Cath Update #10: No Place Like Home

I learned a very valuable lesson overnight and today:  the PCCU is not the place for a wide awake baby that knows what it's like to be home.  I am now officially no longer looking forward to the Glenn and its hospital recovery time.

Last night went pretty smoothly as long as Ayden was awake.  When he woke up for the first time this morning, it wasn't pretty.  He was his normal, just woke up grumpy, which was fine.  What wasn't fine was he pretty much stayed that way, or worse.  He didn't like all the things stuck to him or in him, he didn't like all the doctors and nurses poking and prodding him, he didn't like having to lay on his PCCU bed instead of hanging out with Mom or Dad on the chaise at home.  When he got really upset, I would pick him up, but that's about all I could do.  Because he was hooked up to monitors, I couldn't do what we normally do to calm him down - walk him around.  All of this combined to produce a very grumpy and worn out Ayden (not to mention a very grumpy and worn out me).  He could not get the rest he needed from yesterday's long day while he was in the PCCU.

Thankfully, we are home now.  The only thing keeping Ayden at the hospital was his oxygen levels.  The pulse ox, which measures the oxygen saturation in his blood, is a frustrating medical device.  It does not handle active babies very well.  When Ayden was asleep and completely still, his sats were great.  When he woke up, got really grumpy, and flailed around, his levels were terrible, at least according to the pulse ox.  Unfortunately, it's not always clear whether the readings it's giving are accurate or not.  I didn't believe the lower readings, but the doctors were not going to let him go until they were confident his sats were appropriate.  Eventually, that came to pass and we got to go home.

Now, we are trying to help him rest and regain his sanity.  The last time he had a very stressful clinic visit, the following day was basically a sleepfest for him.  Yesterday and today were much more stressful (and longer) than that clinic visit.  He is just now starting his recovery period.  It will probably be sometime tomorrow until he is back to his old self.  In the meantime, we will try to keep him calm and resting.  Please pray for us in this endeavor, and for his safety and well-being.