Our sweet girl has had a pretty rough start to her life. During her first week, all was well. She was fantastic, although we spent a few nights helping her figure out the difference between day and night. The second week, she began to be quite cranky when she was awake, especially during and after feedings. She didn't gain the appropriate amount of weight, and she spit up a lot. We thought this was pretty normal for her. My babies have all been quite spit-uppy - Sarah was not even as bad as Charlie, who at times would spit up an entire feeding. We visited the pediatrician and had her weight checked several times. He felt that she was okay and would catch up as soon as she got a little bit bigger and stronger.
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Once we arrived back at home, we immediately attended a conference with lots of our friends who live in our area. All week, Sarah was doted on and held by lots and lots of sweet people. We gave her a bottle in the mornings and evenings along with lots of feedings in between. She still continued to cry a lot more than our other babies and continued to spit up after every feeding. Before we left the capital for our hometown, we took Sarah by a local clinic to check her weight. But still, she had not gained the amount she was supposed to in one week. I was resolved to get to our house and spend several days just focused on fattening this girl up, but the very sweet (and smart) nurse said, 'No, don't leave. I am going to call in the doctor for you. She needs to see the doctor.' So, we waited for the doctor.
When he arrived, he told me the same thing I was thinking. He said, 'Up the feedings. Breastfeed her and then offer her a 2 ounce bottle after each feeding.' It was then that Sarah threw up the entire contents of her last feeding all over the examining table, and the doctor said, 'Does she always do that?' She did 'do that' a lot, but our little Charlie had reflux that was waaayyy worse, so I never thought anything of it. The doctor then changed his tune and decided to run some tests - which meant canceling our plane flight home that afternoon. At the end of the day, he said he was pretty sure Sarah had pyloric stenosis and needed surgery. He advised us to return to Bangkok within 2 days to meet with the doctors there. He wrote us a letter regarding his findings, gave us all her tests results and sent us on our way.
After 24 hours of phone calls, repacking and very little sleep, Jonathan, Sarah and I boarded a plane back to Bangkok. The brothers stayed with friends (which I might add is one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made - leaving my kids in a politically unstable country while I exited said country). Upon arrival, we dropped our luggage off at a guest house and immediately left for the hospital. Within an hour, we were admitted, Sarah had her first ultrasound and we had seen a pediatric surgeon. The care here is GOOD and somehow better coordinated than in the States. Very little waiting. However, the ultrasound was inconclusive. We were scheduled to see a pediatric GI doc the next day.
The next day, they did more lab work and more tests which did show pyloric stenosis. We got an IV to correct the dehydration, and scheduled surgery for Monday afternoon.
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Today, we are 9 days into this hospital stay and are officially SICK of being here. BUT our little girl is finally, after 7 full days of post-surgery, scary vomiting and fever, on the mend. She is smiling and cooing and sleeping peacefully for the first time in her six weeks of life. It gives me so much joy to see her so content. It makes me EVEN more happy when the nurses put her on the scale and say . . . . 3.3 kg!!!! She has FINALLY gained a pound!
During the third week, the crankiness got worse, the weight gain was even less and the feedings were difficult for both baby and Mommy. There were often tears from both participants during feedings. Sarah only pooped about once a week, with the help of some prune juice or a suppository. During this week, we obtained Sarah's passport and happily made arrangements to return to our home in South Asia. Before leaving, we visited the pediatrician once more. The weight gain was still not optimal, but not terrible. She was extremely cranky after feedings, which was attributed to the not getting enough during feedings. We were advised to add in supplemental feedings for her and we visited a lactation consultant to make sure that breastfeeding was okay.
Once we arrived back at home, we immediately attended a conference with lots of our friends who live in our area. All week, Sarah was doted on and held by lots and lots of sweet people. We gave her a bottle in the mornings and evenings along with lots of feedings in between. She still continued to cry a lot more than our other babies and continued to spit up after every feeding. Before we left the capital for our hometown, we took Sarah by a local clinic to check her weight. But still, she had not gained the amount she was supposed to in one week. I was resolved to get to our house and spend several days just focused on fattening this girl up, but the very sweet (and smart) nurse said, 'No, don't leave. I am going to call in the doctor for you. She needs to see the doctor.' So, we waited for the doctor.
When he arrived, he told me the same thing I was thinking. He said, 'Up the feedings. Breastfeed her and then offer her a 2 ounce bottle after each feeding.' It was then that Sarah threw up the entire contents of her last feeding all over the examining table, and the doctor said, 'Does she always do that?' She did 'do that' a lot, but our little Charlie had reflux that was waaayyy worse, so I never thought anything of it. The doctor then changed his tune and decided to run some tests - which meant canceling our plane flight home that afternoon. At the end of the day, he said he was pretty sure Sarah had pyloric stenosis and needed surgery. He advised us to return to Bangkok within 2 days to meet with the doctors there. He wrote us a letter regarding his findings, gave us all her tests results and sent us on our way.
After 24 hours of phone calls, repacking and very little sleep, Jonathan, Sarah and I boarded a plane back to Bangkok. The brothers stayed with friends (which I might add is one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made - leaving my kids in a politically unstable country while I exited said country). Upon arrival, we dropped our luggage off at a guest house and immediately left for the hospital. Within an hour, we were admitted, Sarah had her first ultrasound and we had seen a pediatric surgeon. The care here is GOOD and somehow better coordinated than in the States. Very little waiting. However, the ultrasound was inconclusive. We were scheduled to see a pediatric GI doc the next day.
The next day, they did more lab work and more tests which did show pyloric stenosis. We got an IV to correct the dehydration, and scheduled surgery for Monday afternoon.
Today, we are 9 days into this hospital stay and are officially SICK of being here. BUT our little girl is finally, after 7 full days of post-surgery, scary vomiting and fever, on the mend. She is smiling and cooing and sleeping peacefully for the first time in her six weeks of life. It gives me so much joy to see her so content. It makes me EVEN more happy when the nurses put her on the scale and say . . . . 3.3 kg!!!! She has FINALLY gained a pound! The list of things I'm thankful for this week is quite long. I'm thankful for doctors who explain things and talk to each other about my child's care. I'm thankful for nurses and nurses aids who check on things for me, even when I'm sure they think I'm being silly. I'm thankful for friends who come and sit with you before and during surgery. I'm thankful for people who watch the brothers for two weeks so we can focus on getting this little girl healthy. Most of all, I'm thankful for the privilege I've been given to be a Mommy. I certainly don't deserve the blessing of three of the sweetest kids on earth, and I pray I don't forget to remember that every day.
2 comments:
Oh my goodness. YOu must be exhausted. When you get a minute, send me a wish list ... I'm preparing a box for you to open when you finally get back home. SEriously. SEND A WISH LIST. Or just sleep. Either way.
Precious baby girl! Good to catch up on the whole story. I'm so thankful you have such good care and that Sarah is on her way to being her happy self!
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