Postpartum After Accident

Part 3 in the Accident Series

The pain actually worsened in the months after I delivered Vincent.  My chiropractor explained that it was partially due to how I was breastfeeding (I cradled Vince, so my shoulders naturally slumped over and rounded my back) and partially due to my ligaments falling back into place. 

Also, I may not have been carrying Vince around inside me anymore, but I was carrying him around in a carseat while lugging around a diaper bag.  So maybe my extra body weight was gone, but I'd replaced it with an equal or greater amount of luggage that threw my body off-balance.

Bathing Vincent was (and is) one of the most torturous activities for my back.  It's SO incredibly painful to bend down to properly clean him.  Hoisting him in and out of high chairs, shopping carts, and swings at the park all hurt.  And it's not just a quick sharp jab to the spine, either.  It's a lasting grinding that leaves me achy for hours (if not days) afterwards.

Then there's cleaning around the house.  I'm typically a clean freak.  I vacuumed at least three - four times a week (both floors) and scoured the bathrooms on my hands and knees.  I'd run up and down three flights of stairs without issue carrying laundry and do grocery shopping without complaint.  Now?  All of that is painful to me.  The twisting motion of the vacuum makes my back revolt, carrying anything for any distance (especially on stairs) is just asking for punishment, and scrubbing tubs and floors really does put me out of commission for at least a day.

I remember a few times when Vince was a baby that I had to have John take over bathing because my back gave out.  The first two times it happened, I crawled into bed and just cried because I felt like a failure as a mother. 

Then there were days in which I simply couldn't take him to the park like I'd wanted to because I had spent the day before cleaning.

I realized that my life had turned into a perpetual game of Tetris.  I was constantly juggling tasks that needed to be done with my ability to actually do them.

• If I do two loads of laundry today, I won't be able to clean the bathrooms, but I might still be able to take Vincent to the park.

• If I hoist Vince up onto the slide a few extra times, I definitely won't be able to scrub the tubs, but I might be able to get him into his high chair for dinner.  Right?  Maybe John's home and can help.

• I can take Vincent to see my Mom in Philly, but I'll need to time myself so that I get home when John does so someone is there to pull Vincent from the car.  I'll have to give up vacuuming this weekend, but at least Vince will see his grandmother.

Seriously - these are the types of thoughts that STILL go on in my head on a daily basis.  It's a CONSTANT give and take that makes me feel SO angry.  I shouldn't have to constantly gamble my abilities for Vincent's everyday living.  And yet I do.  They may not be for the same things as when he was a baby, but they still exist.

For example, he loves to do pony-back rides now.  I can maybe give him two or three before I'm out of commission.  He'll cry because he wants a few more rounds, but I simply can't.  And yes, I still hate myself for that sometimes. 

Then there are the times my neice will see me "airplaning" Vince.  She'll demand a turn (which I happily give), but I know the inevitable, "I'm sorry, guys, but I can't do it again" will come and make them feel gypped of fun.

I hate it.  I hate everything about this.  It makes me feel gypped as a mother / aunt because I SHOULD be able to do all these things without thought.  It's not like I'm 60 years old.  Argh.

What's worse is that I had to give up my chiropractor because I simply did not have the money to put towards him.  Copays are $50 per visit, and at three visits per week, that adds up to how many diapers?  How many clothes?  How many trips to the zoo?  It didn't seem fair that I was taking money away from Vincent to pay for something that the insurance company should have been paying for. 

So I sued the guy's insurance for proper coverage - All State.  It was like opening an entirely new hell for myself.

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