We have had a busy couple of weeks!
About two weeks ago, little G decided that he wasn't interested in peeing or eating anymore. After about 15 hours with barely any eating and one, sad little pee, I decided to have him checked out. Since it was Saturday, our usual medical support team were all off of work, so I packed up the baby, called my in laws for some assistance, and headed off to emergency. I knew that the guideline for dehydration is if the baby has 4 wet diapers in 24 hours, he is OK. However, I was extra cautious because of G's heart and didn't want to wait that long.
While we were waiting to get checked in to emergency, the triage staff wanted to take his vitals. Before he was hooked up to the oxygen meter, I warned them that his levels would be low. Afterward, I realized that I could have had a little bit of fun if I had kept my mouth shut for a minute or two and waited for their reaction.
While we were in the department, he had a huge pee. By the time the paediatrician came to check on us, he was eating again. All of his vitals were fine. I had taken a healthy baby to the emergency department. When I told my sister, she kindly said that most moms do it at some point. I guess I am part of the club.
At home, little G is learning a ton! He has gotten quite good at reaching out and grabbing toys. He shoves everything into his little mouth. Peek-a-boo is a new favourite game. And he LOVES to roll from his back to his side, and loves it even more if I pull him from his side on to his tummy. We even got our first giggles recently, although he rations them out. How stingy! Our evenings are spent playing our hardest to try and get those bubbly laughs.
I have also discovered that while this kid's attitude toward soothers varies from indifference to rage (I had no idea a baby could spit a soother so far!), he really likes teethers. I guess it makes sense. When he sticks his thumb in his mouth, he chews on it instead of sucking. Plus, he really enjoys reaching out, grabbing the teether, and trying to get it into his mouth. That's half of the fun right there! I hope that it will provide enough of a distraction during medical tests that he won't have to be sedated. Last time, I fed him until he fell asleep before his ECHO. As he gets more mobile and interested in his environment, I doubt that he will go to sleep so easily right before his tests.
We also welcomed our friends' new little baby over the past few weeks. Baby L is such a little cutie, and we are so in love. Her and G are about three months apart, so we are hoping that they will be best friends as they grow up together. G has a cousin who is two months older, too. It's so nice for him to have friends his own age right from infancy.
Ok, back to medical stuff. About a week ago, G started peeing less again. I got in touch with our nurse clinician in Victoria who coached me through it. She said as long as he was voiding at least 6 times in 24 hours (which he was) and his colour, energy, and breathing were good (which they were), we didn't need to bring him in, although she said we could email her a video of his breathing to be sure. This nurse is seriously the best!! She said that since he is sweating when he eats now and breathing faster, he might be losing fluids faster. He also drools enough to fill the Great Lakes, so some liquid is going there. We worry that the baby may develop heart failure. If he did, he would have a really hard time breathing and would be urinating less. Right now, his heart is working overtime, but it doesn't look like he is in heart failure. We will take that as a win.
The nurse also mentioned that healthy babies typically gain about 30 grams per day. Tet babies in balance gain 20 to 25 g/day, and failing tet babies gain less. At our weigh in today, we found that G gained slightly more than 25g/day over the past few weeks!! This is up from last time, when he was gaining around 22g/day. This puts him above the 50th percentile for weight. He is slowly falling down the curve, but it is gradual enough that our team is quite pleased with his progress.
His breathing and oxygen levels are also unchanged from our last appointment, which means that he is holding his own. He is still working hard to breathe, and his oxygen is sitting at about 86% when he is resting, but considering the heart condition that he was born with, he is doing pretty well.
My husband and I have decided that when G has recovered from his surgery, we are taking a family vacation. I think we have earned it. We are hoping to go somewhere quiet, peaceful, and close to home and hospitals. Sooke and Shawnigan Lake seem like good options, being both beautiful and close to our cardiologist in Victoria. Rathtrevor is also very nice and close to home. Thinking about our first vacation as a family is a very pleasant distraction from G's illness.
We are so thankful for our family and friends who have stepped up and helped us out over the past month with meals, visits, errands, and kindness. You guys are the best!!! We are finally feeling that we can stand on our own feet again, at least for now. We feel so fortunate to be close to both of our families, who have been SO helpful and supportive. THANK YOU!
Our next appointment will be in Victoria, probably in about two weeks. Until then, we play and love and, most of all, live.
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