Some Pictures of Surgery Week

I wanted to post some pictures of last week now that we are back home.  I had brought our laptop with us to Vancouver with the intention of uploading pics and writing updates.  But then when we checked out of our hotel on surgery day morning and checked in to the Easter Seal House (this place was really inexpensive and a 5 minute walk to the hospital) we realized that they had no internet connection.  And then our laptop started acting up like it had virus.  Oh well.  I didn't post any hard to see pics because they are still so fresh in my mind and I don't want to relive that right now.

Morning of the surgery we had to be at the hospital by 6:30am and get Sophia dressed in a hospital gown.  I find the gowns so cute but sad at the same time since no kid should have the occasion to wear one of these.

This picture of Sophia and me was taken a few days after surgery once the ventilator came out.  It was so good to hold her.

A picture of Papa and Sophia the morning we were being discharged.  Still waiting for the last of the hookups on her chest to be taken off.  Her wound looking like it has already healed a great deal.

We asked a nurse to take a picture of us just after we got the news that we were being discharged that afternoon.  So so relieved and happy.

We had taken so many pictures and videos throughout the hospital stay.  Some people might have thought we were weird to be taking photos in the ICU and stuff but now that we are back home we are happy that we did because it documents what Sophia has been through so she can look back at it when she is older.

We're Home

I thought that once home life would be a lot easier but it's not.  I guess it will take some time for Sophia to feel better.  She's quite cranky and I can't put her down for too long so I don't have much time to post.  But I wanted to let you know that we got home last night.  Yahoo!  We got discharged early because Sophia was nursing like a champ, she had gained weight and her incision looks clean and super.  So I will post more in detail once things settle down at home.

2 Days Post Surgery

Today was a very good day.  I was pretty depressed yesterday afternoon.  I felt down because the doctors felt that Sophia wasn’t ready to have her ventilator tube taken out.  It felt like I couldn’t really do anything for her.  I went back to the Easter Seal house in the afternoon and slept in the afternoon out of depression while James stayed with Sophia.

But today is a different story.  When I got to the hospital early in the morning Sophia was so unsettled.  Her tummy was so full of gas that the nurses could not do up her diaper… it was that extended.  They even took an xray to make sure that it was just gas.  And it was!  So they gave her a suppository and she had the hugest poop ever!  So I was relieved for her because I remember after my C-section how painful that gas buildup post op was.  After that the doctors came around to do their rounds and they decided that Sophia was ready to have some tubes pulled out!  YEAH!  They took out the external pacemakers which were placed just in case her heart needed it in an emergency, they took out the main chest tube which was placed there to drain the excess blood from her chest and they took out the ventilator tube.  So right away I felt happy.  She still needed some help with oxygen but very little.

Then a few hours later the nurse let me breastfeed.  Can you believe how crazy fast that is?  But I was so tense holding her it was nice but not totally enjoyable.  Because she still has an IV in her neck, in her groin, in her foot, the oxygen tubes in her nose, the NG feeding tube as well as the 4 electrodes on her chest.  Not to mention her surgery wound which must still be so tender.  She latched on great but was not settling at all.  In fact she was getting more agitated while nursing so we put her back into bed.  She only settled herself after a dose of codeine and Tylenol.  So she must have been in some type of discomfort.  Tonight we tried nursing once again and this time both Sophia and I did great.  She nursed on both breasts for such a long time without getting tired or sweaty.  Something she hasn’t done before.  So I am feeling so much better and feel that we have turned the bend on her recovery.

We are hoping that we will be leaving the ICU area tomorrow to go to a normal ward.  Which would be the next step to her recovery and us going home. 

We miss Alex and Rachel so much.  It feels like we haven’t seen them in weeks even though it has been only 4 days.  We can’t wait to see them, hold them and kiss them.  Hopefully we will be back at home to be a family of 5 soon.

Day After Surgery

Sophia is doing well.  As well as can be expected after open heart surgery.  The doctors and nurses are hoping to have her taken off the ventilator by this afternoon.  They are giving her less and less morphine at this point and will switch her pain meds to Tylenol and Codeine.  They keep warning us that it is not unusual to have to re-insert the ventilator on some kids.   It’s all up to Sophia as to her progress and she will tell us when she is ready.  The tube that is causing me the most distress is the IV in her neck.  I just want to fast forward to the part when she doesn’t have these damn tubes.

