Back home and at work 4 days later - lessons learnt

We arrived in New Zealand at 10.40pm on Thursday 28 July, collected our bags, cleared customs, caught the bus to the Park and Ride, and then drove (Fran and I split the drive) to Fran's place in Tauranga.  We arrived home around 3am, I dilated and we were both in bed about 4.  

I drove back to Whakatane later that day, and was back at work on Monday 1 August.  

I live alone with my dog (who had been in the kennels for a month and was so happy to see me home) and work from home but my job involves travelling, I cover the East Coast from Matata to Lottin Point and the cushioned ring provided by PPSI was really good. I used it in the car, sitting on the couch or dining table at home, and could not have done without it.

Off on a customer visit - this donut went everywhere with me for the first 3 months

I realised fairly quickly that women actually sit directly on their vulvas, and if it is tender or a bit swollen it gets quite uncomfortable.  I also realised that perhaps wearing tight jeans on my way home was not a good idea,  I was wearing a sanitary pad to protect my underwear from staining and blood and everything was pressed up against my vulva - which resulted in chafing and redness. Wear loose fitting clothing, or a skirt.

I also had come home to a quiet house with no one to talk to and having to carry on with work duties without impediment and after being in a "cocoon of care" (as Paula at BYH put it so well) it was a fairly tough first month.  My suggestion would be to take longer off work if you can - the medical certificate states 6 - 8 weeks, however I had no leave left and could not afford to take leave without pay. I healed remarkably quickly and will comment on a few things about that in my next post.