Day 3 was a huge day for all of us! Kelsie nursed successfully for the first time and we were both released to go home a process that took the majority of that day! I am so thankful to the nurse in the NICU that day for helping me figure out how to get Kelsie to nurse. Unfortunately when Kelsie was born Clear Lake Regional hospital did not have a lactation consultant on staff, and though several nurses attempted to assist me they really didn't have a lot of expertise. However the NICU nurse that last day taught me so much and was the only one that gave us advice that worked. She is the one that suggested that I pump a little to get the milk started beforehand, because Kelsie wasn't used to waiting for it. She also suggested we use a syringe full of breast milk to get her interested. Everything she said worked like a charm and Kelsie ate like she had been breast feeding forever that first time!
I am so thankful that she nursed successfully before we were sent home. It made me feel so much better about going home! I had been so worried that if we left and she wasn't nursing it would never happen. I was ready to go, because I hadn't had a good night's sleep since I entered the hospital that Saturday. It was Wednesday and even though I knew I wouldn't get a full night's sleep with a nursing newborn I figured I would sleep better at home!
Unfortunately it didn't hit me right away that I would no longer have the nurses to help me anymore. It is disconcerting how clueless you feel when you first leave the hospital. I of course had my mom, but that didn't really make up for the level of ignorance about baby care I felt that day. When it finally did hit me it made me get emotional again, so when she was brought in the room I started crying again! Part of it was hormones and the other part was an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.
I was able to pull it together again and was ready to go home! We packed her into her car seat, which by the way is not an easy task the first few times and waited for the wheelchair. By the time we left it was almost 8:30 pm and I was hungry and tired. I had been focusing on getting to the NICU every couple of hours to feed Kelsie so much that I had forgotten to eat!
We got home and introduced Kelsie to her home and then we all had something to eat! It was such a relief to be in familiar surroundings again and I couldn't wait to start my life with my daughter, my miracle Kelsie!
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