Welcome!
Reading through the experiences section will help you a lot too.
I have 4 kids (aged 8, 6, 5 and 4 at the time of donation). I donated July of last year.
There are so many variances for people regarding recovery times. That was my 2nd major surgery in a year, 3rd surgery overall. I have a high pain tolerance and before my hysterectomy was told to train like I was going to run a marathon- work out (work up to it, of course, but make it a priority), eat well, do everything I could to help my body before hand and that it would make a huge difference afterwards. So I cut out caffeine, I started running 3-5 miles a day, and eating well.
I also work from home so I was only off work for 2 weeks. I did have help with the kids though, sometimes I was just too tired out to get them that snack or get to the bottom of who hit who and why it was warranted even though the other one did this other thing.
How old are your kids? I did get mine prepared and they were THE BEST EVER during all of my recoveries. They would snuggle gently, learned how to get on the counter to get their own glass of water (hehe) and other things.
Much depends on what type of job you have outside of the house (if you do), age of kids, and help available to you. I planned on the recommended 6 weeks and considered it a pleasant surprise when I felt "normal" mostly by 5 weeks. Plus that way I could still steal a nap whenever I wanted under the 6 week umbrella.
Happy researching!!!!!
Sometimes even if you are to donate anonymously, we are able to meet the recipient. This is NOT always the case though and shouldn't be counted on. There's much to consider on this front...and perhaps you can find a match on the website M suggested. The thing I never envied about the job of the transplant clinic is the "who is more worthy" question they sometimes need to answer. Is a younger person more "worthy" than a 60 year old? Is someone who isn't on dialysis yet "as worthy" as someone who's near death, even if they are further up on the list? Etc Etc Etc. I didn't want to have any idea who mine went to just because I didn't want to form any ideas of WHO I thought it "should" go to. That might sound crazy. I did meet my recipient, and entire chain (and will see them again in 6 days at the National Kidney Foundation event we're going to), and as it turns out, it couldn't have gone to someone more in need, and I'm forever thankful that everything worked out how it did. Another aspect to prepare yourself for is to not become attached to results. Sometimes there are rejection episodes, or the kidney stops working sooner than we'd like, or any number of things. Recipients do not have nearly as easy a time with recovery as we do. Their surgeries are way more invasive and the medications afterwards can be harsh. If they were in very poor health, it takes time to get everything up and running again.
I LOVED the research part of learning about donation, and I hope you find everything you are looking for. There are websites and people out there who did NOT have such good experiences. I think it's important to read them and be aware of what can happen, what has happened in some cases, and what is possible. I think the majority of us have had positive experiences though.
Take care!
Nicki