One Week

I found out recently the meaning of one week.  On November 15, I experienced the happiest moment of my life as my little girl was born and we became a family of three.  It was the most amazing feeling in the world and I was on a high until a week later, November 22, when I experienced the most terrifying moment of my life as I was told by an ER doctor that Abigail needed emergency surgery to repair an intestinal malrotation.

Rock and I noticed on Saturday, November 20, that Abby was projectile vomiting up a yellowish liquid and we thought it was perhaps just a normal reaction to the increase of milk that she was getting, as my milk had just came in.  But when it continued through out the day interspersed with some successful feedings without vomiting, we decided to call the ER triage nurse hotline to just to be cautious.  The nurse asked Rock a bunch of questions to determine whether or not we should bring Abby into ER and she advised that if she couldn't keep one more meal down, then we should bring her to the hospital.  So, I fed her and held her for two hours afterwards and she didn't vomit so we did not bring her in.  The next morning she fed like normal until about noon when she started having some vomiting again.  Since she had fed properly that whole morning we didn't think too much of it and I fed her again at 2:30 PM and then Rock held her until 5:30 PM and which point she woke up and projectile vomited so much that we had to strip her down and give her a bath.  Then, when we got her all dried and dressed I was holding her and she vomited again, so I changed her again and then as I was walking back from the laundry room she vomited all over me, herself and the kitchen floor and that is when I looked at Rock and said it was definitely time to bring her into the ER because something wasn't right.  **NOTA BENE: projectile vomiting (a la The Exorcist) is NEVER OK in infants.**

We got to the ER and the emergency pediatric doctor was very attuned to what was going on and she immediately called for a transport team since she had a feeling that Abby didn't just have a virus, but that it was something more serious.  After being in the ER for about an hour and a half and having an ultrasound to rule out pyloric stenosis, the University of Maryland Medical Center transport team arrived via ambulance to take Rock and Abby to their ER in Baltimore, since they had surgeons who can operate on infants that the hospital we were at did not.  

Rock and Abby got to the UMMC ER before I did, as I had to drive our truck there and find parking, etc.  But once I got there, it seemed like it was FOREVER before we got some answers to what was going on.  We saw a pediatric ER doctor, like 15 surgeons and various other members of the medical team but still no one could really tell us what was going on.  All the while, Abby is continuing to vomit and Rock and I are left alone in her ER room with her and have to use a bulb syringe to suck out her vomit so she doesn't choke.  Perhaps that is why it felt like the longest hour of my life.  

We had to get Abby a barium contrast swallow which would show on an X-ray the path of the barium through her system and it would also show if anything was wrong with her intestines.  The results of this test showed that she did in fact have some intestinal rotation (i.e., twists) and that she needed immediate surgery.

Time just seemed to warp from there.  I found myself following the head of surgery through the hospital as I held Abby and the next thing I remember I am handing her off to the anesthesiologist and we were being led to a waiting area.  Rock and I comforted each other for a bit and then tried to get some rest, because at this point it was 3 AM.  We were then awaken by the surgeon and he told us the surgery was successful and that he'd lead us to the IMC (intermediate care unit) where Abby would be brought to recover.

Rock and I spent the next five days in the recovery room with Abby.  We took turns in shifts watching her and I have to say that I learned something that only a parent can understand: the worst pain in the world isn't a pain you feel yourself but that you have to watch your child go through.

On Saturday we were able to bring Abby home and she continues to heal and is doing very well.  We are so blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family who sent love, prayers and positive thoughts her way and that we have our beautiful baby girl.  Thank you for all your love and I will update again soon.