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Monday, May 21, 2012

Let Down City

When E was born, this was the setting:
Labor and delivery room.

And after she had come, we moved to a room like this:


Recovery room.

One of my friends from S's company had a baby, yesterday, and we went to visit last night. Her recovery room looked like this:

This is only an example. Her room looked much more run down. And it was smaller. And not a bright.


As the Army hates me, and wants me to die here in the worst place in the world, if we continue with the current family plan, I will be recovering in a room much like the one above (only smaller, uglier, and darker). The most depressing place to bond with your new baby. Ever.

She didn't even have a rocking chair. She was literally stuck in the horrible, uncomfortable, hospital bed. Because there was no where else for her to go. Bathroom? Around the corner. Privacy? None.

As unimpressed as I was with my labor and delivery experience the first time around, the recovery room was definitely nothing to sneeze at. I had a private bathroom, a place for my husband to sleep, a rocking chair. I could use my cell phone, I could be as naked as I wanted to promote breastfeeding, I had no strangers barging in on me, it was quiet... I will have none of the above here. I will have to share the most beautiful and simultaneously disgusting hours of my life with perfect strangers.

It's so very, very, very depressing. Like Washington. It's like they planned it that way.

I can only hope and wish and pray for some miracle that will send us far, far away from this place. So I can have as good a bonding experience with #2 as I did with E. Because that's what it will take :(. (Stupid Army).



(Above L&D pictures are from Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA)





6 comments:

  1. Ugh.. I had both in a similar L&D to the one in Atlanta. I think I would've crapped my pants had I given birth and recovered in the latter. Hell, my gallbladder recovery was more private and I had a private room before and after surgery. Even the private under the sink toilet in the ICU was better than "around the corner". I think I'd hold off on the baby making just a bit longer if that's the scenery!

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    1. I would... but I have very strict birthday guidelines ;). I am just hoping and wishing and praying to my fairy godmother that we get to leave this place by the time #2 comes along. It seriously did not give me the new baby warm and fuzzies

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  2. Give birth at home if your medical needs allow it. My friend has a great post about that. (http://mycamokids.blogspot.com.au/2010/10/my-home-birth-story.html) You should watch The Business of Being Born... also very anti-hospital, much like it seems you would experience.

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    1. Giving birth at home appeals to me in no way whatsoever. The idea is a good one, at least on the surface, but once I actually think about it, the less appealing it becomes. It isn't helped by the fact that one of my mother's friends not only broke her hips trying to birth a baby who was too big at home... but also lost the baby :(.

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  3. Sorry you hate Washington. :( If there is one thing the Army IS good at, its teaching us how to make the best of a crappy situation….because they give us so much practice at it! Have you tried meetup.com or resources on post to find a moms group? Being a stay at home mom is hard work, being a military spouse is even harder work. I hope you can find a good support system out there in Washington some how or another!

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    1. The commander's wife started instituting coffee groups a couple months ago, and those have really helped. And once the "summer" gets here, there will be more to do--unfortunately, JBLM subscribes to the idea that if it's raining/cloudy out, all social functions should cease. Armed Forces Day sort of "opened" the season. We also have some new neighbors who have small children, so score one for the social calendar!

      Frankly, I'm just surprised that I so easily found a post that was able to make Fort Sill look nice ;-)

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