Continuing from my birth story:
A WEEK AT THE HOSPITAL:
I mentioned way back in the beginning of my pregnancy that in Japan it's custom to stay in the hospital for a week after giving birth. It was actually a very beneficial stay and I'm glad they have that custom.
After birthing Jacet and cleaning him up and letting me hold him, they took him straight to the nursery. I would have preferred having him stay with me in my room so I could breastfeed and bond but apparently they don't do that the first night. The first night is meant for the rest and recovery of the mother. I was fine with that because I knew he was in good hands, I was just disappointed.
I believe I was the only one who gave birth that night and I was fortunate to get a very good private room. It was located right next to the bathroom and showers so it felt like they were my own, though they were shared. There were only about 4 or 5 others staying at the same time so it was very quiet and relaxing.
The first night was a little rough for me. I was in pain and bleeding of course. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get comfortable AND because I was wondering how my baby was doing, not to mention the fact that the nurses came to check on me every hour...
The first day was very long. Tomo had told me that they were going to bring Jacet to me in the morning to spend the day, but he never came. I waited and wondered but thought maybe Tomo had gotten things mixed up. Nurses came and gave me a schedule of the week and checked up on my recovery, but no Jacet. Finally Tomo was able to visit after work and asked the nurses why they hadn't brought the baby. Apparently they thought they were supposed to wait for Tomo to come or something. I'm still not sure about what happened there, but they finally brought me my baby. I was only able to spend an hour with him and feel like I missed a lot of bonding time :(
The next day was a busy day on my schedule. I was to have an aroma therapy massage and a nice fancy lunch from the expensive hotel nearby. Plus this was the day Jacet would come to my room to stay for the rest of the week. So to make things short, Jacet arrived, the nice nurse explained to me how to make a bottle, how to clean and sterilize it, how to change his diaper, etc. I also got a lesson on breastfeeding, which I could start trying to do, but they wanted me to supplement with formula the first day or so until my milk started to come in. I then got my nice aroma therapy massage (only the legs) and the fancy lunch (which was very good).
The next few days were simply spent learning Jacet's behavior and habits and spending quality time together. Tomo's mom and sister came to visit and I was checked out of the hospital on Friday morning.
HOME WITH BABY:
Tomo's mother has been staying with us to help out with the cooking and cleaning around the house. She has been a great help and I really appreciate her being here. I'm learning new dinner menus, I'm able to sleep in and take naps (depending on Jacet), and she even helped me with breastfeeding when I was having trouble in the beginning. I don't know how ladies in the U.S. and other countries do all this only a day or two after giving birth!
It's been 2 weeks now and Jacet has been the perfect baby. He sleeps, eats, poops, and sleeps again. He only cries when I don't feed him quick enough, and only fusses a little occasionally. Tomo gives him a bath every night after work when he can and he (Jacet) actually likes it! He started off eating about every 3 hours but has recently been eating every 2 hrs during the day. At night he sleeps for 4 or 5 hours at a time so I get some decent sleep. We've both been working on our breastfeeding and are slowly getting the hang of it. Jacet eats like a champ and is definitely growing!
We both have a one month check up in May that I'm sure we'll both pass.
Both Tomo and I are extremely proud and happy to be blessed with this little angel. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect family.
Next update: One Month!
Now for pictures!
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