Having a healthy pregnancy, baby & complication free delivery is a blessing. Sometimes though, complications like bells palsy appear after baby is home from the hospital.
A few weeks ago, I had my third baby. A beautiful baby boy born on the Monday before Easter.
I had a normal delivery. And recovery seemed to be going well.
Day 4 I was snuggling with my daughters and even did a load or two (or four) of laundry.
Bells Palsy Symptoms
Day 5 started a little strange. My right eye felt like something was in it all day, and my lips just wouldn’t align straight when I tried to put on chap stick.
My face felt like it was going numb and I just assumed that it was an allergic reaction to medication. I’m a glass half full kind of girl, so when my family started throwing around the words bells palsy, I refused to look it up for myself.
They had to be wrong.
By the end of day 5, my right eye would not close completely and it watered all night long. At that point, I started to get concerned.
Day 6 was Good Friday and my doctor’s office was closed. They advised me to go the ER. I was devastated. My husband drove me so he could stay outside with the baby. When you have a brand new baby that you are breastfeeding, the baby has to go everywhere you go. Since the ER is filled with germs, our plan was to text if he needed me and I would run out and nurse him.
Doctor’s Office Visit
Thankfully I was in and out of the ER in an hour. I hobbled in with one eye watering and told the intake nurse my story. I had only been discharged two days prior and my eye was watering so profusely that he handed me a tissue and quickly got me to the back.
The doctor on call gave me a quick look over and said it looked like I had bells palsy. He sent a nurse in to do some bloodwork just to rule out other things–and before you know it, I was discharged with several new prescriptions to take.
The following Monday, I met with the PA in my obgyn office and I heard those words again, “bells palsy.” I was so overwhelmed by details that I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She asked if I was depressed. Then asked my husband to confirm.
Last January I had a miscarriage and was very depressed, so I knew this time that was not what I was faced with.
I was just mourning my face.
I never knew that I was attached to my image. I had to come to grips with the fact that my face could potentially be stuck like this for another month or two.
I considered telling all of my friends not to visit.
I was embarrassed and didn’t want anyone seeing me this way. With half of my face temporarily paralyzed, I could feel a lisp when I spoke and frustration when my food and drinks fell out of my mouth.
How I’m Coping
My mom reminded me that people wanted to see me, and check up on me. They would not be concerned about how my face looked.
So on Saturday, I mourned my face. I cried in the bathroom for about 30 minutes. I finally admitted to myself that my face is important to me, and that the situation really sucks.
After I had a good cry, I decided that I was going to move forward.
I decided not to let the temporary situation steal my joy. I had just delivered a beautiful, healthy baby boy. My girls are obsessed with him and want to hold and touch him every chance they get.
I was blessed to have him so close to the end of the school year that I don’t have to return to work until the end of the summer. I can’t waste four months of maternity leave stressing about what I can’t change.
At 3 weeks postpartum, the right side of my face is still temporarily paralyzed. I still drool on myself if I drink without a straw. But, I’ve mastered the art of the half smile. When my four year old asks me if I can smile yet, I say no and change the subject.
The stress that childbirth puts on your body can often affect the speediness of your healing. But it doesn’t have to affect your spirit.
If it happens to you, remember to seek medical attention immediately and that this situation is temporary.
If your eye doesn’t close and continues to water, get a sleep mask or eye patch the reduce the stress of the open eye. Your doctor can also prescribe eye lubrication to keep your eye from drying out while you are using your reserve tears (who know there was such a thing?!)
Drink through a straw and take small bites while eating to minimize your frustration of food and drinks falling out of your mouth due to the paralysis.
Take all the help you can get from family, friends, neighbors and church members. Allow your body time to heal and minimize stress as much as possible.
