Being at the hospital was rough. In addition to being in pain and confused and frustrated, she was absolutely petrified of anyone who came in the room. And there was a constant flow of nurses, doctors, etc. coming in, sometimes every 10 minutes! They kept having to check on her, which would wake her. It got to where she couldn't sleep because she just kept her eyes on the door waiting to see who would come in next. I appreciate their care, but really wish they could have coordinated their visits better for her sake.
When we finally got to her room after her surgery Thursday night, they wanted her to sleep in this mammoth crib that looked more like a cage. She was NOT having it. She didn't want to be put down, understandably. Not only had she just had major surgery, but she's still very newly adopted and doesn't like strangers or new situations. So we signed a waiver that allowed us to have a regular bed that we stayed in with her the entire time. She much preferred that; she could either sleep on us or next to us. The hard part was that it wasn't as safe as a crib, so I couldn't get up and walk away for a minute unless someone else was there to supervise her. Jeremy went home for the night, so all through the night I relied on the nurses to take care of me too, getting us what we needed, etc. They'd watch her while I ran to the bathroom, which was right in the room, but she was hysterical anytime I wasn't in the bed with her. It got draining very fast, but we just wanted her to feel safe and comfortable. There was a lot of drama that first night, her IV fell out and they had trouble getting it back in, etc. Hence, I got maybe 2 hours of sleep patched together and she didn't get much more than that. It was hard! It brought back memories of giving birth and how hard those first nights are. I was so thankful when morning came and Jeremy was back to help me with her care (and bring me food!!).
Our main goal was to get her drinking. The surgeon had thought that given the extent of the surgery it may take her quite a while to be willing to drink, which is why he said to expect a 4 to 5 day stay. She couldn't be discharged until she was drinking enough on her own to be off the IV. But this girl drank a little the night of the surgery! And a lot more the day after! They almost sent her home the day after the surgery, but we said we'd feel more comfortable waiting until the following day.
They had given her strong pain meds during the surgery, but told us generally after that they only use Tylenol. I was REALLY worried about that, regular Tylenol just didn't seem like it would be enough after having her mouth completely reconstructed. But they were right, she really didn't seem like she was in much pain at all!! We requested Morphine one time, but other than that she's only had Tylenol. She was agitated by the arm bands and nose stent, and by people poking and prodding on her, but if she was in our arms, she was content. Amazing.
Despite not being in too much pain, my girl was just plain old SAD. Her eyes were the saddest things I've ever seen. And she didn't want to close them for fear that I wouldn't be there when she woke up. We spent hours that first night laying side by side, face to face and her eyes just studied my face. I just kept telling her that she would never be alone again.
Jeremy spent Friday night there with her; she has a slight preference for me when we're both around, so I felt a little guilty leaving her, but she takes comfort in her Daddy too and I knew she was in good hands. I needed to get home and see my other 3 babies and recharge a bit. When I got back to the hospital Saturday morning, the plastic surgery residents were taking a look at her and said she could go home that day. Yippee!!
So the surgery was Thursday from 11:18am to 4:10pm, we spent Thursday and Friday nights at the hospital and she was discharged Saturday afternoon around 3! Amazing after what she went through. We had expected to be there possibly until Monday, so we were so thrilled to go home Saturday. By Saturday, she was just overly exhausted by not getting enough sleep and we knew it was time to just get her home to her own bed.
Saturday was also a pretty special day for her homecoming, as it was 4 months to the day that we came home from China with her. Just as her surgery date ended up being on the first Day of Spring, this was no coincidence. I believe this was the plan all along, her surgery date and homecoming day both meant to be. It was a beautiful reassurance that this was meant to happen when it did, and a good reminder that God's plan is always better than anything I could think of!
She stayed awake the whole ride home, taking in the sights from her carseat. She got really excited and babbled when we pulled on our street- I really think she knew where she was! She was so happy to see her siblings and grandparents, and she immediately got down on the floor and started playing (which gives me a heart attack, but that's a post for another time). She then conked out in her bed and slept 14 hours straight, only waking once for a quick drink. She knew she was home!
I was so relieved to be able to show her that after all that she went through at the hospital, this is still her home. I can't imagine how afraid she was in that place, not knowing if she'd never come back here again. Being able to demonstrate through this experience that we'll always come home and we'll always be there for her was so good for her security and our bonding.
Here's some pics of our time at the hospital and her homecoming.
Snug as a bug, watching Baby Einstein.
This is the string that was attached to the tongue stitch that kept her tongue from moving too much. They clipped that Friday morning.
The dreaded nasal stent. It stayed in easily the first day due to all the dried blood and mucus, but then just started to slip out a lot. It's a constant source of frustration for her, since we have to put it back in every time. It's very long and goes way up into her nose.
All hooked up to so many things.
Major bedhead!
Drinking with a syringe... at first it was a 2 man job. Daddy would hold her, I would do the syringe... AND to get her to drink it we had to sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. In rounds. I'm not kidding, we did that over and over, but it worked and she drank enough to be discharged way earlier than expected.
She loved taking walks through the hallway. She would sing as we walked!
Our room.
This was taken Saturday morning, so about a day and a half post-op.
Lots of swelling, but not as bad as we thought!
Who sings less than 2 days after mouth surgery? This girl!
Time to take out the IV and take off all the monitors!
Ready to go home!
Her 2nd Homecoming. Welcome Home Maggie Fei!!!
I'm biased but I think she looks stunning in this picture. Takes my breath away.
Her siblings were a little afraid about how she would look,
but in no time at all they were loving on her as usual.
Her feet didn't touch the ground at the hospital. Home was another story... she's on the move!
Arm bands don't stop this girl from playing.
Exhausted and ready for her own bed.
Look at her 2 front teeth!!!! No more crazy sideways tooth. Her front left tooth used to be the one exposed and pointing sideways. Now it's generally where it's supposed to be.
And look at her palate... all closed up and looking great 2 days post-op!
Top lip is still very swollen and she's very oozy and mucous-y. We have to use tape to hold in her nasal stent.
We are just absolutely amazed at how well she was doing only 48 hours after having major surgery!! We're so happy to have her home and to be on the healing side of the surgery. We're so proud of our little girl, she is a SURVIVOR.
Oh Jen! She does look absolutely stunning - I'm so thrilled she is doing so well! We'll continue to pray for her recovery!
ReplyDeleteLaura P.