The Labor and Delivery of Leia Jasmine Part 2

The morning after I delivered I was discharged and we headed over to Loma Linda Hospital as quickly as we could. We were finally going to see Leia after our first night without her. All I could think about was how much she was going though and that my husband and I weren't there to comfort her. The night before when she was transported she had the saddest look on her face when they were taking her away. They gave us a teddy bear as a trade. That didn't help of course. Everything was out of our control. We were filled with worry as to what was happening with her and that we had no place to stay in that town. We got lucky though. A friend offered up his place for us to stay until Leia was discharged. We couldn't be more grateful. I was still in great pain after giving birth. It was difficult walking around the hospital and painful to sit. We finally found her in the NICU. She was so content and slept a lot. I really thought when I brought her home she was going to sleep a lot too. I ended up being VERY wrong. We had to visit Leia within their open hours. Every time I saw her I breastfed her. I needed to keep my supply growing. I was very upset that they started her on formula every three hours. I wanted to do only breastfeeding from the beginning, but I understand life doesn't always go as planned. In order to give her as much breast milk as possible I had to pump at the hospital every couple hours because I didn't have my pump with me. That was one of my biggest mistakes. I didn't plan on having any issues with breastfeeding. I assumed she would always be with me and that I could just latch her on. Always bring your breast pump in your hospital bag! I would bring my pumped milk, which was less than an ounce, to the nurse and she would feed her that first and then finish with formula. They would also record how much she would drink and try to force her to drink a specific amount. I didn't like this at all because when breastfeeding your baby, she can drink as much as she wants based on her needs. Newborn's stomachs are extremely small and don't need as much formula as they were trying to force her to drink. One nurse tried to get the doctor to keep Leia longer because she wasn't drinking the amount they wanted! Thankfully the doctor wasn't worried.

 I was a very frustrated mom. I hated seeing other people doing my job as a mother. I wanted to take care of her and feed her. I felt like I had to ask permission to hold her because she was hooked up to so many tubes! They were constantly running tests on her to make sure she was okay. She was breathing on her own the entire time she was in NICU. She had high white blood cell count so they flooded her system with antibiotics. The night she was born the doctor at the hospital she was born at tried to tell us she had pneumonia. That's ridiculous because she was just born. She never ended up having that or anything else they tested her for. She has been completely healthy. Those doctors sure know how to scare you though. I kept asking the doctor in the NICU when Leia could come home. Every time I would walk in and see a nurse feeding and cuddling my baby I got upset. I think after I gave birth I transformed into some crazy hormonal mother grizzly bear. Saturday night we had to leave her again and come back in the morning. As exhausted as I was, it was incredibly difficult to sleep without her. I felt like a part of me was missing and in pain. There was no way I could be content until she was with me. On Sunday we went back, did my pumping and spent time with Leia. In order for us to be discharged we had to watch parenting videos. I couldn't believe all the road blocks keeping our child from being with us. The doctor finally said she could be discharged because they found nothing wrong and her white blood cell count was going down. We were so relieved that we would be able to take her home that day. When the time came we dressed her in an outfit that happened to be too large for her. I'm a first time mom and had no idea what to expect. We put her in her carseat and headed out the hospital doors. We couldn't believe we were taking her home! She was all ours finally! We had made it through the hardest days of our lives and we are so thankful Leia is healthy.