On a more positive note...

Here are some happy things I remember about our stay in the hospital when Ansley was born.

The nursing staff were awesome. They listened to my requests for Ansley's care. They didn't offer her a passy until I granted permission. When the passy started causing problems for us, they were quick to discontinue using them to quiet her.

The nursing tech assigned to make me walk for the first time on Wednesday (Ansley was born Tuesday evening) was encouraging and patient, allowing me all the time I needed to avoid feeling faint.

When they entered my room during the wee hours of the morning to monitor blood pressure and temperature, they worked as quietly and quickly as possible.

Even though the nurses/doctors started talking about sending me home less than 48 hours after birth, they allowed me to stay an extra day after I explained my living environment & route home (two story home with bedrooms and showers on the upper floor + 3 speed bumps on River North Blvd).

Ansley roomed in with me throughout the day and as much of the nights as I could manage.

The broth, jello, etc. breakfast the morning after Ansley was born was quite tastey. In fact, I enjoyed all of the meals except one, and even that one wasn't memorable as far as bad meals go.

Visitors were considerate and only appeared in the afternoons/early evenings when I had more energy.