I'm so outta' here!

After a strange and quite eventful delivery yesterday, Miss Caroline was stabilized and brought next door to Children's National. One of the first things done was an EKG of her heart to determine whether she would need an immediate procedure in the cath lab. It turns out that all the veins are where they need to be and valves are wide open.
I actually got to hold her for a minute when she was born...no one was bold enough to try and take her right away. She was obviously breathing, crying much louder than you expect such a small creature to make. She is pink and chubby and looks just like Parker did when he was born...with a head full of dark hair. I guess all the heartburn really was worth it.
After the transport team took her (with Matthew in tow), I began my journey of sifting through morons to allow me to "visit" my own child. Since I was very closely monitored throughout my labor, I was not allowed to move...rendering me pretty helpless in the pain relief department. After unwillingly consenting to an epidural (which didn't work), we were finally checked by a doctor to discover I was ready to push! Imagine that...such great healthcare so close to our Nation's Capital! (On a sidenote, I have been nothing but pleased with everyone here at Children's...and that's what is important.) After a relatively short recovery, I was wheeled over to another room...where I immediatley changed into my skinnier me clothes and demanded a ride next door. Let's be nice and say it took a LOT longer than I wanted it to...and some heads had to roll out of room 5C1, but I finally made it over to see Caroline about 5 hours after delivery. I got to hold her and listen to Matthew tell me stories about all that had gone on over the course of the day...all of which made me jealous. It was then time for me to return to my overpriced hotel for the night...that I walked back to, despite all of the staff's horror. This morning, I woke up to Doctor Downing (who must be excluded from my WHC bashing, because I love him) stopping by to tell me I was FREE! Almost. It took those people almost 5 hours to discharge me from the hospital. But I'm here with my little sweetie now, and in the end, it was all worth it.