NO T EXACTLY AS EXPECTED......

It was a rough night for mommy. I couldnt sleep. I was worried. I think I finally fell asleep the night before midnight. I had to wake at 2:30 to feed him, and then had to wake at 4:30 to get ready to go to the hospital. We registered at 6am and surgery was underway at 7:30am. Daddy held up like a champ, mommy cried (big surprise) and Andy was the superstar. He was in good spirits for having missed his morning bottle, making eyes and widesmiling at all the nurses and doctors.
The surgery went well, lasting 2 1/2 hours (1/2 hour longer than expected). We got to go right to recovery where he was waking. He looked AMAZING! We were told as soon as he would take a bottle, we could go home. He went through long phases of waking and crying, but never wanting to eat. We tried pain medication which just made him sleepier.
People came and went through recovery, and there we sat. Andy didn't want to eat, nor did he want to be put down. I sat for hours on a rocking chair with no cushion in a little corner. He was stuck to an IV so we couldn't walk him. After a few hours, our doctor came out of another surgery and reinforced to us that, yes, we did need him to eat before we left. They did switch him from saline IV to a sugar IV to see if it would perk him up....
Ever seen that episode of Friends where Rachel was having a baby and she kept getting roomates in labor who would go home wiht babies and she just sat there for hours? That's what we felt like....on a very uncomfortable wooden rocker. I can now say I am officially certified as a recovery room person, I could teach discharge planning to anyone. I must have heard the speech 1o + times in a 8 hour period.
Finally, I had to get something to eat, so Jeff took over. When I came back, the entire recovery was empty except us...and Andy had eaten an ounce. (Gee, thanks little guy, do it for daddy!)
But the Doctor still didnt feel comfortable with us going home as he had been almost 24 hours with only an ounce. So we got admitted about 6pm that evening.
Of course, in true form....Andy ate 4 ounces shortly after we got our room. Little stinker...we could have gone home if he had done that an hour earlier. But Jeff went home and I had to stay as the Doctor had put on Andy's orders that she wanted to see consistent eating. One good feeding does not count as consistent according to the nurses.
Andy must have heard that and taken it as a challenge. He then ate another 12 ounces in the next 8 hours. Of course still only wanting to sleep on mommy's shoulder. Thankfully the recliner had some padding for my behind, but I needed sleep.
Between Andy not wanting to be put down, the bells and whistles of the hospital, them taking vitals, shift changes....I didnt get more than 30 minutes of sleep before 3:30 am where I told them to give him some good meds so he could sleep. And I asked the nurses to hold him for me as I was getting shaky and queasy...and bitchy. I finally got a few hours of continuous sleep and Andy slept in his own bed.
We were discharged this morning at 9am. Andy looks great, however the swelling has really changed how his face looks compared to right after surgery. And he doesn't look like my baby. Thankfully he has that red curl on the top of his head that is unmistakable Andy. Otherwise I would think I came home with the wrong baby!
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. We needed every one of them....Ill post pictures later!
Karen