Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Baby Day 2 - Hospital Stay

I had no idea how busy we would be at the hospital! It was a revolving door of doctors, nurses, students, technicians, social workers, house keeping and room service, plus friends and family.

We has a private room, which meant Kyle had a couch to sleep on and we were able to have Kaden stay with us in a little bassinet. My bed was this crazy contraption that would adjust its pressure every time weight was shifted on the bed... it was absurd. We finally figured out how to turn it off.

The food was remarkably good. You can order whatever you want - and they will bring you more food than you expect. So Kyle and I shared multi-course meals because they were so good. Our favs were a pizza with pesto, feta cheese, spinach and tomato, a chicken-pot-pie type dish, the cheeseburger and a spinach salad with strawberries, feta cheese and raspberry dressing, (ok, that last one was all me). I was unable to eat feta cheese while pregnant and I forgot how much I enjoy it!

Our biggest focus was learning to breast-feed. The hospital is a "Baby Friendly" facility, meaning they fully support and promote nursing, which meant I had knowledgeable nurses and a very helpful "nursing consultant" to help me figure it out. My Mum helped me with the first feeding and it was so valuable to have a constant team of knowledgeable women to help Kaden and me figure it out. Like many, we struggled to get Kaden to latch on, but were having success. At one point, we resorted to using a breast shield to make sure he was eating. Fortunately, this was only necessary at one night-time feeding. By the time we left, I was feeling better but still unsure about nursing. Fortunately, I can consult with my Mum and a couple of knowledgeable friends.

It was nice to see people - thank you to everyone that sent their love in spirit or in person!




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