Given that I have had three kids and a broken ankle, I am no stranger to hospital stays. I've had 6 surgeries in the past 4 years, 4 of the six have required overnight stays. I've had good experiences and really bad experiences.
For example; when I had Myah I wasn't comfortable with the idea of breastfeeding so I didn't try - until the last day, when I asked a nurse if she could show me the basics. Instead of being understanding, she yelled at me for waiting so long...literally raised her voice and scolded me. While I wasn't on the brink of death due to a bad medical decision, it completely ruined my in-hospital experience with my daughter.
This experience could not have been more opposite! Every single person I came in contact with: doctors, surgeons, cleaning ladies, ESPECIALLY THE NURSES, were AMAZING! So incredibly nice, helpful, encouraging, and just a pleasure! I couldn't believe it! While I shortened my stay by a day (or two according to one of the doctors) it was, hands down, the best experience I have ever had in a hospital! I made sure to personally thank every person that came in for being so kind...it really made it so relaxing! I also tried not to be needy and whiny...I hope I accomplished that!
Not only was everyone so nice, but they sent us a celebratory dinner! The night before we left, Brian and I had an upscale meal complete with cake, candlelight, and sparkling cider! What a great idea to help new parents celebrate before they get home! Maybe more hospitals do this and I am not aware of it, but I know Shawnee Mission does not...and they totally should! My parents took the kids to McDonalds and gave Brian and I some alone time...who knows when we will get that again!
The day after Vera was born, Brian stayed home with the kids during nap time and my parents got to spend the afternoon with me at the hospital. It was awesome just sitting around and talking - even if the room was too cold for them (Sorry!).
On the third day I was discharged! We put Vera in the car seat and started the journey home. There was no turning back...we were officially a family of five!
Unfortunately, Vera had high levels of biliruben (I think that's how you spell it), so she had to visit the hospital every day for the next 5 days to get her foot pricked and blood taken! Watching it happen once or twice is bad enough...but 6 times (including the time in the hospital) was too much for me! They finally decided that her jaundice levels were high due to my breastmilk and called it "breastfeeding jaundice". They said it posed no developmental problems and told us we didn't need any more tests! After 5 weeks, her eyes finally look white and not yellow!
Keep watching for the rest of my parents trip along with stories of breastfeeding, foot stamping, and more!
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