The night nurse was asking us if she was held and coddled a lot at home.  Because she just wasn’t settling herself down…no matter what drugs they gave her.  The way that they finally settled her down was by placing a heavy blanket on her.  Since she was moving around a lot there was a lot of seepage of blood from her wound area but that seems to have slowed down/stopped now.  All her vitals are looking good.

I have to say that I love this hospital and their staff.  They are beyond wonderful.  Just a few examples to mention.  Yesterday when we were waiting with Sophia before surgery a life specialist came looking for us.  She had down in her chart that Sophia had 2 young siblings so she came by to pick them up.  She had volunteers ready to bring them to the playroom so us parents could be solely with Sophia.  Isn’t that crazy nice?  Since we had brought them with us to the hospital the last 2 visits I guess the cardiac team thought we were bringing them again and arranged that.   Another thing that happened last night was that they brought Sophia a special homemade quilt for her to use and to bring home with her after the operation.  The quilt is beautiful and has patches of hearts on it because she is a cardiac patient.  Now common, is that the greatest or what?  Not to mention that they have thought of everything for the mamas and papas.  In the ICU waiting room there is a room dedicated to breast pumping.  All the equipment you need, the containers, labels, etc… So they make it so easy for mamas to step out and pump every few hours and take the milk back to the ICU fridge, ready to give to your baby.  Also they had a tray of sandwiches in the ICU lounge for families to eat.  As well as coffee, tea, water, etc…  They just try and make it so much more convenient for the families in these hard times.

 

Surgery Day

Today was definitely one of the hardest days of James and my lives.  We got through it though.  More importantly Sophia got through it with flying colors.  The surgeon told us that everything went smoothly and it was a great way for him to end his work week.  Her surgery started at 7:45 am and we were impatiently waiting for news about her all morning long.  15 minutes on the watch felt like an hour.  It was excruciating waiting.  I kept asking James if his cell phone was ‘on’.  We decided to go for a walk to get some fresh air but we were back at the ICU waiting area in like 5 minutes!  We also prayed together which really doesn’t happen very often but it was a real bonding experience for us to express how we were feeling and what we were asking from God.

Finally at 12:45 we met with the surgeon and then about half an hour after that we finally got reunited with baby Sophia.  The longest 5 hours of our lives. The initial meeting went pretty smoothly.  I was petrified to see her with all the tubes but since I was as prepared as I could have been it was exactly what I expected.  There were so many tubes everywhere.  There were only a few spare inches on her that I could touch so I decided to touch the top of her head with all the soft fluffy hair.  The nurse asked me not to stroke her so I kept my hand there to feel her warmth.  Her body was still cold though since she had just gotten out of surgery and they keep the body temp low.

 After we knew she was stable we stepped out to eat lunch and take a long needed nap at the Easter Seal house close by the hospital.  We are staying at a place 5 minutes walk away which is here for families of young patients.  We woke up from a 3 hour nap ready to tackle the next steps.  James was so confused that he thought he slept through the night.  That’s how exhausted we were.  He said he hasn’t been that confused since waking up from a nap since he was a kid.

 Tonight when we went back to see Sophia it was a lot harder on me.  She was ‘waking’ up from the drugs and was moving around a lot.  But they didn’t want her to move too much since she has a huge opening in her chest that needs to heal so they restrained her arms and gave her a bit more sedatives.  I know that this is what she needs but it is so hard to see your baby like that.  AND her little tongue is doing what It does when she is nursing.  So she is totally looking for breast and I felt like I could do nothing but talk to her and tell her what a great job she is doing.  So we will know more tomorrow at her progress but surgery day is over and I am happy about that. 

 The ICU is a heartbreaking place to be.  All those parents who are feeling exactly the same way we are.  A lot of worry, anxiety and fear.  We became friendly with one family whose son is in the ICU at age 12 after a Quad accident.  His life changed in one instance.  His family was riding on their farm with him.  His family went into the house but he wanted to do one more loop when he flipped his quad over.  He was told that he would be a quadriplegic.   So our hearts were heavy not only for Sophia but for this family too. 

