Tubes

I was putting E to bed, last wednesday night.. and I was nervous. It was the night before 

her surgery, and I didn't know what the morning would hold.

The doctors told me that should couldnt eat or drink anything after midnight

this worried me the most. I knew she couldn't make it that long

and I just kept thinking about her screaming and screaming.

Earlier in the day I called a friend who is Anesthesiologist, 

I wanted to hear what she thought about this.. I had read some articles 

that didnt line up with this. She agreed that I could feed her

after midnight. Basically Breastmilk is considered a "clear fluid"

and the NPO (nothing by mouth) orders for infants are

4 hours before surgery is the last time they can eat, after 4 hours

there will be no Gastric residual content.

I was so thankful to hear this, and I fed her around 2am

she seemed to do fine waking and getting ready to leave without eating.

I got some new toys to but with her in her seat to keep her busy for the ride.

We got to the hospital, checked in.. and they put us in the waiting room

a few minutes later they took us to a prep room.

The got her vitals, we signed some consent forms, me all the attending physicians, 

Then I headed to the surgical wait area.

My hubs took her back to the OR, 

I knew I wouldnt be able to hold it together watching her struggle as 

they placed the mask over her face to put her to sleep

He came soon behind me, and said she was out.

we waiting MAYBE 8 minutes and then they came and got us

and told us she was in recovery. We had already been warned that babies wake from anesthesia 

VERY angry, but nothing, NOTHING could have prepared

me for what I saw next. I walked through the isolette entrance

and I could hear it. It was a painful, blood curdling scream.

The kind you hope you never have to hear from

you baby. There was a nurse holding her, she was flailing her arms, and arching her back.

She was screaming so hard at times no sound was coming out.

My heart literally broke into a thousand pieces. 

I'm sure she was scared, I know how awful that feeling is coming out of anesthesia

being disoriented, nauseas, and hungry, and to top it all off.. she was surrounded by scary 

people she didnt know.. no mommy or daddy there.

I wanted to snatch her right out of that nurses arms

BUT,

they wouldn't give her to me..

they kept saying I needed to sit down, and put on a gown,

in case she vomited on me.

Um hellooooooooo.. Im her mother.. it wouldn't be the first time

she threw up on me.. and so what if she did

just GIVE.HER.TO.ME...NOW!!!!!

They finally did, and she did calm down a bit, but still was screaming hysterically.

They said most of the time when babies leave the unit they stop crying.

Not my girl, she screamed the whole ride home, and for the first hour being home

until she just fell asleep in my arms.

Getting that upset caused her reflux to flare horribly, (the reflux I was pretty sure

up until that point she had grown out of... guess not)

she began refluxing every 5-8 minutes, for the next 2 hours. 

If your not familiar with reflux, basically she would burp and then

you would hear acid in her throat like carbonation and she would scream and cry 

for about 2 minutes from it.

I gave her all the meds I could to help it

she pretty much had to just wait it out.

it was torture seeing her like that.

By that evening she began to calm down

the refluxing had subsided to about once an hour. 

She was able to sleep that night.. thankfully!

NOW, she is doing much, much better. we are still putting the drops

in her ears twice a day, and she has to wear ear plugs when in the tub.

We are already seeing lots of improvement since the surgery.

Sleeping is better

Eating is better

Nursing is better

Playtime is better

It's amazing how much better she feels, which does make me very

happy but also sad to think she must have been in that much discomfort.

All of the sudden she is babbling and talking up a storm,

she has gotten louder

and bubblier too!

At her pre-op we found that she had almost 45% hearing loss

I was very upset to hear of this.

I can already tell her hearing is improved since the surgery, and the fluid has drained.

She must be able to hear herself now, and I don't have to call her name as loud

anymore to get her attention.

As tough as it was to go through.. I am so happy we did it, and I am so happy to 

know my girl is feeling better now!

Thank you all for your kind words, through emails, and twitter.. and all the prayers the day of surgery!