Oh where to begin??
Riley is incredible. That's a good start. We are so in love with this little girl and couldn't be happier that we have gotten to spend so much time with her. She started her journey at the Neonatal Critical Care Ward and within a day of being there they said she was doing well enough that she could be transferred over to the Children's Hospital. How I found this out though freaked me out a little. I strolled into the Neonatal ward to see the Doctors and nurses fussing over Riley saying things like "We will arrange her to be moved in an hour" as they were packing things up around her. My initial thought was "What's wrong??". But the move was a good thing for a few reasons. One is that she was going to be transferred there post-surgery anyway so it helps us get used to it. Another reason it has been fantastic is that they are a little more flexible over at the the Childrens Hospital PICU.
Upon arriving there with Riley, we were having just a general chat with the nurse who was stationed to look after her and she just casually said to us "So we will arrange for you both to get to hold her as much as you can across this weekend". We both said tearily to her "Really! Can we??" as we weren't expecting to get a hold for a very long while. We made her cry. She let out a little "Uh-huh" and turned around to her computer to try and conceal her emotions. I think this is one of the awesome things about all the people who have looked after our family at the hospital. They have all been genuinely warm and caring people who haven't treated us like we are work but have been so considerate of our situation and go the extra mile to help us as much as possible. Since arriving at the PICU we have definitely taken the opportunity to hold her as often as we can because after surgery it just won't be possible for a while.
Also they had told us prior to surgery that Riley wouldn't be fed but would receive all her nutrition through a drip. They do this because they believe that it can make the surgery a little more complicated if something happens with her digestion. But Riley made them change their minds. This serene little baby we saw on day one started to get unsettled. She is her father's daughter. I swear if I am frustrated sometimes Jess will give me a chocolate bar and suddenly I am much more placid. Riley was getting upset and it wasn't good for her heart. So they began feeding her the more traditional way. She has been much more settled since then and the doctors now aren't fazed by it either since her body has been responding to it just fine.
We have had many conversations with the Cardiologists, Doctors and Nurses concerning Monday. We know that there is no timeline on how long or how short the surgery can take. But we have been warned that the next couple of days after surgery are going to be the most difficult days of probably her life. If there are complications with surgery they will most likely present themselves across that time period (Even though I know I have been a little crazy with the sharing on Facebook and Instagram, it may slow down significantly through that period).
We are believing for a complication free surgery and that Riley will be one of those babies who fly through the next period as well. I know there are many people who want to come visit us and have reached out to see if it would be alright. Although we would love to see all of you and introduce you to our little girl, you may need to be patient. This week will be big for us and it will be too much for us to have visitors. Right now we have our parents with us supporting and helping us out (it is amazing how few hours there are in the day once you have a baby even when she's being looked after 24 hours a day by nurses). I guess we will let people know when things calm down a little for us.
Otherwise the one thing we continually need and always ask for is prayer. We believe for the best and we trust in God through these circumstances but we are also human and will be stressed tomorrow waiting for Riley to come out of surgery. We love knowing that we are not alone in this and that other people are carrying this with us. It will bring us a little peace as we wait. Also thank you so much for all your texts, calls and comments, even though we don't reply to every single one, we do read them! Promise!
See you on the other side!
Riley is incredible. That's a good start. We are so in love with this little girl and couldn't be happier that we have gotten to spend so much time with her. She started her journey at the Neonatal Critical Care Ward and within a day of being there they said she was doing well enough that she could be transferred over to the Children's Hospital. How I found this out though freaked me out a little. I strolled into the Neonatal ward to see the Doctors and nurses fussing over Riley saying things like "We will arrange her to be moved in an hour" as they were packing things up around her. My initial thought was "What's wrong??". But the move was a good thing for a few reasons. One is that she was going to be transferred there post-surgery anyway so it helps us get used to it. Another reason it has been fantastic is that they are a little more flexible over at the the Childrens Hospital PICU.
Upon arriving there with Riley, we were having just a general chat with the nurse who was stationed to look after her and she just casually said to us "So we will arrange for you both to get to hold her as much as you can across this weekend". We both said tearily to her "Really! Can we??" as we weren't expecting to get a hold for a very long while. We made her cry. She let out a little "Uh-huh" and turned around to her computer to try and conceal her emotions. I think this is one of the awesome things about all the people who have looked after our family at the hospital. They have all been genuinely warm and caring people who haven't treated us like we are work but have been so considerate of our situation and go the extra mile to help us as much as possible. Since arriving at the PICU we have definitely taken the opportunity to hold her as often as we can because after surgery it just won't be possible for a while.
Also they had told us prior to surgery that Riley wouldn't be fed but would receive all her nutrition through a drip. They do this because they believe that it can make the surgery a little more complicated if something happens with her digestion. But Riley made them change their minds. This serene little baby we saw on day one started to get unsettled. She is her father's daughter. I swear if I am frustrated sometimes Jess will give me a chocolate bar and suddenly I am much more placid. Riley was getting upset and it wasn't good for her heart. So they began feeding her the more traditional way. She has been much more settled since then and the doctors now aren't fazed by it either since her body has been responding to it just fine.
We have had many conversations with the Cardiologists, Doctors and Nurses concerning Monday. We know that there is no timeline on how long or how short the surgery can take. But we have been warned that the next couple of days after surgery are going to be the most difficult days of probably her life. If there are complications with surgery they will most likely present themselves across that time period (Even though I know I have been a little crazy with the sharing on Facebook and Instagram, it may slow down significantly through that period).
We are believing for a complication free surgery and that Riley will be one of those babies who fly through the next period as well. I know there are many people who want to come visit us and have reached out to see if it would be alright. Although we would love to see all of you and introduce you to our little girl, you may need to be patient. This week will be big for us and it will be too much for us to have visitors. Right now we have our parents with us supporting and helping us out (it is amazing how few hours there are in the day once you have a baby even when she's being looked after 24 hours a day by nurses). I guess we will let people know when things calm down a little for us.
Otherwise the one thing we continually need and always ask for is prayer. We believe for the best and we trust in God through these circumstances but we are also human and will be stressed tomorrow waiting for Riley to come out of surgery. We love knowing that we are not alone in this and that other people are carrying this with us. It will bring us a little peace as we wait. Also thank you so much for all your texts, calls and comments, even though we don't reply to every single one, we do read them! Promise!
See you on the other side!
Heaps of prayers....check!
ReplyDeleteOops! My phone is playing up & didn't let me finish what I wanted to say.... Your families are so so proud of the three of you!!!! xx��xx
ReplyDelete