 

Step Two

Preadmission today was easier than I thought it would be. It has everything to do with the fact that all the doctors, nurses and staff at the Children's hospital is so COMPASSIONATE, caring and professional. We felt like we were in such good hands and they actually cared about Sophia and us. First Sophia got some blood work done and I was crying in James' arm. But then I realized that I was crying MORE than Sophia was in the next room. I don't know how these nurses do it but she wasn't freaking out crying...just a complaining crying. Same story when she got her chest Xray. No huge freaking out tears, just complaining tears. I swear it is because all the technicians handle and speak to her so gently. Then we met with the anaesthatist...who was sooooooooo super nice and he took so much time to explain everything to us. The nurses took about an hour to explain the steps that were going to take place with Sophia, showed us a book of photos of a little baby boy who had the same surgery Sophia is going to have, showed us his scar, him in the ICU, everything. I was again really upset from the 1st photo of him in the ICU on Day 1. I think they show you these things so you don't freak out when it is your own child. But crazy thing is that we saw pics of the boy everyday for 5 days and guess what....he was out of the hospital entirely on day 5 and was at Granville Island with his parents who were enjoying a coffee. Isn't that crazy? But we were reminded again that every child is different and Sophia could spend up to 3 weeks in hospital. We were also given a tour of the ICU which surprisingly calmed me because although there were many children in there hooked up to tubes they were not in pain and seemed 'comfortable'. We also met with the surgeon who reminded me of a younger Stephen Harper. Very young, very conservative, very informative. So all in all it was a good day.

After all the tests were done we went to a delicious Malaysian restaurant called the banana leaf. I couldn't believe that I actually had my appetite. As James said, we have to eat, and he would rather it be delicious food than bad hospital food. He is right.

We are all trying to get to bed early tonight because Sophia has to be at the hospital tomorrow morning at 6:30. Her surgery is set for 7:45am. What are James and I going to do while she is in surgery. I wish someone could drug me and wake me up when everything is over. I think tomorrow will be a really tough day.

Step One

We have completed Step One. We have arrived in Vancouver. One down, many many more steps to go. It was really hard leaving Alex and Rachel behind. I know they are in great hands with James' parents but like I've said before, "we are not used to being apart". I had a crying/coughing fit from Alex when I was dropping her off at her preschool this morning. Rachel saved the day by telling Alex that she knew where her name was in the classroom that morning. The teacher places their name in a circle and the kids have to go and sit by their names. So that distracted her enough for the tears to stop.

The drive was better than I thought. We only had to stop 4 times to nurse. Really that is an improvement from the last 2 times we came here. We drove straight to Hon's Chinese restaurant and had shrimp fried rice, black bean chicken and cream of corn and shredded chicken soup. the food was steaming hot which was exactly what James and I needed. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. I'm so worn down. James keeps reminding me that I have to stay strong. And this is only the beginning of the week. Tomorrow morning we are meeting with the surgeon/anaestathist,etc... and getting preadmitted. That I guess will be Step Two.

We miss the kids like crazy. James set up Skype before we left so we just had a lovely chat with them and could see each other through the internet. It was fun. We miss the chaos of those two kids. We missed them especially when 1) We ate fried rice...Rachel's favorite 2) When we drove over the speed bumps in the hotel parkade...the girls LOVE the bumps and would giggle endlessly 3) When we checked into the hotel, there is a waterfall that they love to throw coins in. So usually when we travel with them, I feel the chaos and would wonder what it would be like with peace and quiet. We got that today and we didn't like it as much as we thought we would.

It's a beautiful sunny warm day here in Vancouver. And I have brought the laptop to keep you guys posted on what we are doing. Happy that we have hooked onto someone's wireless network. :)

It's only 5:30pm and James and I want to curl up in bed and SLEEP. But Sophia has other plans. She's been in the car seat all day and doesn't want to sleep. Luckily for her we LOVE her so much and are happy to snuggle her on the couch.

Upcoming Week

So the week that I have been anticipating and dreading has arrived.  This week Sophia will have the surgery that will correct the hole in her heart.  I am feeling terrified at the thought of handing my precious baby over to the doctors for them to do their job.  Thank you to all of you guys that have been praying for her and keeping us in your thoughts.  It really means a lot.

