Post-Op Day 3

No pictures today - sorry! I forgot to take any...and she spent a lot of time sleeping peacefully today, and I didn't want to disturb her!

Her chest x-ray came back clear - no pneumonia. Her white blood count has dropped, so no apparent active infection. Her urine was clear, as well. Her fever never went back up after the tylenol brought it down last night. However, she did not pee at all last night. A-ha!! They finally figured out this morning that they weren't giving her enough fluids through her IV, and she was dehydrated - that's probably what caused her to spike the fever yesterday evening. So they bolused her and bumped up her continuous IV rate this morning, and she's peeing much better now, and her fever's gone.

She had a MUCH better day today. The surgeon came in early this morning and removed her tongue stitch, which she apparently slept through. Darrell said her heart rate immediately dropped about 30 beats/minute. That was one of the issues of concern that they'd been wondering about - her heart rate has been really high all along - 180's all the way into the 220's at times. Babies do run higher than adults, but still, that's way too high, and she was constantly setting off the alarms. Anyway, that stitch was obviously causing her a great deal of distress.

They had given her some morphine just prior to my arrival this morning, and she slept fitfully on my chest for most of the morning. Around 11:30 or so, I was able to lay her down in her crib and run down to the cafeteria to grab myself a quick bite to eat. She was just waking up when I got back to her room. I asked the nurse for some baby food and juice to see what I could cajole her into trying. What do you know - I got her to eat an entire jar of pears!!! She also took a little bit of apple juice from a cup - she wants NOTHING to do with the little tube attached to the syringe that they want us to use.

After filling her tummy, she played for a while with me. I got lots of smiles. She eventually got cranky, and we gave her some tylenol with codeine, and she went back to sleep. I laid her in the crib, and she slept SO peacefully for 2 solid hours!!! Her heart rate was in the 140's - the lowest it's been since her surgery. It was so awesome to see her so comfortable.

My awesome friend Amber surprised me by bringing me fish and chips and a shake at the hospital!! She just "happened" to be in the area - an hour from where we live. :) I'm so blessed with the most awesome friends! AND - when I got home tonight - I got to eat the best homemade spaghetti I have ever eaten! Seriously - loaded with basil and so much yumminess!!! Thank you, sweet Amber!!! I love you!

When she woke up, I offered her some formula, and she took about an ounce from a cup. She refused any more food or drink, and was pretty cranky. We weren't sure if she was in pain - she can still have IV morphine if she needs it, but the longer she's on that, the longer she's in the hospital - or if she's constipated, or just mad. I gave her a bath, which she badly needed, and that made her even more mad. I had just gotten her calmed down, when the nurse brought in a suppository for her...that was fun! But once I got her calmed back down, sans morphine, I was once again able to lay her down in her crib, and she slept for over an hour and a half!

Then Darrell got there and woke her up. Silly man.

I talked to him a while ago, and he said she finally pooped - yay! (It had been several days.) And he asked the doc about discharge, and he said he'd think about and they'd talk about it tomorrow, depending on how she's doing.

Her hemoglobin was 8.1 last night, so it didn't drop anymore, which is good - still very low, but at least not continuing to drop. I haven't had a chance to talk to the pediatrician about any other lab results or about a plan for following up on her anemia. It may just be something we have to get the neonatologist to follow up on after discharge.

The red mark is still there. It may have faded a little bit...hard to tell, but the swelling certainly hasn't gone down. I'm still inclined to think it's a trauma-sort of injury and that her back got hit on the crib. I just hope nothing's fractured in there!! (Though I'm thinking they would've been able to see something like that on the lateral view when they did her chest x-ray...maybe??? Nurses?? Help me out here...)

Anyway, pray that she continues to eat and drink, and that her pain stays under control, so that she can come home tomorrow!!

In addition to the yummy food from Amber, I have to thank my dear friends and family for helping out so much this week. On Monday, my sister-in-law, Chrissy, came here and stayed with Anthony and Makayla all day long...from like 6:45 a.m. til about 9:00 p.m. It was such a long day for her, and I'm so thankful that Darrell and I were both able to be at the hospital for Mackenzie's surgery. Tuesday, I took the kids over to my friend Allison's house, where they spent another long day. Poor Allison is about 7 weeks pregnant and in the heart of that first-trimester fatigue and nausea, and has two little boys of her own to care for, and yet graciously took care of mine all day too. Then today, my dear friend Kristi brought her crew of 3 little ones (9 months, 2 years, and 4 years) over to my house to stay with my two, and spent 12 hours here!!! I am surprised she still appeared to have her sanity intact when I got home, and didn't even go running out the door the minute I walked in!

Thank you my dear sisters and friends!!! I also have to thank my moms' group, who have set up meals to be delivered for the next week. It is such a HUGE help. I love you all so much!!