I have been thinking a lot about last year. Wow, what a time. Eli was born, had his first open heart surgery (the PA band), came home, and started the 6 weeks of recovery. When I look at the photos I get really, really weepy. I think I am feeling part heart break, part relief. Heart break because Eli was so small and so sick/in pain. Relief because we have made it this far, and this time last year I had no idea where we'd be at this point...
Eli's birthday.
He was brought to us after being seen in the NICU and before being transported to PICU
His bed.
Where he chilled, was held, and lived for 4 days before surgery.
Surgery day.
The surgeon (amazing!) coming to check on him.
Eli had a really, really hard time that night. He wasn't breathing well on his own so he couldn't have the full dose of pain medicine. Probably the worst night of my life.
In recovery!
But still in lots of pain. We were fortunate enough to be able to leave 4 days after the surgery. So 8 days total at the hospital.
Hiccups.
Hiccups are the worst! The worst. Eli got them all the time. Just killed him. He got them a lot because he wasn't able to burp well, because his chest hurt. The only thing we could do was let him cry it out. This happened 5 or 6 times a day.
Newborn nights.
Newborn nights are always hard. But his seemed harder. He liked the lights on, and did not want to be in the bassinet. Liked wide open spaces. Which fits to what he was used to in the hospital.
Home recovery.
Recovery is typically 6 weeks long. In Eli's case he needed to come home with oxygen. Some need it up to 3 months afterward, but Eli only needed it for two weeks.
This is where he chilled most of the time:
Oxygen gone, thankfully!
Oxygen really does get in the way.
And this is what is chest looked like 2 weeks after surgery:
I could go on and on. If you have any question feel free to email me at shandud@gmail.com
But for now, THE END.
