Thursday, May 31/18
This post won't be too long, but it's something that I found pretty interesting. I'd been in hospital for 4 days after giving birth, and my daughter stayed an additional day in the NICU before we all came home together. To set the scene, the hospital I gave birth in was just over an hour away from our apartment, and our apartment is on the first floor of the building accessible only by a flight of stairs. I thought I'd share my story, kind of just for fun.
LEAVING THE HOSPITAL
Leaving the hospital was honestly a little bit funny. We had been waiting for a couple of hours for our daughter, Ivy, to be discharged. She had to be seen by a paediatrician before they'd let her go, and he was a bit busy that afternoon. We were antsy to go after quite a long stay in hospital, and when we finally got the all clear it actually felt a little strange. We passed all the nurses who had cared for her and said goodbye, and walking through the doors of the NICU almost made me feel like I should turn right around and ask to stay another night just in case. My husband and I just kept saying to each other "this is crazy", "this is insane", "how are we allowed to leave with this baby?!?". In the elevator on the way down to the parking lot somebody said 'congratulations' and I've never been more tempted to make a joke about her not being mine and that I just found her, but I held my tongue. I guess nervous Megan is constantly on the verge of saying inappropriate things that will get me in trouble. Then we headed out and it didn't look too smooth, the elevator doors closed shockingly fast and my husband tried to wheel me in as gently as possible so as not to disturb the c-section incision, and I held the carseat on my lap as though the baby could fall out at any second despite being strapped in as tightly as was considered safe.
THE CAR RIDE
After a c-section, sitting in a Honda Civic is basically like sitting on the floor. While my husband stressed out about the safety of Ivy's carseat, I struggled to lower myself into the backseat and when I eventually did I vowed never to get out again. When my husband put the baby bag in the trunk I yelled at him to give it to me in case we needed to stop halfway home to change her diaper, and to find the god damn Snickers bar I knew was in one of the many bags we had brought with us. I had to compromise with a freakin' Cliff Bar and hadn't a drop of liquid to wash it down with, but it subdued hangry, hormonal and highly-anxious Megan. I was immediately proud of the normal speed my husband drove home, but less proud of the constant remarks from the front seat for me to check if she was still breathing. "Are the straps too tight?!", "Her chin is so low she probably can't breathe!", and my personal favourite, "Check under the blanket to see if you can feel her breathe!" You'll be pleased to know the worry of her spontaneously suffocating subsided by about day 7.
WHAT DO WE DO NOW?
Actually getting out of the car, coming up the stairs, unlocking the door and seeing our little apartment made me feel a whole host of things. I immediately sat Ivy down on the floor in her carseat (that's a lie, my husband did) because I wanted her to be immediately introduced to our cat, Badger, who quite frankly didn't give a shit and still doesn't. Then I glanced around and saw pink streamers hanging from our windows and balloons in the nursery announcing "it's a girl!" (Thank you parents and in-laws) Finally, I noticed that the house was oddly clean and the freezer was full. I don't know if I've ever felt more appreciative in my life. It made those first few days so much easier. After settling in a little bit we both realized "oh, shit. We've got a baby here forever now", which is a slight exaggeration, but that's how it felt and still feels on some days. We laid her in her crib and kind of stared at her for a while, and at the same time wondered what the hell we were going to do. It's a crazy, overwhelming feeling, but an amazing one.
Good luck to all new parents about to bring their babies home for the first time!
This post won't be too long, but it's something that I found pretty interesting. I'd been in hospital for 4 days after giving birth, and my daughter stayed an additional day in the NICU before we all came home together. To set the scene, the hospital I gave birth in was just over an hour away from our apartment, and our apartment is on the first floor of the building accessible only by a flight of stairs. I thought I'd share my story, kind of just for fun.
LEAVING THE HOSPITAL
Leaving the hospital was honestly a little bit funny. We had been waiting for a couple of hours for our daughter, Ivy, to be discharged. She had to be seen by a paediatrician before they'd let her go, and he was a bit busy that afternoon. We were antsy to go after quite a long stay in hospital, and when we finally got the all clear it actually felt a little strange. We passed all the nurses who had cared for her and said goodbye, and walking through the doors of the NICU almost made me feel like I should turn right around and ask to stay another night just in case. My husband and I just kept saying to each other "this is crazy", "this is insane", "how are we allowed to leave with this baby?!?". In the elevator on the way down to the parking lot somebody said 'congratulations' and I've never been more tempted to make a joke about her not being mine and that I just found her, but I held my tongue. I guess nervous Megan is constantly on the verge of saying inappropriate things that will get me in trouble. Then we headed out and it didn't look too smooth, the elevator doors closed shockingly fast and my husband tried to wheel me in as gently as possible so as not to disturb the c-section incision, and I held the carseat on my lap as though the baby could fall out at any second despite being strapped in as tightly as was considered safe.
 |
| View from the wheelchair as we rode to freedom! |
After a c-section, sitting in a Honda Civic is basically like sitting on the floor. While my husband stressed out about the safety of Ivy's carseat, I struggled to lower myself into the backseat and when I eventually did I vowed never to get out again. When my husband put the baby bag in the trunk I yelled at him to give it to me in case we needed to stop halfway home to change her diaper, and to find the god damn Snickers bar I knew was in one of the many bags we had brought with us. I had to compromise with a freakin' Cliff Bar and hadn't a drop of liquid to wash it down with, but it subdued hangry, hormonal and highly-anxious Megan. I was immediately proud of the normal speed my husband drove home, but less proud of the constant remarks from the front seat for me to check if she was still breathing. "Are the straps too tight?!", "Her chin is so low she probably can't breathe!", and my personal favourite, "Check under the blanket to see if you can feel her breathe!" You'll be pleased to know the worry of her spontaneously suffocating subsided by about day 7.
 |
| The only way this could have been more efficient is if my husband was on a Segway. |
Actually getting out of the car, coming up the stairs, unlocking the door and seeing our little apartment made me feel a whole host of things. I immediately sat Ivy down on the floor in her carseat (that's a lie, my husband did) because I wanted her to be immediately introduced to our cat, Badger, who quite frankly didn't give a shit and still doesn't. Then I glanced around and saw pink streamers hanging from our windows and balloons in the nursery announcing "it's a girl!" (Thank you parents and in-laws) Finally, I noticed that the house was oddly clean and the freezer was full. I don't know if I've ever felt more appreciative in my life. It made those first few days so much easier. After settling in a little bit we both realized "oh, shit. We've got a baby here forever now", which is a slight exaggeration, but that's how it felt and still feels on some days. We laid her in her crib and kind of stared at her for a while, and at the same time wondered what the hell we were going to do. It's a crazy, overwhelming feeling, but an amazing one.
Good luck to all new parents about to bring their babies home for the first time!
 |
| Very necessary snapchat to inform the masses that we were finally coming home! Should have added "Please don't visit me for 3 weeks" but thought it took away from the overall vibe. |
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