4 Days in the Hospital

Only one more entry for the blog regarding the delivery and subsequent hospitalization- finally!

But before I write about that, I have to share something that happened this morning.  Jason went off to work early, which meant that it was to be a "Momma and sons" day- yeah!  Elliott had been a bit fussy during the night, so he was actually already in bed with me.  Sidney and Jenson woke up (smiling!), so I brought them in to join the party.  Before they had their morning bottle, I read some books to them and sang some songs too.  I was singing one of my favorite songs to them, You Are My Sunshine, when I glanced out the window and I kid you not- the sun literally rose over my neighbor's rooftop just as I did.  Talk about perfect timing...



Anyway, back to our stay in the hospital after delivering the boys...

We were lucky enough to get to have our OWN room- no roommates for this girl!  So Jason, Jenson, and I got to spend the next four days after the birth spread out in a room that felt like a palace.  Alright, so it was just a single room, but it still felt like a palace to me!  I think now about how little space we afford our patients when they have to have a roommate and it makes me so grateful that amidst all of the stress and changes after our delivery, the stress of a roommate was not one of them.  When I remarked to one of my nurses that I was so grateful for a private room, she made a comment that they usually like to put doctors and nurses in their own rooms.  Whether that's true or not, I'm not sure.  But it wouldn't surprise me- we should be segregated from the rest of normal society!  :)

Getting settled into my room that evening went pretty smoothly.  It was wonderful to be surrounded by our friends and their love that evening.  Seriously- we are blessed.  Making sure I was comfortable, making sure Jason had something to eat, changing Jenson's first diaper (and getting peed on by him too!)... As most of you know, Jenson got to stay in the room with us the entire hospitalization.  Even though he was the smallest by almost two whole pounds, he never had to go to the NICU (except for a trip or two with us to visit his brothers).  The only time he left our sides was for his nightly trip to be assessed in the nursery across the hall for a few minutes with his nurse or when Jason and I wanted to go to visit Sid and Elliott in the NICU.  

And for that we were so grateful.  Both Jason and I had prepared ourselves for babies to go to the NICU- or at least we thought we had.  Who were we kidding?  Nothing can really prepare you for the actual emotional experience of having your child have to go there.  While we were grateful that everything went as smoothly as it did, it was still heartbreaking in a way to be separated from our two sweet boys like that.  So it was a blessing to have Jenson get to stay with us because it helped to keep us grounded and sane. He served as a constant reminder that we had been blessed with three beautiful baby boys and that soon we'd all get to be together.  

I was so pleased with our nurses, and I felt like I was pretty spoiled by them.  Any time you can get someone to bring you hot tea at 3 in the morning?  Spoiled!  (One of my nurses told me that hot tea can help your breast milk to come in, so I tried to guzzle it anytime I could).  And I have to say that I actually thought the hospital food was pretty good.  Maybe I'm pretty easy to please in that respect, but it was good!  Jason was very concerned, however, that I wasn't getting to eat enough hot food.  Not because they weren't bringing me hot food, but because we were having so many visitors (friends and staff alike) that I would forget to eat until he practically had to hold the fork up to my mouth for me.  

And we did have a LOT of visitors- friends, family, coworkers.  Even the nurses that had done my non-stress tests during the pregnancy stopped in to say hi and congratulate us!  And talk about life coming full circle- in one of my first blogs, I'd talked about a patient of mine that was actually the first person (other than Jason and me) to find out about our pregnancy.  Guess who completely surprised me and came to visit us?!?  He and his wonderful wife got to meet Jenson and catch up- what a lovely gift and a reminder of how much has changed over this journey for everyone...

One of the things about my hospitalization that I will look back on with the fondest of smiles will be the time that I got to spend cuddling with Jenson, day and night.  The poor kid barely spent any time out of my arms, except for when he was being held in someone else's.  We basically used the hospital bassinet/crib thing solely as a diaper changing station.  I worried that I'd sleep through him fussing or crying if he was in it!  And until the day we were discharged, Jenson wore nothing except a diaper.  We'd swaddle him in blankets for visitors to hold him, but he basically spent the first four days of his life going skin-to-skin with Jason or me.  I couldn't bear to put him in the crib at night, so he slept for his first four nights nestled on my chest.  The only thing that would have been better would have been to have all three peanuts nestled there...

We'd visit Elliott and Sidney multiple times a day, have visitors, and deal with the various details that come along with having babies.  Filling out birth certificate information, meeting with the NICU social worker, working with the lactation consultants... our days were busy!  I kept thinking I'd take a nap, and then another visitor or staff member would knock at the door.  Looking back, I probably should have slept more, but it was way too special to have our friends coming to share in our joy.  

And I was feeling pretty good physically, all things considered.  The shakes that I experienced after the delivery were pretty much gone by that same evening.  I was up and walking by myself by the next morning.  Okay, so I wasn't running marathons at that point, but I could get around the room just fine and stand at Elliott's and Sidney's cribs for a short time before I'd need to sit down again.  Jason was amazing during this time- so attentive and just making sure all of my needs and Jenson's needs were being taken care of.  We joke about it, but Jason actually changed more of the munchkins' diapers while we were in the hospital than I did!  And he did all of it so willingly that it amazed me.  I'm not sure I've ever seen a man so excited to clean up poop.  :)

My pain was fairly well controlled, but it just felt so weird to still feel pregnant (lots of weird aches, retained fluids, hot flashes, etc) and yet intellectually know that there were no longer babies in that weird-shaped tummy of mine.  Due to the surgery, I had a lot of fluid and air in my abdomen.  Instead of seeing the munchkins' movements across my belly, I now got to watch air pockets move around my tummy instead- hilarious!

My mom flew in from Minnesota the day before we were discharged, and she stayed overnight in the room with Jenson and me that last night (I sent Jason home to take care of the dogs and to make sure that things were ready for us to come home to).  I don't care how old you are- when it comes to times like these, you want your mommy by your side.  I felt this immense pride and excitement the first time I watched her hold my sons- I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to top giving her three more beautiful grandchildren!

Being discharged was a little bittersweet.  On the one hand, I wanted to go home to my bed, my house, my stuff.  On the other hand, I didn't want to leave Sidney and Elliott.  It felt akin to abandoning them even though I knew I'd be seeing them very soon and they were obviously in the best of hands in the NICU.  Soon we would all be together!