Thank you so much for sharing. I developed Bells Palsy during the last trimester of my 1st pregnancy. It was anything but a smooth pregnancy. I had Hyperemesis Gravidarum and eventually had to go on bed rest. I was so weak from what little I could keep down. As well I had issues with my legs and feet swelling. I felt awful. Much like you I just woke up one morning with it. Getting ready for my usual OBGYN appt when my mouth wouldn’t cooperate while trying to brush my teeth, and one eye felt funny. It was like one side of my face was dropping. I was home alone, as it got worse I thought I was having a stroke. The appointment confirmed I had Bells Palsy. I was shocked and stunned. I had already barely been back to work, still struggling with morning sickness. I needed to keep working. Outside family and friends, I didn’t tell anyone for weeks until I could no longer hide it. I used every bit of strength and energy to to try not to lisp when I spoke and try to make it noy obvious. I was embarrassed that something else wasn’t going right with my pregnancy. Everyone was worried enough. Thankfully I worked with amazing people.A big family really. One day a colleague noticed my incredibly swollen feet, then my face. She immediately told our new boss. They were flabbergasted when I admitted I had been trying to hide my Bells Palsy. My boss was amazed and touched that I tried so hard, but beyond being my boss he was a husband & father and he said he couldn’t let me continue to stress myself any further. It wasn’t worth the risk. I would be put on Mat Leave. It was a relief to not hide it or worry about my job. Not even a a week later I went into labour. I had a baby girl just over 2 Weeks early. The hope was after the birth it would go away. It got some what better in the first weeks, but it was several months later before it finally went away. I hope that you too will recover. Enjoy your beautiful family! I also hope your words on dealing with it will help others. I wish I’d come across someone else sharing the experience when I went through it, it would’ve been helpful.
I hate that you had such a rough time! I’m hoping that talking about my experience will help someone who felt like we did. It is comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in my feelings about my appearance and trying to hide it. Thank you for sharing your experience with me!
wow I’ve never heard of this before either!
No matter how much we try to not be vain, going through pregnancy and birth already leaves you vulnerable with all the changes your body goes through. Having your face not work would be very stressful. I’m glad it was temporary!
Thank you! I’m still waiting for it to go back to normal. 3 weeks and counting.
I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy at 34 weeks, my left side is completely paralyzed. It’s been 4 weeks with no sign of improvement. Emotionally it’s a roller coaster as some days I’m so positive and others I fear that I’m never going to recover. At least I’m a bit distracted because I’m really looking forward to our little boy arriving in the next two weeks.
Good luck and please keep us updated on your progress. Thank you for sharing your story, it makes me feel less alone.
Adri,
I’m at 4 weeks postpartum and the feeling is coming back in my mouth some, but my eye is still affected. Most people that have suffered from Bells Palsy said it took approximately 6 weeks to 2 months. Several moms have reached out to me since talking about my experience and they are all fine now.
I know what you mean when you talk about the roller coaster of emotions. I’m praying that you make a quick recovery. On the bright side, hopefully you will be done with Bells Palsy by the time your baby boy arrives.
How are you doing now with recovery? I was diagnosed at 40 weeks +1 day and gave birth to my daughter 5 days later. I am 30 days in (3 weeks post partum) and am seeing tiny signs of improvement, but still a long way to go. Can’t smile or blink. Best wishes for continued recovery!
Hey Jen! My son is 2 months old. My right eye still doesn’t close, but I have feeling in the bottom half of my face and my smile has returned. I’ve been to the neurologist & eye doctor and they say everything looks normal and on track for recovery, it’s just a slow process for me. I’m praying the process speeds up quickly for both of us!! Thanks for checking in.
Hi! I am just checking back in with you. So glad to hear your smile returned! How is your eye? I still cannot blink or smile yet so I am praying things get better soon. My daughter is 6 weeks old now. Hope you are fully recovered now!
Hey Jen! My eye closes more than it did, but still doesn’t close all the way and still doesn’t blink. My son will be 3 months old next week. There’s hope for you too mama!
I believe by sharing we help ourselves and others. I’ve always felt if my going through a bad situation can help someone else down the road, then it’s not so bad is it?!? I hope our stories will help others or at least make people aware of this. I hope you are doing better every day Diedre! Hoping there’s been more improvement for you and everyone recovering.
Thanks Joanne! My smile has returned and I’m waiting of full recovery of my eye. Yes, I hope that my story helps another mother struggling with her feelings about Bells Palsy. Thanks so much for your support!