lift restriction after surgery with toddler

[Scout]

Just wondering if anyone had a lift restriction after surgery, but was also caring for a toddler. Did you lift anyway and did it cause anything negative to happen?

I had laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery on Thursday and left the hospital with a lift restriction of 10 lbs. for 4 weeks. My daughter is almost 3 and weighs around 30 lbs. My mom kept my daughter for me the night of the surgery and the next night, but I got her back on Saturday and I can not NOT lift her! It seems impossible. I'm single so nobody else in the house to help out. I've lifted her in to her car seat and generally picked her up here and there, in and out of the tub, into the shopping cart, when she whines and so forth. I also carried her quite a distance yesterday.

Do you think I'd be correct in assuming that if it isn't too horribly painful for me, then it'd be okay to carry her around? I find that as long as she doens't kick any of the incisions (I have 4 on my tummy), then it's not too painful. Anyone have any experience with lifting after being told to not lift?

 

[luci and bump]

I had surgery 18 months ago, to repair an umbilical hernia. My DD turned 2 may 30th and I had my surgery june 17th. FOB was completely useless and offered to have her for 1 night. I was told I wasn't allowed to lift so much as a kettle for 4 weeks, and anything heavier for 8 weeks. My DD was still in a cot at this point. My mum ended up having her to stay with her for 2 weeks (she lives 2 and a half hours away) because I knew if I wasn't there, she'd be fine, but if my mum had come to stay with me, DD would have wanted me, and only me. I went to collect DD after the 2 weeks, and lifted and carried her. I do get pain in my belly button even now, and its uncomfortable a lot of the time. I'm not sure if its down to not following drs orders, but I wish I had. It didn't hurt to lift or carry her at the time either.
Hope that helps

 

[supertabby]

My mum overdid things after her gallbladder op and ended up with an infection but I don't know if that was just coincidence. My daughter was 2 years 10 months when I had a section with my son, like yourself I was told no lifting - nothing heavier than the baby. But it's impossible with a toddler, I definitely get that! As we knew I was having a section well in advance we'd been training DD to get herself into/out of her car seat (us still doing belt up obviously) , however a lot of the time she still wanted lifting or she was messing about, so I just did it anyway. We have never done nightly baths anyway because of her eczema, more like twice a week, so I just got hubby or my mum to do that. I definitely lifted her a fair bit but tried my best to limit it on the occasions I could, which is better than nothing! Hope you have a swift recovery.

PS I talked to her about my sore tummy and not being able to pick her up much, most of the time she was pretty good about it if I kept reminding her, so don't discount simply telling her you can't sometimes.

 

[suzib76]

No, why would you want to carry her about? I understand some lifting is necessary in and out of the car if you can't encourage lo to climb but the restrictions are there for a reason and you could end up doing yourself real damage

 

[zorak]

I had a c section with my second and was on strict no lifting for 6 weeks. At the time my first was 22 months old and I really did manage to not lift him very much at all. I explained I had a sore tummy and he would have to help me. I held his hand to help him climb into his car seat. I held his hand for stairs and used a step stool in the apartment to climb up where necessary. For his meals I switched from a high chair to a toddler table. He was in a bed rather than crib by that point anyway. The only place I really had to lift him was the bath, even then with a combination of his step stool, my hands pulling he really bore most of his own weight himself.

So in short it is possible and it is definitely not worth delaying your recovery. Remember the more you lift the more likely you are too develop extensive scar tissue.