Another little hurdle

So yesterday we were informed by the Ophthalmologist that Jensen would require laser surgery for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). To be honest, deep down I kind of knew he would need it, but still I spent most of the day in bouts of tears. It wasn't so much because of the surgery, as I knew it was a fairly straightforward procedure, and performed here in the NICU, but more because it was just another thing the little fella had to go through, another hurdle for him to jump. He's just been through so much already and I just want him left alone now to grow. All I could say to him was that I am sorry.

So with yesterday behind us, Phil and I arrived early this morning to spend some time with Jensen before moving into the laser treatment room. Thankfully, the procedure is done here at the hospital, just next to ICU, so once Jensen was prepped and ready, he was wheeled just across the hall. The procedure itself took just one hour, but with intubation, morphine and so on, the whole thing took two hours. Phil and I sat dozing in the parent lounge watching the ANZAC services on television (daddy was tired from attending a dawn service this morning) waiting for news from the surgeon.

Doctor Smith was very happy with how the surgery went and said it couldn't have gone better and that Jensen was comfortable and a very good boy throughout. So now it's just a case of keeping an eye on him weekly while we are still in the hospital and every two or three weeks once we leave, just to make sure more surgery is not required at a later date, which is rare. Little man just needs a cold compression pack for the next 24 hours (which he does not like) and to recover. He was extubated at 4:30 this afternoon and gradually worked his way down from 6 litres of flow to 4, with the expectation to be back at 3 by the morning. It took him a little while to get back into the habit of breathing after being on the ventilator again and being so groggy and exhausted, but seems to be doing very well now. He's just a little puffy and a bit cranky. It's nice to hear his little voice again though, we've missed it, as we have holding him today.

Feeds will start again tonight at midnight, and he should be back on full feeds within 12 hours of that. Breastfeeding won't be attempted until he is feeling more like his little energetic self. Taking advantage of that, mummy is having a sleep in in the morning...

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