#OOTD

Hi friends! 

Last week, I debuted my Outfit of the Day (OOTD) for the first few days following my surgery. The last post was mostly sarcastic and sassy because, well, you don't really have much choice in outfits for the first couple of days. Also, you really won't care what you're wearing when you're laying in bed attached to a bunch of tubes, healing from a broken sternum.

Well, this post is a little more practical. Here's what I wore on Friday after my first shower post-surgery: 

created on Polyvore.

• I wore a cotton sleeping robe over my clothes, and was also able to wear it over my hospital scrubs before I changed into real people clothes. You'll get cold while staying in the hospital (your body usually has a hard time thermoregulating for a while), so make sure you consider this when packing for the hospital. 
• Pajama bottoms are a must. Even though they're almost the same thing as the hospital scrub pants they offer at the hospital, being in your own clothes makes a big difference. Make sure you purchase ones that are breatheable (read: cotton) and easy to put on. 
• I bought some oversized t-shirts before my surgery, because I knew from reading other people's stories that it was really painful to try to lift your arms to put a shirt on. UMM. True story. I recommend a shirt that's at least two sizes larger than what you'd usually wear. V-necks are also great because it'll be less painful on your incision. 
• The bras. Ladies, the bras are so important. I ended up going with a few sports bras (sized 1-2 sizes larger than what I wear to exercise in), and two cotton nursing bras. It sounds really creepy, but the nursing bras were the best investment I ever made. They keep the center of your chest pretty open, allowing easy access to your incision in case the Doctors or Nurses need to check it. 
• I wore grippy hospital socks the whole time I was at PCH. Getting slippers isn't necessary, and probably frowned upon- chances are the nurses will discourage you from wearing them if they look like they might cause you to slip and fall! 
• Teddy bear. While they're super cute and fluffy, teddy bears also have another highly important job for heart patients. Holding them close to your chest helps you brace yourself (and your healing sternum) while you cough, sneeze, get up from bed, walk, etc. The first time you sneeze is painful. The first time you sneeze without bracing yourself is excruciating...don't forget to bring something with which to brace. I always took my bear with me when I went on walks around the CVICU. 
• Not really a fashion item, but you'll be getting lots of chest x-rays, which are usually pretty uncomfortable (they stick a rigid board behind your back). As you can see from the x-ray, none of your beautiful fashion items show up on your glamour shot x-ray...

...Which brings me to my final point: no matter what you choose to pack and wear post-surgery, make sure that your comfort (and safety) is the #1 priority. It doesn't really matter what you look like, as long as you are comfortable. Open heart surgery isn't comfortable or glamourous, but you can do a few things to make it a little more bearable!

Maya modeling the "Pretty in Pink" post-surgery look.