Our 5 star accomodations at Yale hospital

Peanut was born at Yale Children's Hospital in New Haven.  After the whole delivery ordeal, we were transferred to the maternity floor to spend a couple of days recovering.

The first few hours were less than fun since there were way too many deliveries that day and we were placed in a double.  Can I tell you how awkward that is?  Imagine talking to the other person behind the curtain while people are going in and out of the room.  We were by the door which meant that her visitors walked right past us as I lay in my post-delivery gown, waiting for the IV to finish so I could shower and get dressed.  I also chose to breastfeed, so...yeah...the whole thing was awkward.

A couple of hours after we moved to the maternity ward, Jon's mom, brother, sister and my mom, dad, sister and her boyfriend visited us.  I felt bad for our roommate as everyone piled in to the room, held the baby, and chatted happily.

After a short visit, our guests left and Jon and I were on our own (along with about 3 nurses, doctors, and other staff).  I was finally able to get a shower in and we attempted our first feeding.  I say attempted because the whole nursing thing is a learning experience for both mom and baby.  We weren't very successful since Peanut wanted nothing to do with eating and preferred to sleep.  Not thinking too much of it, Jon and I agreed to take a break and try again later.  The nurse offered to finally wash the baby and we eagerly agreed.  Once in the nursery, they took Peanut's temperature and blood sugar levels which were not up to par.  The next thing I knew there were about 3 nurses, a lactation consultant and some other staff in the room, waking the baby up and trying their hardest to get her to nurse.  Hectic as it was, we were all successful and Peanut's blood sugar levels went back up.

At 3pm the nurse came in to let us know that a room freed up and we were moving to a single.  We took about 5 seconds to pack up and bolt out of the double.  The new room was amazing!  There was so much space and privacy.  Peanut was finally able to nurse without anyone forcing us and Jon and I enjoyed every moment together as a family.  Addison got a much-needed bath by the nurse and we settled in for our first night together.

I'll tell you what Jon and I expected with our first baby - we thought that babies cry non-stop.  We thought that we'd take turns being up with the baby, calming her.  But Addison nursed, got a diaper change, and fell asleep.  Jon and I sat over her, wondering if something was wrong.  Why was she so quiet?  It took me almost a full hour to fall asleep, knowing that our little baby was sleeping in her hospital crib next to us.  We all know I'm a paranoid freak to start with so falling asleep while Jon was asleep made me uncomfortable.  Who would be watching the baby?  Who was going to check that she's breathing every 3 seconds?  But I did fall asleep, waking up 2 hours later to an alarm.  Our first night was a success!

Day 2 was very different from day 1.  We got up and took turns showering and eating breakfast.  Jon's mom and sister visited in the morning after another successful nursing session.  Motrin and a couple hours of sleep apparently do wonders for new parents.  The afternoon was also full of visitors and we were glad to socialize with everyone.

The hospital staff came in and out of our room, showing us how to swaddle the baby, taking our vitals, making sure the baby's temperature stayed up.  Jon and I learned about postpartum and when to call the doctors.  We were like sponges, absorbing as much information about the baby as we could.

Our second night went even better than the first - Jon and I slept for a couple of hours between feedings and marveled at our little angel sleeping.  We woke up early, ready to take on the day since day 3 meant we get to go home!

Our morning was hectic as we were seen by every doctor in the hospital, along with a social agent, the pediatrician, and the nurses that had to prepare us to leave.  By 10 am everyone passed all the tests and we packed up all of our stuff.  By 11 am we were finally ready to face the real world on our own.

Little did we know, it's a lot harder to be on your own when there are no nurses or doctors to look over your shoulder and let you know if you're doing things right.

Next: our first couple of days home.