He didn't eat anything until after his surgery. They just had him hooked up to an IV line to give him nutrients. BUT the IV lines kept blowing. So, they had to resort to trying to put one in his head, but that didn't work either. So, they ended up putting a broviac line in. That one worked, but you have to be careful with those b/c they are close to the heart and can cause infection.
I was in and out of that hospital every SINGLE day for that whole month. For me, i try to be strong. I have to keep it all together b/c if it don't then it will all fall apart. So, that's what i tried doing this whole time. I was so excited for his surgery b/c i knew it would be all over. But when the time came for him to go back into surgery i started crying my eyes out. I couldn't hold it in. I was scared. And one night my poor dear hubby broke down. I have NEVER seen him break down like i did that one night, nor have i ever seen it since. It was all heart wrenching.
This is his little foot. His foot turned black and blue b/c they kept poking it in order to draw blood. Yeah, they poked him A LOT.
All swollen... :(
Slowly getting those intestines back in...
Here he is a few days after surgery and not so doped up anymore.
Sleeping peacefully and soundly.
He was able to move to the step-down unit after he had his first poop after surgery, which took another week or so. So, this was the first time Gavin was able to see his baby brother. While in the step-down unit he got an infection from the broviac. He had started eating real food a few days before and so when he got the infection they took his food completely away. He was screaming constantly. I couldn't stay in his room at night when that happened b/c it was too hard. He was screaming and screaming and i couldn't fix it. So, i slept at home and let the nurses take care of him and they did a wonderful job. I had to do that in order to keep it together, otherwise i would have fallen apart, gotten sick, etc. I would have ended up in the hospital myself.
Finally, peaceful at home.
He was born Sept. 28th and finally came home a few days before Halloween. Wasn't he such a pretty baby?! Auntie Holly wrapped him all up all cozy with a blankie, laying on her pillow. Let me tell you, getting him home wasn't the end. I was in and out of the darn hospital every single week. His liver levels were off and they couldn't figure out why so we had to go in and draw his blood NUMEROUS times. And EACH time they had such a hard time finding the vein, so they usually had to try 5 different times in one visit. It was soooo soooo sad. AND soo sooooo hard on him and on me. I hated being there to watch it. They finally found out what it was, which was such a relief. He has alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. ALSO, before he came home from the hospital they found out he had hypospadius, which is where his pee hole was lower than it should have been. SOOOO, he had to have a surgery to fix that. Not only that , but he wasn't responding well to any kind of formula, so we put him on a formula that we needed a prescription for. I can't remember the name of it, BUT it was $40.00 a can! Yup. Thank goodness for WIC. Wow, the first 6 months of his life were absolute chaos, emotional turmoil, and everything all mixed into ONE. Going through that ride, while experiencing the blue's i always get after having a baby, plus another huge thing in my life at that same time that was devastating news for me that was still very fresh and new made it an extremely challenging time! Holy cow. WOW. Reliving ALL of that is like a nightmare. haha! It all hit at once. They say it comes in three's...well, there you have it. Baby with lots of problems, devastating news, and baby blue's. I am so glad that part of life is over and soooo glad my little Tanner is now a healthy normal boy. :)
This is his little foot. His foot turned black and blue b/c they kept poking it in order to draw blood. Yeah, they poked him A LOT.
All swollen... :(
Slowly getting those intestines back in...
Here he is a few days after surgery and not so doped up anymore.
Sleeping peacefully and soundly.
He was able to move to the step-down unit after he had his first poop after surgery, which took another week or so. So, this was the first time Gavin was able to see his baby brother. While in the step-down unit he got an infection from the broviac. He had started eating real food a few days before and so when he got the infection they took his food completely away. He was screaming constantly. I couldn't stay in his room at night when that happened b/c it was too hard. He was screaming and screaming and i couldn't fix it. So, i slept at home and let the nurses take care of him and they did a wonderful job. I had to do that in order to keep it together, otherwise i would have fallen apart, gotten sick, etc. I would have ended up in the hospital myself.
Finally, peaceful at home.
He was born Sept. 28th and finally came home a few days before Halloween. Wasn't he such a pretty baby?! Auntie Holly wrapped him all up all cozy with a blankie, laying on her pillow. Let me tell you, getting him home wasn't the end. I was in and out of the darn hospital every single week. His liver levels were off and they couldn't figure out why so we had to go in and draw his blood NUMEROUS times. And EACH time they had such a hard time finding the vein, so they usually had to try 5 different times in one visit. It was soooo soooo sad. AND soo sooooo hard on him and on me. I hated being there to watch it. They finally found out what it was, which was such a relief. He has alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. ALSO, before he came home from the hospital they found out he had hypospadius, which is where his pee hole was lower than it should have been. SOOOO, he had to have a surgery to fix that. Not only that , but he wasn't responding well to any kind of formula, so we put him on a formula that we needed a prescription for. I can't remember the name of it, BUT it was $40.00 a can! Yup. Thank goodness for WIC. Wow, the first 6 months of his life were absolute chaos, emotional turmoil, and everything all mixed into ONE. Going through that ride, while experiencing the blue's i always get after having a baby, plus another huge thing in my life at that same time that was devastating news for me that was still very fresh and new made it an extremely challenging time! Holy cow. WOW. Reliving ALL of that is like a nightmare. haha! It all hit at once. They say it comes in three's...well, there you have it. Baby with lots of problems, devastating news, and baby blue's. I am so glad that part of life is over and soooo glad my little Tanner is now a healthy normal boy. :)
2 comments:
Holy cow, Ash. I remember that. I can't imagine how hard that was, but we are all so happy that Tanner is such a tough little guy! Those first few pictures don't even look like Tanner at all, don't ya think? The last few, when he's home, he looks so different. (And of course, adorable!)
Love you, Tanner!! :) What a story to tell when you get older, huh!
poor little tanner! you never let on at all about how difficult it was. Wish we could have helped you out more. You've been through a lot Ashlee, and I think you are amazing!
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