Thursday, January 14, 2016
It’s been a busy few days for the Burns family so today I’ll be playing catch up so you know what’s been happening. While Baby Burns has been doing really well, his mama has definitely seen better days which is the main reason the updates have been delayed. I’ll explain more later.
Edmonton
We got to the hospital about 30 minutes ahead of rounds and were anxious to hear how he was doing and the status of our potential departure. Last we had heard Winnipeg had no beds available but depending on how things went over night we’d be able to transport home either Thursday or Friday. When we got the hospital we went to our baby’s bedside… and it wasn’t our baby! Of course crazy mum over here is thinking “they didn’t send him back to Winnipeg without telling me, did they?!” And no, they wouldn’t do that. But you can’t help but think that given the circumstances. Turns out they hadn’t moved us too far. Just one bed over on the opposite side of the first row. We joked that they had moved us to the noisy baby side since we had screamers on either side of us. lol.
Rounds went well. They were very happy with his progress and were continuing to increase feeds every 6 hours. It was just matter of giving him time to heal. He was still very fussy at night but again they said it’s not uncommon for heart baby’s to be fussy given all they’ve been through. One shot of chloral to settle him over night and by morning he’d worn himself out so that he was sound asleep. Kid Clot had prescribed him enoxaparin (an anti-coagulant) to be administer by needle twice a day for the next 3 months, so they were going to start training me on how to do this process. First of all, neither Chris nor I had any idea what Kid Clot was and had been trying to figure it out for days so I finally asked. Honestly, we both thought they had been saying Kits Clot and were trying to figure out if it was an acronym, or maybe the name of the head doctor in that department… Nope, turns out it was just Kid Clot because they study clots in kids. duh. Second, I hate needles. Like, really really hate them. Like, pass out if they need to draw my blood kind of hate. It’s not good. One of my least favourite parts of the whole labour experience was when I had to get the IV put it… and then it didn’t work and they had to try it again on the other side! I was NOT a fan. I can’t even handle looking at needles on TV! I don’t know how I’m going to manage giving my baby a shot twice a day! *shudder*
It’s been a busy few days for the Burns family so today I’ll be playing catch up so you know what’s been happening. While Baby Burns has been doing really well, his mama has definitely seen better days which is the main reason the updates have been delayed. I’ll explain more later.
Edmonton
We got to the hospital about 30 minutes ahead of rounds and were anxious to hear how he was doing and the status of our potential departure. Last we had heard Winnipeg had no beds available but depending on how things went over night we’d be able to transport home either Thursday or Friday. When we got the hospital we went to our baby’s bedside… and it wasn’t our baby! Of course crazy mum over here is thinking “they didn’t send him back to Winnipeg without telling me, did they?!” And no, they wouldn’t do that. But you can’t help but think that given the circumstances. Turns out they hadn’t moved us too far. Just one bed over on the opposite side of the first row. We joked that they had moved us to the noisy baby side since we had screamers on either side of us. lol.
Rounds went well. They were very happy with his progress and were continuing to increase feeds every 6 hours. It was just matter of giving him time to heal. He was still very fussy at night but again they said it’s not uncommon for heart baby’s to be fussy given all they’ve been through. One shot of chloral to settle him over night and by morning he’d worn himself out so that he was sound asleep. Kid Clot had prescribed him enoxaparin (an anti-coagulant) to be administer by needle twice a day for the next 3 months, so they were going to start training me on how to do this process. First of all, neither Chris nor I had any idea what Kid Clot was and had been trying to figure it out for days so I finally asked. Honestly, we both thought they had been saying Kits Clot and were trying to figure out if it was an acronym, or maybe the name of the head doctor in that department… Nope, turns out it was just Kid Clot because they study clots in kids. duh. Second, I hate needles. Like, really really hate them. Like, pass out if they need to draw my blood kind of hate. It’s not good. One of my least favourite parts of the whole labour experience was when I had to get the IV put it… and then it didn’t work and they had to try it again on the other side! I was NOT a fan. I can’t even handle looking at needles on TV! I don’t know how I’m going to manage giving my baby a shot twice a day! *shudder*
Then we got the news we were hoping for… Winnipeg was ready for us! Transport was set to arrive for 3pm and Chris and I would fly out at 8:30pm. We were so excited! Even though we were just transferring to another NICU, we were happy to be going home. Edmonton was lovely, and the weather was WAY better than what they were getting back home, but there’s just something about sleeping in your own bed, and drinking smoothies from your own Vitamix… lol. Plus we’d just finished the last of our groceries so it was pretty convenient timing.
