Preemie Mom: Post Surgery!!

October 24, 2013-

So surgery went and happened!! And then I felt like the worst mom on the planet afterwards. I'd been so excited and he was so miserable, worse than I've seen him in months and months. So I told myself that I earned the bad mom award, for actually being excited about something that could cause my little Brady Bug pain.

I know it had to happen for him to get better, but I seriously was staring at a Mr. Michellin Man baby. (You know that giant white marshmellow-y looking tire guy, yeah he looked like a mini one) He was so swollen, and miserable. The week following surgery I couldn't help but call like 3-4 times a day, along with all of the updates from the nurse practitioners. We had to go back onto the osilator ventilator that is the model t of vents, not that it's ancient but it shakes their little bodies.

Within the week after surgery we did go fairly quickly and as of today, we are back down to 1.0 liters of oxygen flow. He just started feedings with a bottle, twice a shift, with an hour's worth of food as of last night. They are feeding him the rest of what he doesn't take by mouth through his g-tube and we just went up on feedings. I think if I remember correctly we are at 5 mL an hour. He is looking great! No more swelling, and is looking like a normal baby. He even recently graduated from the heater bed back to the big boy crib.

He is loving being able to move again. :) He searches for the source of the voices and loves stories, conversations, and songs. The nurses have been loving getting to play with him, and he gets upset when play time is interrupted. He is so alert, and attentive it's crazy to think that he may miss milestones eventually when we start to hit them.

And before I forget the promised photos of Brady to update:

Nasal cannula trial before surgery - we were seeing if he could breathe without it, and he made it for an hour.

Day of surgery- right after. Daddy snapped this picture. It lasted 4.5 hours, and then mom and dad had to wait for about another hour and a half before they could see me. Mom wasn't happy about that.

Mom's favorite face. The "o" face, he purses his lips in the o shape and then looks around for a bit, this was the first and only time she's been able to catch it on camera.

My reaction to mom relaying dad's message, "I love you. Even though you are a monster." Because I'm wearing my monster pjs. The monster is on the butt, and the feet.