Welcome Piper!

My friend Shanna finally gave birth to a beautiful baby girl yesterday. Kathyrn Piper Davis (will be called Piper) arrived yesterday and is doing well. We (my friends and I) went to visit Shanna today and to meet Piper. I can't believe how cute Piper is and how good Shanna looks. As you can see from this picture she does not look like she gave birth yesterday. It was interesting to talk to her and see how different it is to give birth in the Czech Republic compared to the United States. The first thing that stands out is the amount of time spent in the hospital. For a normal delivery you are required by law to stay in the hospital for 72 hours! That is unheard on in the States. Some other things that are different is that Shanna has to take the baby's temperature and bathe her every day. The nurses do that for you while you are in the hospital in the States. Then there is of course the Czech obsession with bundling babies. The baby needs to have at least 5 blankets on as well as the heat turned up to 10 on a 1-10 scale. Shanna has continued to turn the heat down to a bearable level. It was hot when I was visiting her and the heat was only at 2.5 so I can't imagine how hot her room was at 10!! With all the differences though Shanna seemed to take it all in stride and was happy. I'm happy that she and the baby are doing well and I'm glad I got to learn something else about the Czech Republic.