We wanted to maximize our time with James while we could since we wouldn’t get to see him again until much later, so we decided that instead of leaving the hospital for lunch, we’d just eat there in the cafeteria so that we could get back to baby right away. I did not opt for the healthy choice this time. I had a piece of pizza to celebrate and it was delicious! #noregrets We spent the rest of our time snuggling our little monkey, practicing breastfeeding, and enjoying our last moments together as a little family before heading back to reality. For one thing, the timing was perfect. Chris was on last day of paid leave and would be home to work without penalty. But on the flip side, we’d be getting home late, after a stressful few weeks, and Chris had to go in to work without a day to decompress and transition in-between. I feel pretty confident that if he had sent in a formal request they would have given him that extra day (they’ve been so supportive throughout this whole experience), but Chris is very dedicated to his job and exceptionally hard working so he didn’t want to let them down. Right now I’m just praying he doesn’t burn himself out by trying to support me and the baby while still giving 100% to his regular responsibilities as well.
We wanted to maximize our time with James while we could since we wouldn’t get to see him again until much later, so we decided that instead of leaving the hospital for lunch, we’d just eat there in the cafeteria so that we could get back to baby right away. I did not opt for the healthy choice this time. I had a piece of pizza to celebrate and it was delicious! #noregrets We spent the rest of our time snuggling our little monkey, practicing breastfeeding, and enjoying our last moments together as a little family before heading back to reality. For one thing, the timing was perfect. Chris was on last day of paid leave and would be home to work without penalty. But on the flip side, we’d be getting home late, after a stressful few weeks, and Chris had to go in to work without a day to decompress and transition in-between. I feel pretty confident that if he had sent in a formal request they would have given him that extra day (they’ve been so supportive throughout this whole experience), but Chris is very dedicated to his job and exceptionally hard working so he didn’t want to let them down. Right now I’m just praying he doesn’t burn himself out by trying to support me and the baby while still giving 100% to his regular responsibilities as well.
Saying Goodbye
After I had gotten in my afternoon cuddles I gave James over to Chris so that I could go pump and he could get in the last snuggles before we had to pack him up for his flight home. While I was pumping our nurse popped her head in to say the transport team had arrived! I looked at the clock… it was 1:50pm! Apparently when they told Edmonton they’d be there at 3pm, they meant 3pm Winnipeg time. How that makes sense, I don’t know. But there they were! So I quickly finished up and cleaned my equipment so that I wouldn’t miss anything. Watching a Life Flight transport team get a baby ready to med-evac is pretty intense, so we had attracted quite a few parent on lookers. What took the nurses off guard was when they brought my milk out for the transport team to bring back to Winnipeg. Two HUGE boxes packed to the top with milk. Remember, he was only 17 days old at this point and none of the milk from that day had been included in the shipment since they hadn’t been frozen yet. It was a little ridiculous.
A bunch of the Pump Room Girls had come by to say goodbye and make sure we had gotten all of our things. The nurses and doctors all stopped by to see us off and wished us well. In a way it was kind of sad. It was good to go home because it meant he was doing well, but we had made some good friends in our short amount of time there and we didn’t want to say goodbye to all of them. Some of our friends do actually live in Winnipeg so hopefully when they get home too we’ll be able to arrange some play dates.
After I had gotten in my afternoon cuddles I gave James over to Chris so that I could go pump and he could get in the last snuggles before we had to pack him up for his flight home. While I was pumping our nurse popped her head in to say the transport team had arrived! I looked at the clock… it was 1:50pm! Apparently when they told Edmonton they’d be there at 3pm, they meant 3pm Winnipeg time. How that makes sense, I don’t know. But there they were! So I quickly finished up and cleaned my equipment so that I wouldn’t miss anything. Watching a Life Flight transport team get a baby ready to med-evac is pretty intense, so we had attracted quite a few parent on lookers. What took the nurses off guard was when they brought my milk out for the transport team to bring back to Winnipeg. Two HUGE boxes packed to the top with milk. Remember, he was only 17 days old at this point and none of the milk from that day had been included in the shipment since they hadn’t been frozen yet. It was a little ridiculous.
