Hi Gil,
Maybe you are right. [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif]
Esp if you choose to go for C-section. Your healing process will be much slower.
Talking about breastfeeding, I have something "funny" to share. It's always good to breadfeed your baby for at least 6mths(from book & magazine)to give your baby strong immunes system and prevent any allergy in the future. But my mother told me (she helped to do confinement for my sister-in-law and my sister, who both gave birth abt 3mths ago) you really have to "pump like a cow". The minute you are awake, you have to start pumping. Maybe you don't have to take care of your baby cos you have your Mother or MIL or CL, but you will be busy "pummping" the whole day. Ha! [IMG=http://www.singaporemotherhood.com/forumboard/clipart/happy.gif] You also have to wake up in the middle of the night to bf your baby. If you baby is good, you just have to do it once or twice(like my lucky sister).
Pray hard for a hand-on husband. I got friend whose husband got scare by the baby in the first month. And try all ways to "escape" from home even he's on leave to help up. He will find excuses to get out from house like checking the mailbox or buying some groceries which can take him a few hours to do it.
Yes! My sister told me, mentally, she was actually stronger when she's pregnant than after birth. Esp it's really difficult to cope with a newborn and 2 more kids in her house. You still need to bring your newborn to go for vaccination during your confinement. Alot of thing going on in the first month.. Lack of sleep, baby crying etc.