Snuggles Again!

Dear Charli,
On Saturday after surgery you came off the ventilator and your mommy and I were able to hold you. The favorite part of our day is snuggling you!




You no longer had the vent tube, but now you had a feeding tube. The feeding tube is the white tube in your nose. It contained your Mommy's milk but it emptied into your lower intestines, below the surgery site, not into your tummy. Your doctors wanted to be sure your lower intestines worked properly, and your surgery site had to heal before any food
could go through it.






I love the look on your Mommy's face every time she holds you. There is so much love there!





I can't wait to bring you home!
Love,
Grammy

Surgery Day

Thursday morning, March 22, your mommy and I were scheduled to be in the NICU to see you at 6 am to get kisses before surgery and so the surgeon could talk to your mommy. Your mommy still had not been released from the hospital so when we woke we just had to get dressed and go upstairs to see you. Poppy and Granny drove over to the hospital very early so they could see you before surgery too.
At 7:30 we still hadn't seen the surgeon. At approximately 8:30 they finally wheeled you down to surgery and we all went to the 3rd floor surgery waiting room. We were told surgery could take 2, possibly 3 hours to repair your intestines.

The nurse put you in an incubator and wheeled you away:



We got one last glimpse of you as they pushed you down the hallway:



At approximately 10:25 am Dr. Thomas came to the waiting room to let us know your surgery went well and that you would go straight back to the NICU for recovery.

After surgery, for a couple of days, we couldn't hold you while you were on the ventilator. You remained on the ventilator until you could breathe on your own again.




It was hard to see you hooked up to so many tubes and wires but we knew they were all in place to make you well again.




Praying it won't be long until you are healed and home!
Love,
Grammy