To say that Dustin and I had a horrible stay at the hospital following Gage’s birth is an understatement. All the magic and euphoria was almost immediately ripped away by careless nurses and poor treatment. I will spare any further details on that..but it was not one of my favorite moments. The day we were to come home from the hospital Gage came down with a pretty significant case of jaundice. Although this is common in babies the first few days and weeks of life, it through this mom for a loop to see her baby hooked up to a special glowing bed with tubes coming out every which direction. The doctor’s and nurses informed us we would have to have a “bili bed” in order to take Gage home. A home healthcare company got up set up and we were on our way to life at home with a new baby. I was exhausted by the time we pulled into our neighborhood. I had a total of 5 hours sleep in 3 days, and a constant parade of nurses and staff at the hospital made it impossible to get any rest there. Our home looked a lot like heaven as we pulled in the driveway! Maybe that was because two little angels had been working away while we were gone. As we pulled down the street I saw a cloud of blue balloons, a huge “It’s a Boy” sign in the yard and a wreath on the door. My heart was once again overjoyed and I was so touched. My mom and Dustin’s mom had really out-done themselves making our homecoming special. I was so touched. As we walked in the door the sweet aroma of a home cooked meal touched my nose and I took a deep breath. I felt the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. I was home, with my little angel. I could shower, brush my teeth, and SLEEP in my very own bed. And I did just that. Not only that, but I got to put on my very own comfy pair of pajamas that had not fit in months. It fit again and I was thrilled! I will even admit I poured myself a glass of wine that first night..and it too was GLORIOUS!
The next day we were to meet with the pediatrician to have Gage’s bilirubin levels checked. This would be my first time out of the house with my brand new baby and it was a wee bit harder than I expected. I diligently packed all of his essentials in my new diaper bag. Diapers, check. Bottles, check. Burp rags, wipes, boogie pickers, binky, check check check! I was ready! Off we went. My mother in law was driving and commented that my brand new car was not driving right? Hmm I thought. We pulled off the freeway, into not the best area of town…of course! And my car DIES! Here we are, in the ghetto, in a broken down vehicle, and running late to a doctor’s appointment. I was already worried about driving with Gage in the car..and now this. Ugh! Daddy to the rescue again. Dustin came and traded vehicles with us so we could go on to the doctor and he stayed there until the nearest Lexus dealership would come to tow my car. We get to the doctor almost an hour late and I am a bit frazzled. Gage has of course pee’d in his diaper which has somehow soaked all of his clothes as well. And there it was..the one thing I forgot in his diaper bag…a change of clothes. I put myself up for mommy of the year right then as I drug my 3 day old baby into the doctor’s office to have his heel pricked with a needle, wearing no clothes, smelling like pee, and wearing a dirty diaper. Yup, I win! I was then scolded for not having socks on the baby…and I literally wanted to smack the nurse and tell her look lady I am lucky his head and my head are still attached at this point. And by the way..I just had my first baby 3 days ago…could I get just a little slack? Sigh, those first few days and weeks were trying. Gage was a perfect prince. He went with the flow and he DID cut mommy some slack. He didn’t mind that he didn’t have socks on, that his diaper wasn’t changed immediately, or that he had to sit in the ghetto and wait for Daddy to come rescue us. When they say that babies are resilient, they were right again. My little man was a trooper.
We continued to have Gage’s bilirubin levels checked daily for the next 10 days. This sounds like a relatively easy process..go to the doctor and then you’re done..right? Nope..going to the doctor as a new mom with a new baby is ten times harder than you would ever think. The task that used to take you 1 hour, will now take 3 hours to complete. It was draining , but most of all I hated hearing Gage cry every time they pricked his little foot with a needle. All of this, and not to mention..I just had a baby! Momma was pretty tired and still trying to recooperate myself. To wrap things up and spare too many details..mom had some complications during week 2 that also required us to go see the doctor. When I said Gage I spent the first 2 weeks of his life going to a doctor’s office daily, I wasn’t kidding. We thought we had that obstacle tackled and then week 3 ½ ended with mommy having surgery. NOW we are back on track and have enjoyed our very first week home together with ZERO doctor’s appointments.
Now I am truly getting to enjoy my time home with Gage and focus on just loving on him and holding him. And working on his birth announcement etc etc. I have so enjoyed being a mommy. Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be this fulfilling. I love taking care of him. And I don’t even mind the lack of sleep or getting up in the middle of the night. I actually enjoy it. That one on one time spent with him is priceless. I love watching him quietly suck on his bottle while the rest of the house sleeps peacefully. These are the moments I will hold on to forever and ever. I should also mention that aside from a fantastic baby, I have one fantastic daddy as well. Dustin is the perfect doting father. He is great with Gage and I really don’t know how I would do this without him.
So..there it is..the skinny on what has been going on in our lives the last month. And I do promise to update this blog more often. I know, I know..I always say that : ) Thank you to all our family, friends, and loved ones who made this journey with us. The outpouring of love and support, home cooked dinners, help, and visits have been more than we could have ever asked for. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment