Recovery & Home

Tues, May 4 - Thurs, May 6: I think the worst part about this experience was the post-deliver hospital stay. After the drugs wear off, I could feel the pain & swelling, my back feeling the worst. Peter was only allowed to stay with me b/w 9am-1pm and 3pm-8pm. He thought she was an angel bc she was usually sleeping then, which meant I was taking care of the crying, feeding, pooping, etc on my own. I didnt mind dealing with any of that, but it was the physical exertion of having to jump out of bed, bending over, picking up that strained my back. When visiting hours were over, all the women needed help and the midwives were understaffed. Example: If I rang the bell, the midwife would show up 45 min later. She vomited once, and they pointed to the linen closet for me to take care of changing the sheets. Plus the daytime midwives seemed to contradict the nighttime midwives. Let's just say not quite the bedside manner & service experienced while delivering. While it was nice to be seen by many specialists (endocrinologist, Obstretics, pediatrician, midwives, lactation consultant, immunization specialists, etc), it was challenging to constantly repeat your story, figure out what to ask who, and keep all the advice straight. Because of the gestational diabetes and her low birth weight, I ended up staying 3 days & 2 nights so they could make sure she ate properly.

It is great to be at home. Peter has been so wonderful and helpful with her (although now he is experiencing the sleepless nights!). I'm attempting to breastfeed, which is going alright. It is only day 5, but we are so lucky to have been blessed with such a good baby in these initial days. She has such a funny personality at such an early age. As you can see from the pictures below, we are already giving her a hard time. :)