Great question but I also think I have unresolved issues... I felt so proud the day we got to bring DD home from hospital but after reading how people got to go home with their babies I (only now) realise it is another thing I missed out on (as well as spontaneous labour, those first newborn yucky tar poos etc).

DD was born 6 weeks early due to pre-eclampsia and spent 15 days 'admitted' in the SCN. I was discharged on day 4 (but had been in hospital for 6 days). I had a VB and when we were told I could go home, I rang DP who came into the hospital and then he and I went and put all the stuff in the car then DP went home to drop it all off. I went back up to the SCN (still in my PJs) and waited with DD as she was being transferred to another hospital as she didn't require the Level 5 nursery anymore and because I was being discharged she was transferred to the nearest appropriate level 3 SCN.

On the day that DD was allowed to come home, we had been told the night before that provided she put on weight we would be going home. I had been doing a stay in at the hospital with her. DP had gone to golf.

They weighed DD and she had lost 20gms... I bawled and bawled because after 13 days I had had enough... I wanted to go home with my baby who was otherwise healthy and had done a poo about 15mins before the weigh in. I cried because that poo probaby weighed 30gms!! The nurses spoke to the doctors and told them what a good job I had been doing (don't mean to pat my own back but I was there for every feed except the 4am one - and basically sat at the hospital all day so I could do her cares etc). So after speaking to the doctors I was allowed home on gate leave which meant we were technically still admitted to the hospital and we were to go back on the Monday for another weigh in... if she hadn't put on any weight she would be readmitted.

Once we were told we could go, I went to the car and got the pram and then I packed up all our stuff and put DD in the pram - she was so tiny and was at 36weeks gestation. I pushed her out to the car - I felt so proud... we had been told we would be in hospital until at least her due date and here we were going home 4 weeks prior to that!! I was doing it by myself which was nice because after having nurses there to 'fall back on' it was nice to be doing something with/for DD all by myself. I remember being so smug and having such a huge smile on my face.

But then... once at the car I spent 2.5 hours trying to fold the darn pram up... we had NEVER folded it up before now... except for the really well worn one in the shop! DP was at golf so had his phone turned off. Then my phone battery died so I couldn't call anyone else to come and help and I had kicked the pram really hard at one point and bent the arm back so I couldn't even fold it out to put DD into it to go back to the hospital to use their phone and I didn't want to leave the pram at the car because the area we were in... well the pram wouldn't have been there when I got back to the car!

So I sat in the back of the car and cried and cried and then I fed DD and then I stared at her... and then I gathered my thoughts and went and perserved with the pram and FINALLY got it folded up and then we drove out to the golf course because after that ordeal I wasn't even going to contemplate going into the house by myself LOL.