Surgery Prep

Before Baby J's pull through surgery I tried to prepare myself for the surgery and for life after the surgery.  I read about others' experiences, learned about the diaper rash and found some things to try to help with it, and got in touch with other HD parents.  But there are some things I wish I had checked up on and others that I'm glad I did.

In preparation for Baby J's surgery and subsequent hospital stay I packed a bag for myself, since I was the one that would be staying at the hospital with him.  I also packed a bag for Mr. E since he stayed with his grandparents most of the week.  I asked some other HD parents what they recommended I take with me.  I felt pretty well prepared for the hospital stay.  I found that the accommodations at the hospital were better than they were in the NICU.  There were shared showers for each wing of the unit, we had a shared room with a television in each half of the room, and a shared toilet and sink in the room, a pull-out chair bed, and every day a courtesy cart came up to the unit with free breakfast.  There was also a Ronald McDonald house a floor down that I was able to utilize a few times.

I wish I had called the hospital and asked about accommodations available to parents in the infant unit.  I also wish I had asked other parents what to expect during recovery from surgery.  Calling the hospital would have given me better insight as to what to pack and what they would provide for me and Baby J.  Had I asked other parents about recovery I would have been more prepared for some of the side effects of surgery I could expect, some of the stresses for me, and some of the requirements the doctors' would have for release.  I also would have been able to stock up better on supplies to combat the diaper rash immediately upon release, rather than having to take a trip to the store as soon as I got Baby J home.


In my bag for the hospital I packed:  enough clothes for the longest estimated stay, toiletries, lotion, hand sanitizer, towel, wash cloth, makeup, charger cables, my laptop, phone, pen and paper, some pre-packaged food, a few movies, pillow, blanket, slippers, my wallet, a water bottle, and my breast pump parts.

I was happy to have my own toiletries (the hospital had some, but nothing great), and my own pillow and blanket that made sleeping in the hospital chair/bed a little more comfortable.  My laptop and my own movies were really nice to have to keep me from getting stir crazy while staying in the same room for 5 days.  With the food I was able to avoid eating out too many times during our stay, avoid vending machine junk, and to also help out a few others with babies in the hospital.  I was also again able to pump breast milk for Baby J to have when he was allowed to eat, which I then donated to another mom who could use it when I probably wouldn't.

I wish that I had been aware that Baby J wouldn't get to eat until after his bowels began to function post-op.  I was quite worried about him being hungry and was frustrated that I wound up pumping longer than I had planned.  I wish that I had been warned about the potential for tummy upset once he was allowed to eat and the lovely vomit that ensued, I was scared for Baby J (there was a lot of it), and scared that the surgery hadn't really fixed things.  I also wish I had been told to stay on top of his pain meds and to not push weaning him off of them, I feel like I pushed weaning him off them too quickly in my haste to get him home and might have caused him some unnecessary pain.  I also wish that I had taken the advice of a friend who had spent much more than her fair share of time sleeping on a hospital chair/bed and taken an extra mattress pad to sleep on, I could have spared myself some sore muscles/neck/back.

I share this so I can remember in case we have a hospital stay in the future and also so that others in the same or similar situation can learn from my experience.