed and walk around. I was soooo fat! I mean like I weighed more laying there like a beached whale than when I was pregnant. I had so much fluid pumped in me in the past 32 hours with a hard labor and a surgery. I seriously couldn’t bend fully at the knees. When I went to the bathroom I literally had to fall backwards onto the toilet and about kicked the nurse that was monitoring me in the shins.
Because of the c-section I spent 5 days in the hospital, and it was miserable. I was so uncomfortable. My post-prego hospital attire that I’d bought didn’t fit. Even after being in the hospital for 5 days, begging for a diuretic and being denied, I had to go home in socks because my Crocks (yes, oversized boat shoes) didn’t even fit my feet. Which leads me to my topic, Post Childbirth - I wish I had oils when…
So aside from the obvious of diffusing in my room, the biggest thing I would have taken into my own hands was to help reduce the water retention in my system. In my post Pregnancy - I wish I had oils when…I talked about AromaTouch® and that I would have asked my hubby to give me a leg massage. But my edema was beyond just needing a leg massage. I needed help from the inside out. For that I would’ve turned first to Lemon. When added to water, Lemon provides a refreshing and healthy boost throughout the day. It also naturally cleanses the body and aids in digestion* and the side effect – the scent helps boost your mood. Pro Tip: My suggestion is to always use a glass or aluminum container when adding oils to your water. Rubber and plastic containers, caps, etc. can deteriorate over time when using pure essential oils.
The other two essential oils I would have taken internally would have been Black Pepper and Pink Pepper. When taken internally, Black Pepper can promote healthy circulation, assist with digestion and provide powerful antioxidant support. While Pink Pepper helps the body maintain healthy cellular function and overall cellular health. It’s also known for its ability to help support a health metabolism and immune system*. My biggest struggle wasn’t the c-section or pain associated with any of that, in fact I turned down the drugs they offered me. Frankly, that made me mad - I was offered pain meds but was denied a diuretic because I was nursing. Hum yah, that makes a ton of sense. However, if I were focusing on pain issues to boot, I would have personally added in Frankincense, Lemongrass and Marjoram to the mix. For my topical mixture, which could have helped with my edema issues too, I would add 10 drops of each to a roller bottle and then top it with fractionated coconut oil. 
Depending on pain levels I would have switched out Lemongrass for Copaiba and added anywhere from 3 to 5 drops each (Frank, Copaiba and Marjoram) to a veggie capsule and taken that internally as needed too. I promise despite any discomfort, pain or annoyance you go through it will all be more than worth it when your healthy baby is laying in your arms. Stay tuned for my post about what oils I would use with my newborn and, of course, what I would use to support me. I'd love to talk to you and hear your story so far. Drop me a comment or shoot me an email - let's connect!
xoxo Danette
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.