[Childbirth] It's hard to say goodbye to my daughter after visiting | Deciding when to be discharged

Hello everyone.
How are you doing?

I wonder if many of you feel like "Golden Week ends today"? That is exactly the case for our family; starting tomorrow, my husband goes back to work, and my two-year-old daughter starts her daily routine at nursery school.

Reflecting on the birth

Yesterday, I gave birth to my second child, a boy.

I had a show late the night before the birth, but I was able to get a good night's sleep as usual and had a painless delivery during the day.

Because I chose an epidural and this was my second child, my cervix was soft and the delivery went smoothly, so I still had some energy left. That said, there is no such thing as an injury-free birth, is there? My body seems to have taken a hit, and I've been sleeping like a log since the birth.

Yesterday, perhaps the labor progressed faster than the anesthesia could take effect, or maybe I should have had more anesthesia, but I felt the pain of contractions on my right side during the birth. There was some intense pain at times, but I think it was overwhelmingly less painful than a natural delivery.

Thanks to the power of the anesthesia, the catheter for urination didn't hurt at all, and I didn't feel any pain from the episiotomy or the stitches afterward. It wasn't completely painless, but I feel that "the anesthesia was working, but the contractions were stronger than the effect of the anesthesia."

Also, the afterpains that I suffered from with my first child are mild so far, just a feeling of "my stomach getting tight and painful" while breastfeeding. With my first, Loxonin didn't work and I had to get an IV for pain relief, so I'm really glad I don't have that afterpain.

It's hard to say goodbye to my two-year-old daughter after visiting

Today, on my first day of hospitalization after giving birth, my daughter and daddy came to visit during snack time. The three of us enjoyed the creme brulee provided by the maternity clinic.

My daughter was very curious about the baby and took the initiative to hold and pet him. I was surprised at the speed of a child's growth, thinking, "You were like this two years ago, too." In just two years, she has really grown up.

The visiting time was two hours.

Naturally, when it was time to leave, she cried loudly, saying, "I don't want to go home!" and "I don't want to say bye-bye!" Of course, she doesn't want Mommy to stay behind either, right?

In her own way, she tried to think of any way not to go home, shouting repeatedly, "Change my Pampers!" (meaning: my diaper is wet with pee, so I want to change it in the hospital room before I go home!).

She wanted to buy some time before leaving, even if it was just for the few minutes it took to change her diaper. It just made me feel so sad.

Deciding when to be discharged

For women who have already given birth, the day of delivery is counted as day 0, and discharge is usually 4 to 5 days after the day of delivery. I can be discharged on the 4th day postpartum, or on the 5th day.

"Should I be discharged on Saturday, or on Sunday?"

Right now, I have these two options. Thinking about my daughter's loneliness, I want to be discharged on Saturday. If I am discharged, my life with the newborn starts, so if I want to rest my body even a little more, a Sunday discharge would be better.

I worried about it a little, but I chose to be discharged one day early on Saturday.

First of all, I wanted to be discharged as soon as possible so I could shower my daughter with praise for doing her best. In terms of costs, it also saves one day of hospitalization fees. Besides, even if life with a newborn starts a day earlier, we have a wonderful dad at home, so I'm sure it will be fine (by the way, he is taking three months of paternity leave).

Tomorrow and the day after are weekdays. Considering when my husband finishes work, he won't make it in time for visiting hours. My daughter won't be able to see her mom at all for the next two days starting tomorrow, so I wonder what will happen. I wonder if she'll be able to wake up early in the morning and go to daycare properly. I wonder if she'll be able to have dinner, take a bath, and brush her teeth with her dad after coming home from daycare.

Solo parenting is truly tough, so I'm also worried about the toll it will take on my husband.

Time passes second by second equally, whether it's fun or painful, but the way you experience the passage of time changes completely depending on your situation, doesn't it? I hope my husband and daughter can spend the next two days together as happily as possible.