My back and arms are sore and I'm really tired. It's been a long day. I had to get up at 5:45am to get to Phoenix Children's Hospital by 7am for Sophie's 9am surgery (which actually started even later). Sophie needed a lot of holding today, although overall she did really well. Despite not having any food since 3am, Sophie endured the wait for surgery better than most people would. She even smiled at just about every person that came in the prep room to check her out.
The surgery itself was pretty quick, about an hour and a half. They made the incision below her belly button and sewed up the hole that was caused by her previous surgery. While she was under they also drew blood (since we were having trouble drawing blood when she was awake) and gave her a new G-tube button (the old one didn't fit well and leaked a lot; it actually fell out yesterday, but that's another story).
After surgery we were able to go to the recovery room before she woke up. She had a really hoarse cry when she did wake up, but she was somewhat easily consoled by standing and holding her (hence my soreness). We gave her 2 oz of Pedialyte, which she tolerated well, so we were able to go home by 1pm (at which point my hubby surprised me by picking up my favorite soup from Dilly's Deli! Thanks, hon!).
She mostly slept this afternoon, but did wake up for some milk. By this evening she seemed mostly normal, but a bit fussy. She even giggled for Nana and me. Now she is sleeping peacefully in her bed, which is where I hope to be very soon!
Thanks for everyone's thoughts and prayers. Even though this was a simple procedure, they are always appreciated! My prayers tonight are for Sophie, but also for the other families at PCH who have issues a lot worse than Sophie's. Today was another reminder of how lucky we are!
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Happy 6 Month Birthday, Sophie!
Six months ago today our life changed dramatically. Of course we knew change was coming, but little did we know how quickly Sophie would come and how much our life would be different.
It's hard to believe Sophie is 6 months old. When most parents say that, they mean they can't believe how much their baby has changed. We mean the opposite. Sophie doesn't even seem like her adjusted age of 4 months. A month ago her developmental pediatrician (Dr. Ellis who saw Sophie in the NICU), said Sophie was like a month old in some respects. She has taken great strides in the last month; she smiles and giggles often, and has much better head control. But she still isn't doing a lot of things that Owen was doing at a younger (adjusted) age, like sitting, grasping toys and eating solid foods. Of course this is all to be expected, given Sophie's health issues, but still frustrating. It is hard to "exercise" Sophie's physical and intellectual development when we spend so much time on feeding, and when her temperment is so fragile. She can easily go from laughing (she laughs at her hiccups and when we hold her up to stand on her feet) to crying in a split second. I am hoping her physical, occupational, and feeding therapies will help speed up her development. Maybe I should be thankful - most people fret how fast their babies grow up. :-)
Sophie has thankfully shown some improvement in her nippling. She has really only shown an increase in quantity when we give her a medium flow nipple (took over 3 oz a couple of times), but overall I get a sense that we are turning a corner. We are now trying to get her to a more "normal" feeding schedule (cutting down the night drip and speeding up the time it takes to eat during the day), and trying thickeners in her milk with various nipples. I am trying to get the help of a feeding therapist through the AZ Dept of Developmental Disabilities, which has taken a lot longer than I was hoping.
Owen is dealing with all of this pretty well. He has a Berenstein Bears book about a new baby at home, and we sometimes have to remind him how the book teaches that babies need a lot of attention. Owen is enjoying the new grass in our backyard, playing with all of the different types of balls he has, including a t-ball set he got for Christmas. When he is "playing tennis" or "playing baseball" it really just means he does whatever he wants with those balls. He is not very open to suggestions on how to swing the bat or how to play a game. It's the same with indoor games. He got a few board games for Christmas (Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Memory). He will play along with my instructions for a little bit, but fairly quickly he changes the rules and does his own thing. If you don't let it frustrate you, it can be very amusing. And I guess you have to start somewhere. :-)
Another thing I find amusing about Owen is how he never says "I don't know". Any time you ask him if he knows something, he will tell you "yes". But then when you ask him for specifics, he just repeats the question back at you. "Do you know who that is in the photo?" "Yes." "Who is it?" "Who is it?"
Now if you were to ask me what the next 6 months will bring, I would definitely have an answer. "I don't know!"
It's hard to believe Sophie is 6 months old. When most parents say that, they mean they can't believe how much their baby has changed. We mean the opposite. Sophie doesn't even seem like her adjusted age of 4 months. A month ago her developmental pediatrician (Dr. Ellis who saw Sophie in the NICU), said Sophie was like a month old in some respects. She has taken great strides in the last month; she smiles and giggles often, and has much better head control. But she still isn't doing a lot of things that Owen was doing at a younger (adjusted) age, like sitting, grasping toys and eating solid foods. Of course this is all to be expected, given Sophie's health issues, but still frustrating. It is hard to "exercise" Sophie's physical and intellectual development when we spend so much time on feeding, and when her temperment is so fragile. She can easily go from laughing (she laughs at her hiccups and when we hold her up to stand on her feet) to crying in a split second. I am hoping her physical, occupational, and feeding therapies will help speed up her development. Maybe I should be thankful - most people fret how fast their babies grow up. :-)
Sophie has thankfully shown some improvement in her nippling. She has really only shown an increase in quantity when we give her a medium flow nipple (took over 3 oz a couple of times), but overall I get a sense that we are turning a corner. We are now trying to get her to a more "normal" feeding schedule (cutting down the night drip and speeding up the time it takes to eat during the day), and trying thickeners in her milk with various nipples. I am trying to get the help of a feeding therapist through the AZ Dept of Developmental Disabilities, which has taken a lot longer than I was hoping.
Owen is dealing with all of this pretty well. He has a Berenstein Bears book about a new baby at home, and we sometimes have to remind him how the book teaches that babies need a lot of attention. Owen is enjoying the new grass in our backyard, playing with all of the different types of balls he has, including a t-ball set he got for Christmas. When he is "playing tennis" or "playing baseball" it really just means he does whatever he wants with those balls. He is not very open to suggestions on how to swing the bat or how to play a game. It's the same with indoor games. He got a few board games for Christmas (Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Memory). He will play along with my instructions for a little bit, but fairly quickly he changes the rules and does his own thing. If you don't let it frustrate you, it can be very amusing. And I guess you have to start somewhere. :-)
Another thing I find amusing about Owen is how he never says "I don't know". Any time you ask him if he knows something, he will tell you "yes". But then when you ask him for specifics, he just repeats the question back at you. "Do you know who that is in the photo?" "Yes." "Who is it?" "Who is it?"
Now if you were to ask me what the next 6 months will bring, I would definitely have an answer. "I don't know!"
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| From O So January 11 |
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| From O So January 11 |
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