Hospital Stay

First few hours: Our first couple hours went by fast and were quite hectic. Maggie was brought to my chest immediately after she was born and stayed there for nearly 90 minutes before being weighed, measured and cleaned up. While I loved the moment, I hated that Matt didn't get to hold her right away and he has said that is something he didn't like this time around. I understand the importance for skin to skin with the mom and I loved that I got to do that again, but I still ache thinking Matt didn't get to hold her for so long. Once we got me up and walking, we needed to get the room packed up and moved over to our new room on the other side of the hospital.

Weighed 8 lb 11.5 oz and measured 21.5 in 

Introducing Emma to Maggie: Because I didn't want to pass Emma in the hall as we were moving rooms without her meeting Maggie first, we brought her into our delivery room before we headed over. While Matt went to go get Emma from our parents, I moved to a chair so it would be easier for her to get up and see Maggie. As they walked in the room, Emma went right past me and started exploring the the bed and all the gadgets that were around. She had no interest until we sat her right next to me. She was a bit confused (we think she thought of Maggie as a baby doll) and just sat there and looked at her and then looked at me. After a few minutes, Emma finally touched her and just stared at her.

Visitors: Once we got settled in our new room, our parents and Emma came in to see Maggie. We waited until they saw Maggie to tell them her name and stats. Our poor families had to wait almost four hours before they knew any details which I am sure drove them crazy. On Saturday, Blake and his girlfriend Kinsey visited along with my co-worker/friend, Aimee and her daughter Simone.

Nursing: This is probably the most disappointing aspect of our hospital stay. Like Emma, Maggie didn't latch on well and when she did, it was constant biting. Through the night on Friday was the worst, I was sobbing from the extreme pain and knew this isn't what it was supposed to feel like. The nurse we had was super sweet, but she was a "floater" nurse and not a pediatrics nurse, so therefore she  just had me nurse through the pain before trying other things or getting a lactation consultant. It wasn't until the very end that I said I needed a shield, I couldn't do this anymore. By the time our next nurse started, she realized I was bleeding, cracked and starting to scab over and really worked with us on trying to latch with the shield. Even with the shield, it was beyond painful because of the damage done earlier. Luckily, we got a great lactation consultant that worked with us up until we left.

Heading home: We were itching to get out of the hospital and head home to Emma by Sunday morning (Mother's Day). Luckily this time around, we were able to leave at 11:00 a.m. Prior to leaving, Matt's parents came to visit again before heading back to Litchfield. We also got the all clear from my OB and the pediatrician. Then it was up to us to get packed up, Maggie ready and get the official discharge instructions from the nurse. Unlike her sister, Maggie slept the whole way home and didn't mind her car seat at all.

Maggie wore the same outfit home that my mom, myself and Emma all wore home from the hospital. 

Once home, big sister Emma (and Nana) were there to welcome us. Emma was so excited that she got right in the car to greet Maggie. My mom was nice enough to stick around and help for a little bit after so we could get unpacked, Emma lunch and get us all comfortable to do this on our own. Emma was able to hold Maggie and watch her a little bit before needing to go down for a nap, which resulted in her first major meltdown since Maggie's arrival.