We’ve been at it here home alone now for 10 days and all is still going well. The good (bad?) thing about delivering at 10:30 in the evening is that my hospital stay was about 36 hours since the night she was delivered counts as our first night of two. Our hospital stay was so-so. We had one great nurse during the day on Sunday, but our night nurse who we had twice, was about as useless as they come and a low-talker to boot which made dealing with her even more frustrating. They didn’t teach us much of anything in the hospital like I had thought they would like how to bathe baby, swaddle baby, and basic baby care stuff. I barely got any help with breastfeeding from the nurses, they did however get a lactation consult for me.
Needless to say other than maybe having some more 1:1 time with the lactation consultants in the hospital we were ready and willing to get out of there on Monday afternoon. I wasn’t exactly prepared for coming home though. We sorta left in chaos since we had that token ‘movie delivery’ that everyone says is fiction. Walking in to the house was like walking back into a crime scene. Things were just as we left them. The magazine I was reading was still on the coffee table, pillows were all stacked up where I was sitting. Royce’s butter dish for the popcorn was still on the counter. And in the trash was the untouched popped corn that was tossed at the last minute with the fear that if we left it on the counter the dog would consume it.
Walking around it sorta hit me that when we left there were just two of us…and now there are three…it was all very surreal and emotional. It really took me a few days to wrap my head around how this house will never be the same again. We are a family now and the home we built for the two of us will now be the first home our children will know. Silver Spring, MD will always be the place of birth for Sydney much like Kansas City, MO will always be mine and Des Moines, IA for Royce.
Each and every day we get a bit more comfortable as the three of us so comfortable in fact it’s hard to remember what it was like with just the two of us.
Midwestkids 
Isn’t it amazing that after the baby is born you can’t really remember what it was like without them? I hardly remember my life without Ella. And all the times I’m stressed to the max and wishing to go back for a day she smiles at me or says “Mama” and I realize I wouldn’t go back for anything.
It seems that a short hospital stay can be good or bad depending on your experience. We were there for 4 days, and seriously considered staying another day, since insurance would have covered it. But, we had awesome nurses, tons of help and instruction, etc. I had another friend in the DC area who insisted on leaving the hospital early AMA after a C-section because her experience was so terrible. Guess we may have been lucky…or just lucked out and chosen a great hospital.
Holy Cross must be hit or miss. While the accomodations lacked some sophistication, we thought the nursing staff overall was great. I had lots of time with the lactation consultant when we were there, and had we had hot running water (this was when all those pipes burst last December), we would have loved to have stayed an extra day. Glad you’re settling in, and can’t wait to see the wee one next week!
Aww, welcome to the aftermath. it’s almost like a complete 180 in your life. Such a time of emotional ups and downs – the baby blues can be a little rough about this time too. It sounds like you’re getting into the swing of it though. Just remember to get all the rest you need…nothing is more important at this time, I swear.
Oh I totally had (still have?) the baby blues. They hit when I was in the hospital. Just started crying for no reason what so ever one night. I think the peak was when we were out running errands I saw a homeless man with a dog and the dog was standing on a piece of cardboard. Totally cried my eyes out. Syd and I have also had some quite frustrating feeding sessions which have ended in sobs. Never been so teary in my life…very strange indeed. I think a lot of this has a bit to do with what you said about fast deliveries. I just didn’t get a chance to wrap my head around the process before becoming a mom…took me a while to even be able to tell my delivery story w/o choking up.
Now that we are getting into more of a routine it’s getting better. I also make it a point to get outside every day for either a walk or to do something stupid like go to the grocery store alone. I also think a wee bit of conscious time away from baby each day helps me feel more normal too.
Julie and Royce – congrats on your new bundle of joy! She is absolutely beautiful and I know you two will be fantastic parents. Hope to meet her in person sometime next year.