Our Hospital Stay

After we were moved to our new room and given matching wrist bands, Dave left to get Sophia. It was a few hours before he returned. While he was gone Emma got her bath, nursed, and we were both able to take a quick nap.

It was important to me that I was not holding Emma when Sophia first came into the hospital room. For us, I don't think it would have mattered if I had been holding Emma, but I didn't want Sophia to feel replaced. Sophia saw me and started looking for the baby immediately.

Sophia was thrilled to watch over Emma, talk to her, and hold her. Her favorite part of the hospital room was adjusting the bed up and down (which is something she was shown during the big sister class that we attended). Sophia was happy to visit, but she did have a hard time leaving when I was holding Emma.

The girls exchanged presents. Sophia is rather attached to her Lovey, so she wanted to give the baby one of their own. I made Sophia a Big Sister bag and stuffed it with goodies to keep her busy while the baby was being cared for.

With Sophia I had Strep B and needed to stay an extra day in the hospital. This time around I was strep negative. If Emma had not had trouble transitioning (something common during fast deliveries) we would have been able to go home after one night. What I thought were sweet little baby noises were actually a sign of having trouble breathing. The nurses described it as 'singing'. Fortunately each time her oxygen levels were checked, they were in the normal range. I was happy to stay the extra night just for peace of mind.

My hospital experience with this delivery was so different than my delivery with Sophia. The biggest difference was that I was at an older, public hospital this time compared to the new maternity center at a private hospital. Many people look at their time in the hospital as a vacation of sorts. I was just anxious to get home, shower in my own shower, and sleep in my own bed.