September 7 - Heading Home

The days in the hospital went by faster than we thought. We had a few visitors, but not too many as we wanted those first few days to spend time bonding as a family. However, a special thank you to Grammy, Grumpy, Mamaw, Papaw, Gigi, Great Ga, Great Pa, Aunt Jen, Uncle Mike, Bill, Milly, Mallory, Chelsea, Grayson, Jen and Janet for coming to visit us. Our sweet little baby did a lot of sleeping, but that didn't stop anyone from wanting to see her.

We practiced nursing, changing diapers, burping, sleeping...and lots of loving! It was the beginning of a very long, learning experience. Already there are things that we said we weren't going to do, but with parenting we have learned you have to be flexible. As her weight dropped after birth, we had to supplement with some formula. We also have learned to appreciate pacifiers, another thing we did not plan on using. A couple trips to the nursery during the night gave mommy and daddy a couple hours of rest. Nonetheless, we are enjoying every minute with this precious baby.

Brooke's first dirty diaper

Finally it was Saturday, 3 days after my c-section, and we were going to be discharged. The hospital has signs everywhere saying be ready for discharge at noon. My doctor came in bright and early to discharge me, but we still had to wait for the pediatrician on-call to discharge the baby, since our pediatrician does not visit the hospital we delivered at. My mom and Kathy both arrived early to help us get ready to go home, and next thing you know it was after 3 pm. Finally the nurse came in to tell us that the doctor was caught up at another hospital and we could leave without seeing him, as he reviewed everything and she is fine up until this point. While it was relieving to get discharged, it was frustrating that we could have left hours prior if they had realized this sooner. 

We got Brooke dressed in her personalized onesie (thanks auntie) and in her carseat. Mom, Dad, Brooke, Grammy and Mamaw were heading home!