A bunch of the Pump Room Girls had come by to say goodbye and make sure we had gotten all of our things. The nurses and doctors all stopped by to see us off and wished us well. In a way it was kind of sad. It was good to go home because it meant he was doing well, but we had made some good friends in our short amount of time there and we didn’t want to say goodbye to all of them. Some of our friends do actually live in Winnipeg so hopefully when they get home too we’ll be able to arrange some play dates.
By 2:30 they were off. We walked with James in his little incubator strapped to a gurney until they got to the staff only elevator and then it was goodbye to our baby. They gave us the number to call so we could check on him and told us he should arrive at the NICU around 7:30 Winnipeg time. With several hours on our hands and nothing really to do, we headed back to our hotel room to pack up and chill out for a while before heading home. Not going to lie, all those years of living on the road doing musical theatre tours really paid off because I am a pro at packing. Seriously, you should see my packing skills. You’d be green with jealously. We left with more stuff than we came with but you’d never guess it based on how well I got everything to fit! Ok, I’m done bragging, I promise. Chris took a nap while I was packing because, to me, it’s a “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario to have someone help me pack. Once I was done I watched a few more episodes of the Mindy Project and then snuggled in with Chris for a 20 minute cat nap. When it was time to go we went downstairs to grab a booster juice for dinner, checked out of the hotel, and booked an Uber for our ride to the airport. Chris was quite excited by this since it was his first Uber ride (we don’t have Uber in Winnipeg yet).
An “Uber” Experience
Our Uber driver was way too cool for us. Seriously, he was living every high school hipsters dream life. For starters, he’s an Uber driver. Already cool. His other job is working IT at Apple (he’s a genius folks!). He had the perfectly maintained man bun, a cozy, home knitted cardigan, and he was excited to tell us about their planned home birth with a midwife later this year. Seriously, this guy had his cool game maxed out. But crazier then that, he was another God moment for us. Once could be written off as a coincidence, but with the number of God moments we’ve had throughout the pregnancy and surgery experience there is no other way to explain it. We were making small talk with him (Chris is THE BEST at small talk! He makes talking to strangers a lot less awkward. I used to be good at it but I think I’m too tired these days. I’ve lost my edge) and we told him about our baby’s heart condition. Turns out he had a rare congenital heart defect himself that required a brand new surgical procedure when he was 6 months old. He told us his story and shared with us his own journey. When he dropped us off he also let us know he was a Christian and that he would be praying for us. Like what?! How does this happen to us ALL the time?! It’s incredible.
We got to the airport in good time so once we made it through security I headed off to pump so I’d be good for the flight. We decided to celebrate this big step in James recovery with a cookie from Cookie’s by George and a phone call to NICU Winnipeg to check on our little guy. He was doing well and had a good flight but he had JUST arrived to the unit 10 minutes before we called so they hand’t had the chance to settle him or assess yet so they couldn’t give me much of a medical update at that point.
Our Uber driver was way too cool for us. Seriously, he was living every high school hipsters dream life. For starters, he’s an Uber driver. Already cool. His other job is working IT at Apple (he’s a genius folks!). He had the perfectly maintained man bun, a cozy, home knitted cardigan, and he was excited to tell us about their planned home birth with a midwife later this year. Seriously, this guy had his cool game maxed out. But crazier then that, he was another God moment for us. Once could be written off as a coincidence, but with the number of God moments we’ve had throughout the pregnancy and surgery experience there is no other way to explain it. We were making small talk with him (Chris is THE BEST at small talk! He makes talking to strangers a lot less awkward. I used to be good at it but I think I’m too tired these days. I’ve lost my edge) and we told him about our baby’s heart condition. Turns out he had a rare congenital heart defect himself that required a brand new surgical procedure when he was 6 months old. He told us his story and shared with us his own journey. When he dropped us off he also let us know he was a Christian and that he would be praying for us. Like what?! How does this happen to us ALL the time?! It’s incredible.
We got to the airport in good time so once we made it through security I headed off to pump so I’d be good for the flight. We decided to celebrate this big step in James recovery with a cookie from Cookie’s by George and a phone call to NICU Winnipeg to check on our little guy. He was doing well and had a good flight but he had JUST arrived to the unit 10 minutes before we called so they hand’t had the chance to settle him or assess yet so they couldn’t give me much of a medical update at that point.