We have been showing her so much love and affection.   And she has been so happy lately.  She has gotten used to the tube so it doesn't seem to bother her as much.  Thank goodness.  I can't wait until she has NO MORE TUBES!
She loves staring at the ceiling fans, lights, when we talk to her, nursing, her sisters, music, staring at her hanging toys in her donut toy, and when I read stories to the girls.  Pretty sure staring at the ceiling fan is the top one....you can always count on getting a smile from that.

The good news is that Sophia has gained weight and grown.  Yeah!  She's almost 11 pounds and I just started putting her in 3 to 6 months clothing.  She had outgrown the 3 month sleepers.  Yahoo! 
The girls love their sister and they seem really proud when their friends at school come and check her out.  The girls are enjoying Kindergarten but still enjoy being at home with me more.  I guess that is something to be happy about since I know that won't last long as they get older.  So we are leaving this fairly relaxing weekend to head into THE week.  Please continue with the positive thoughts and the prayers.  Thank you.

Sisters

Sisters....are the best

I have 2 sisters and think it is the best thing to have grown up with them, played with them and be super close to them now even though we live thousands of kilometres away.  So I am thrilled that I myself have 3 girls and hope that they will enjoy the same close ties.  I get the way that they play.  Girly like.  We recently placed Sophia in a doll cradle and thought it would be fun to take pics of her in it.  She barely fit now but thought it was pretty fun to look around from in there.

And the girls LOVE holding Sophia and giving her cuddles.  And she in return loves their attention.  She loves the noisy sounds they make when they play and loves watching them move around and talk to her.

It warms my heart when I see them all together and I can't believe that they are all our kids.  What were we thinking?!! Just kidding...they are worth all the endless work. :)

Extraordinary Mothers

My friend emailed me this clip.  I can not believe it!  If you have a few minutes you should check it out.

Office Baby Shower

A couple of weeks ago James' office held a joint baby shower for Sophia as well as two other ladies who also had babies around the same time.  How adorable are the three kids together, eh?  That's a lot of babies for a small office, isn't it?

First Day of Kindergarten

Just a few more photos....

Papa didn't take these photos.  It's the photographer that inspired Papa to get the camera that he now owns.

End of Summer Pics

The girls start Kindergarden (still only 1/2 day of schools) on Wednesday, the weather feels a bit chillier, and summer is almost over.  How in the world did one season whip by us so fast?  In a blink of an eye, the girls clothes don't seem to fit (the pants are floods and the shirts seem fine until they sit down and their whole back is exposed) and they have grown a couple of inches.  Thank goodness for cheap fashionable clothing from Joe Fresh. Seriously... how can you go wrong with $9 shoes?  

And Sophia will be 3 months old in a weeks time!  

Here are a couple of pics that we took this weekend.  The weather has been perfect for me. Sunny but cooler.  Great cozy sleeping weather.

Pic of all 3 Chungs.   Sophia...why doesn't your hair want to stay down ever?  No matter, we still find the Kramer look adorable on you.

Pic of a VERY HAPPY Sophia.  Look Ma & Pa....No Tube...I pulled it out!  You are so much happier and so is your mama when you don't have that silly tube in.  Even if it's only for a couple of hours and it's got to be reinserted.

(Just on a side note, we went to emergency last night to have it reinserted.  The nurse there did not lubricate the tube like they did at the BC Childrens.  Good thing that we had an extra tube that we brought with us because they were going to insert this other tube that needed to be changed every 2/3 days.  Can you imagine?  The tube we have is good for weeks on end and is very soft.  Sophia was SOOOO upset and cranky for hours afterwards.  And when Papa went to check the PH level he couldn't find any liquid so it wasn't inserted properly and that's why she was crying so much.  So we had to pull it back out and hopefully it will be reinserted properly today.  Fun times I tell you.)

Video of Papa & Sophia.  Sophia thinking....I don't want to do any more Hip Hip Hoorays...leave me in peace!

* Thanks for all the suggestions on the previous post on how to increase my milk supply. I've tried Dom Peridom when I was nursing the twins and I didn't find that much difference in my milk. I've noticed much more of a difference with the dark beer. But it's worth a shot to get another prescription filled. As for the Fenugreek tea, I have some in my cupboard :)