Postpartum with Nancy

With Nancy on the morning of Eli's birth

 I had my 6 week postpartum visit with Nancy yesterday.

She called me late last week to ask me to come by and re-sign the birth certificate.  She'd filed on the old form because the health department kept not providing the new state form to her.  So all of her births for February and March had to be re-filed on the new form.  When she called she realized I was at 6 weeks and it was time for me to come in.

So yesterday morning while Sabine was at school I packed up Eli and we went out in the rain to Nancy's house for the last time. The visit was quite straightforward.  She checked me out and I'm "perfect" and healed quite well.  (eventually I'll share the birth story and you can read all about it, woo-hoo).
She checked my weight and I've lost 18 of the almost 50 lbs I'd gained.  But if you count Eli's 8 lbs,  only 10 have gone from me... and most of that was probably fluid.  She said there's an initial drop in the first 2 weeks, then a plateau, then a drop around 3 months, plateau, drop again around 6 months or so.  She says the belly stays for 6 months to a year and then comes back at menopause.  "It's just as annoying around menopause as it is now" she says.  But she told me it's important fat, it is there in case something happens so that I can still make milk for Eli.  Eli needs that milk for the first year so it is there for him.  Put in that perspective I can be a little sweeter to myself about still feeling like I look like I'm pregnant when he's already a month and a half old.

She asked about birth control and gave me a recommendation of a book to read about how the female anatomy effects arousal etc.  She said I have a posterior uterus which means fewer nerve endings concentrated in that space.  Positive to that is less pain and faster labors.  Negative well... fewer nerve endings means less feeling and I'll leave it at that.  So the anterior uterus people have harder slower labors but more feeling at other times.
The book is: Woman's Anatomy of Arousal by Sheri Winston    I can't recommend it because I haven't read it, but I trust Nancy.  I bet it's pretty good.  She told me Max would like that I read it (and "it isn't porn")

As I was leaving I told her I was sad to go.  She said that maybe I'd be back one day but we're pretty sure Eli is our last little addition to the family.  So she told me to come back and bring something for the room where she sees clients.  As we left she hugged me and told me it's not good-bye yet.  Which was pretty much what I needed to hear because I don't want it to be good-bye.  (though it is)  I'll print some pictures for her room and bring them, and bring a huge thank you letter telling her what a profound impact she's made on my life and hopefully get to see her at least one more time.

And, Eli slept the whole time!