WebMD
I’d noticed throughout the day that my milk supply in my right breast hadn’t been as ample as it usually had been, and I had pointed out to Chris that I had a strange red mark on my breast but we didn’t want to over think it. Now, my breast felt full but even after pumping for a full 30 minutes, it was still painfully full and hadn’t actually let down much milk. At this point I knew something was definitely wrong and I was not feeling well. So while we were waiting for boarding we did some quick Googling and were pretty sure we had it figured out. Mastitis. Sigh. The flight was miserable. I was in so much pain, even after trying to pump mid-flight. Then the fever hit. Burning up, extreme chills, and full on shaking. I felt miserable and I knew I needed medical help with this. We made it to Winnipeg at 11:30pm. My dad took Chris home since he had to go to work in the morning, and my mom took me to the hospital because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I hadn’t checked on him.
I’d noticed throughout the day that my milk supply in my right breast hadn’t been as ample as it usually had been, and I had pointed out to Chris that I had a strange red mark on my breast but we didn’t want to over think it. Now, my breast felt full but even after pumping for a full 30 minutes, it was still painfully full and hadn’t actually let down much milk. At this point I knew something was definitely wrong and I was not feeling well. So while we were waiting for boarding we did some quick Googling and were pretty sure we had it figured out. Mastitis. Sigh. The flight was miserable. I was in so much pain, even after trying to pump mid-flight. Then the fever hit. Burning up, extreme chills, and full on shaking. I felt miserable and I knew I needed medical help with this. We made it to Winnipeg at 11:30pm. My dad took Chris home since he had to go to work in the morning, and my mom took me to the hospital because I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I hadn’t checked on him.
Home
We got to the hospital around 12:15-12:30 and didn’t stay long, but wanted to make sure he had settled in. He was looking good and was sleeping nicely so I felt good. Picked up some of our milk to put in the freezer at home, found out rounds were at 9am and then we were on our way to catch a little bit of rest before coming back in the morning. Before we left I mentioned that I thought I had developed Mastitis and asked who I should see about it since online it said it’s treated with antibiotics, and the sooner the better. They said to call my GP and see if I could get in right away. Otherwise they recommended I head to a walk-in to make sure I got that prescription as soon as possible. So, with nothing left to do that night my mom took me home. I was so tired that by the time I got home around 1:30am, I pumped, cleaned, and then went to bed. I couldn’t find my pj’s so I slept in my clothes (and added a hoodie, a comforter, and a wool blanket to combat the chills and cold sweat), but I forgot to take out my contacts in the mean time… Oops :S
So, a little bit of bad mixed with the good, but we were home. Later on today I’ll try to update you in a combined post for Friday and Saturday so we can get you caught up to today and then we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled postings. Thank you so much for all your continued thoughts and prayers and hopefully we’ll be out of intensive care and moving closer to home soon. We can’t wait for everyone to meet him.
“There’s no place like home…” - Dorothy
(you better know that line from The Wizard of Oz or I will personally come over and school you in the musical theatre classics!)
We got to the hospital around 12:15-12:30 and didn’t stay long, but wanted to make sure he had settled in. He was looking good and was sleeping nicely so I felt good. Picked up some of our milk to put in the freezer at home, found out rounds were at 9am and then we were on our way to catch a little bit of rest before coming back in the morning. Before we left I mentioned that I thought I had developed Mastitis and asked who I should see about it since online it said it’s treated with antibiotics, and the sooner the better. They said to call my GP and see if I could get in right away. Otherwise they recommended I head to a walk-in to make sure I got that prescription as soon as possible. So, with nothing left to do that night my mom took me home. I was so tired that by the time I got home around 1:30am, I pumped, cleaned, and then went to bed. I couldn’t find my pj’s so I slept in my clothes (and added a hoodie, a comforter, and a wool blanket to combat the chills and cold sweat), but I forgot to take out my contacts in the mean time… Oops :S
So, a little bit of bad mixed with the good, but we were home. Later on today I’ll try to update you in a combined post for Friday and Saturday so we can get you caught up to today and then we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled postings. Thank you so much for all your continued thoughts and prayers and hopefully we’ll be out of intensive care and moving closer to home soon. We can’t wait for everyone to meet him.
“There’s no place like home…” - Dorothy
(you better know that line from The Wizard of Oz or I will personally come over and school you in the musical theatre classics!)