Welcome to the Hotel California

On the eve of our fourth night at Baptist Hospital, a line from the famous Eagles' song, Hotel California, captures our mood - "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."

That's not completely accurate, because we elected to stay at the hospital a fourth night. John Patrick has lost a little weight since he was born, which is not unusual. However, the slight weight loss combined with the fact he was circumcised this morning (which makes changing diapers a little more difficult) led us to decide to go home tomorrow, as opposed to today. Our pediatrician told us it was our call. Plus, several friends had advised us to stay in the hospital as long as our health insurance would allow. So, here we are.

Jude and I were talking and laughing this afternoon, when I made note of the fact that by day four, a hospital stay feels kind of like a prolonged visit to a casino in Las Vegas. You have no idea what time it is, what the temperature is outside or what the weather is like. You start to recognize different hospital staff members, as they rotate on and off their shifts from day to day, just like the black jack dealers, bartenders and maids in a Las Vegas casino. You never see a newspaper or watch CNN, so you completely lose track of current events. Also, you're staying in one room which, after the fourth day, starts to feel smaller and smaller. Really, the similarities are striking.

Breast feeding is still a challenge, but Jude and John Patrick are making great progress. Staying here an extra night has given us the opportunity to continue to avail ourselves of the resources Baptist Hospital has to assist new mothers learning to breast feed. Paula Appleby, a lactation consultant, has been particularly generous with her time and has helped us a great deal. We're so appreciative of her efforts.

This morning, our pediatrician, Dr. Godfrey at Green Hills Pediatric Associates (whom we love, by the way) aptly compared breast feeding to learning to ballroom dance. At first, it feels really awkward, is somewhat frustrating and isn't much to look at. However, after a little practice, you and your partner find a little rhythm, it looks and feels more natural and is a beautiful thing. I think he's right.