Decisions, Decisions

First off, happy 2 month birthday Sophie!!

Boy, what a crazy day! It started with a call from Dr. A (one of the neonatal pediatricians at the NICU) that said he had talked to the surgeon, Dr. Egan, about Sophie's surgery. Apparently Dr. Egan had thought that he and I agreed to not do the G tube (a feeding tube that is surgically inserted into the belly) and would instead only do the NG (the feeding tube that she has now that goes down her nasal passage and into the stomach). So he scheduled the analplasty (the surgery to correct her anal opening) for tomorrow at 7am. But Dr. A told Dr. Egan that it was his understanding (and recommendation) that she get the G tube. So they needed us to clarify our decision. Today. Because if we did do the G tube, the surgery couldn't be done tomorrow. So I told them I was leaning towards the G tube, so let's delay the surgery. I figured that would also give me more time to make the decision. But then at 3:30pm they told me they could do both surgeries tomorrow, so I needed to make a decision tonight.

I vaguely remember my discussion with Dr. Egan, but it was a couple of weeks ago, back when I had hope that Sophie could come home without any tube. Unfortunately that is not the case now. She will hit the "deadline" of 41 weeks tomorrow and has not shown a ton of improvement in her volume of nippling (although her technique does seem to be better). Until today I didn't realize that she could go home at this point with just the NG tube, and not a G tube.

There are pros and cons for each, and I had (and am still having) a hard time making the decision. [Let me clarify that I discussed this with Keith, but ultimately it would be my decision since I will be the one taking care of her the most.] My first reaction was to say if we could avoid a surgical procedure, let's do the NG. But the pediatricians recommended the G tube, mainly because they believe it could be a long time before she nipples her whole feeds (months). The NG can be a hassle because the tube can come out, and the baby does not like it when it is reinserted. The G tube could always be inserted in a few weeks, but that would involve another surgery, so it's best to take care of it now that she's already going under anesthesia.

I made an appt to talk to the surgeon tonight, and before that I talked to our friend Harry who is a pediatrician (who was very helpful). I decided to go ahead with the G tube because it seemed like it would be easier for us, and probably more comfortable for Sophie (barring any infection and after the initial effects of surgery). I really hope that she proves the pediatricians wrong and starts nippling her full feeds soon and the G tube is deemed unnecessary, but I have prepared myself for the possibility that it could be quite a while before she does that.

The good news is that this means Sophie will be coming home soon. They figure she should be ready about a week after surgery. We're mostly ready, but have a lot of last minute things to do (cleaning, buying nipples, etc.).

If you had told me two months ago that Sophie would still be in the hospital at this point, I wouldn't have believed you. And it would have depressed me. At this point I've learned to expect the unexpected and that really it's not something to get depressed about. Sophie is a wonderful blessing in our lives!!