AW: we're in the home stretch
crystalpopcorn
member
BM is due in one week. Wow. I am excited, nervous, anxious, everything. More excited than anything though. The hospital plan is done, and we are taking a tour with BM and BF this week. Our nursery is coming along slowly but steadily. We have been invited to room in at the hospital, so we are starting to pack our bag. We've been prepping DS for the new arrival, and telling our dogs that their lives are about to be turned upside down again.
People say that you get pregnancy brain when you are pregnant. You become a space cadet. I'm here to tell you that you can also get "paper pregnancy" brain. I am a mess. I can't focus on anything...work, baby prep, or even this post (which is why it is probably all over the place).
Anyway, for those who have been there, I would appreciate any last minute advice you have on what to take to the hospital, what to expect, how to best support BM and BF, etc. I can't believe we've reached this point. It just seems so surreal.
Re: AW: we're in the home stretch
Take your big girl panties and your game face -- let EVERYTHING roll off your back. We were very lucky to encounter very little that was negative with Payton, but did run into some hospital staff who were a little hostile and one who was blatantly anti-adoption. Obviously it will be emotional for everyone involved, so just roll with the punches. The entire hospital experience was super surreal for us, just do what feels right for you and enjoy!
No words if wisdom...just big hugs! Like MrsB said, roll with it AND know that you've got a cheering section here and through your own networks that share in your excitement!
You'll be great. We were just so nervous since we were first time parents on top of everything. For us we just tried to take cues from the BM. She actually really enjoyed hanging out with us and teaching us how to do things for H. I'm not sure if all hospitals are like this but even after the papers were signed and legally the BM had no more rights to him, the hospital still treated her as the parent. She was very sweet and always redirected them to us but that took a little getting used to. Take as much free stuff as they will give you at the hospital!
We didn't have the option to room in like you did so we were forced to sleep separately from H the first two nights. It actually allowed us to get some mandatory rest. Don't be afraid to take advantage of the nursery. Two weeks in I was wishing the night nurses would come over....
Good luck and take lots of pictures. Oh that is something I regret. Not enough pictures with BM. I will definitely be making sure to get plenty of pics with her outside of the hospital this time. The hospital robes are not the most flattering things.
Wow, so exciting! I completely understand the "paper pregnancy" brain, I had that for sure, then I had sleep deprivation brain and now I don't know what it is, I guess it is baby brain. I still am a space cadet, but it is getting better.
Our experience at the hospital sounds similar to PSU's experience. We just followed our BM's lead and what she was comfortable with. She was so wonderful and wanted us to do everything for Maddie and get comfortable with her and being parents. She wanted us to be in the room with her most of the time, we would leave for breaks so she could eat and get some rest. We did not get to stay in the hospital at night so we went to a nearby hotel and during the night our BM had Maddie go to the nursery so she could sleep. Our BM was released from the hospital after 24 hours, but Maddie had to stay in for 48 hours total. The hardest thing was leaving her in the nursery that night when we left to go to the hotel to sleep. I didn't want to leave her alone and I started to cry. It was so amazing when we returned the next day and she was release to our SW and we got to take her home.