Discharge Day!

Anya is out of the hospital! We will start driving back home tomorrow.
The last half of this hospitalization has been amusing. I expected Anya to need oxygen longer than was typical, we even brought some tanks with us just in case, but even I was surprised by the amount of oxygen Anya needed. She was on 0.1 L for about a day. This is a ridiculously small number. Newborns go home on this, but Anya is three for goodness sake. Most kids can go from 0.5 L to nothing when they wean off. Not our kid!


We picked up some sandwiches and went for a ride!

When I cared for adults after surgery, we did all kinds of things to get patients to work their lungs: an incentive spirometer, that encourages breathing deep, and we also made patients get up and walk on the first day. I suppose kids don't usually need these exercises, but two days after surgery Anya was still hanging out in a crib watching movies. She was not using her lungs much at all. So late yesterday we went on a Mommy Daughter Date around Shands. She had a blast going to the food court, the gift shop, and wandering up and down the halls where I spent so much of my time three years ago.

After the trip it was like I had flipped a switch. Anya started being more playful and talking more. Only a few hours later I took her off the oxygen, and she has been off since. Her stomach has settled down and she is eating pretty well (for her). Her pain is well controlled with Tylenol. I am a little anxious about how well she will tolerate the car ride. Tomorrow we will drive less than half to ease her in to it.

After she was discharged we went and visited the NICU. We saw a few of her old nurses and met some families who have CDH babies in the NICU now. We have connected on Facebook but have never met face to face. Our children all have complex cases, and it was nice to talk about all the similar things we have faced, and they are now facing. In the world we live in, your child needs a nissen fundoplication and a g-tube placed before they can be discharged home. Events that others are horrified by are normal milestones. It is a strange place to live and I am so thankful for social media, it really helps make this experience more bearable.



Yummy noodles!

We saw Dr. Kays while we were in the NICU waiting room as well. Anya was playing with one of her Doc McStuffins toys, and Dr. Kays referred to it as an 'ear thingy'. Anya immediately corrected him, that it was called an otoscope. I remember three years ago watching this man examining Anya with concern, discussing all the hurdles in front of us. I think it is satisfying for him to hear Anya speak with such confidence now.

I hoped for the best and planned for the worst with this trip, so now we are getting back home earlier than I expected. When we get back there will be a whirlwind of preparations for BOTH girls to go to school!
So thankful for this smooth recovery. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

Back at the Ronald McDonald House, settling in for the night!