The Ultimate Guide To Recovering From Surgery As A Busy Mom

So you have to have some kind of surgery or medical procedure that will make you unable to go about your daily activities. And you’re freaking out because there’s baseball practice and lunches to be made and a million other things that you feel will collapse without you. You have no idea how you’re going to be able to take the time to do this surgery or procedure that you need. Remember this: you’re no good to your family unless you take care of yourself. Schedule that surgery or medical procedure you need, and here is your Ultimate Guide To Recovering From Surgery As A Busy Mom.

Ditch the guilt

It’s SO hard. You are going to feel like a burden to people and you might end up inconveniencing people or having to change plans. It’s easy to feel guilty and this guilt makes you want to get up and contribute, but you’ll just end up doing more harm than good. If you push yourself too far too fast you’ll just create a setback and it’ll take you longer to heal.

Look at the big picture. You’re going to be living a pretty sedentary life for a couple of weeks but you’re doing this FOR them. You want to be around longer, you want to be able to be more involved and this is what’s getting you there. It’s an “eye on the prize” kind of thing.

RELATED BLOG POSTS ABOUT DITCHING ALL KINDS OF GUILT LET GO OF YOUR PARENTING EXPECTATIONS & DITCH THE SPECIAL NEEDS PARENTING GUILT

Dispatch your village

Do you have friends or family nearby? Now is the time to call them. Remember what I said about ditching the guilt! It can be awkward but I’ve realized that people WANT to help, they just don’t know what you need. I reached out to a neighbor that I see walking their dog and asked if she would be willing to walk ours at the same time. I have asked my mom to come over and straighten up. If you need meals, ask your sister-in-law who is a great cook. Text the mom from gymnastics to see if they can bring your kiddo home. You’re not going to be able to do this on your own and that’s just facts. Ask for help and just be sure to repay the favor in the future.

Tools for successful Recovering From Surgery

Even if you have the largest support group around, there will be things you have, or just want, to do on your own. This is what I’ve found to be super helpful in the recovery process.

A LAP DESK You can still feel productive while laying in bed. This one has a place for your phone and a strap that keeps papers in place which is more helpful than it sounds. When you can’t reach to get anything, you really need to make sure everything is right next to you.

A GRABBER When you can’t bend or twist or reach, this is going to be a lifesaver. I have used this to get into lower drawers, pick up something I dropped on the floor, and grab something that was just out of my reach. It’s affordable and you can always gift it to someone else who needs it for recovery or an elderly relative when you’re done with it.

TV PILLOW Take this with you wherever you are. I use mine for sleeping too because right now it’s more comfortable to be a little upright. I take it outside to make the lawn chairs more comfortable so I can still watch my kids outside. Pillows in general are going to be your friend right now. This is so helpful in recovering from surgery.

ROBE I was never a robe person pre-surgery. Now I might not ever wear real clothes again. I like the longer ones, like this one. It’s much easier if you can’t move well to be in a robe so when you have to go to the bathroom you don’t need to worry about bending to lift up pants. It’s the convenience for me.

CONVENIENCE IS KEY

My kids have been living on peanut butter sandwiches for the last week and they are loving it. It’s actually much better than the choruses of “eeeeww” and “I am not eating that!” that I would hear when I was cooking an actual meal for them. This is a nice reprieve from the stress around the dinnertime struggle, and instead of feeling guilty or bad that their main source of protein lately is chunky peanut butter, I’m enjoying the harmony.

Let go

While you’re recovering, your partner might be parenting a little differently than you would. Bedtimes might be pushed back a little bit. There could be some meltdowns (from kids as well as you and your partner) because of this. This is temporary. Our children need to be flexible and adjust as life throws something unpredictable at them. You are teaching them life skills right now! Look at you go!

Good Luck! I am sending you positive thoughts for healing. If you have any other tips or tricks we need to know, say so in the comments!