I'm not much of a fan of Christmas songs (except those we sing in church), so the fact that I have Santa Claus is Coming to Town in my head each time I work on my list of things to take to the hospital is really starting to annoy me.
Anyway, I know a lot of you have had kiddos that have had OHS or have had extended hospital stays. If there are things you wished you had with you, or things you were really glad you brought, I'd love to hear them. We live a little over two hours from the hospital so running home won't be an option. I know there are stores nearby, but I'd like to be as prepared as possible. Besides, making lists and packing gives me something to do other than worry for the next few days...
As we get closer to the surgery I've had lots of friends and family ask me to explain the surgery, and I don't think I've done a very good job of it so far. I'm a very visual learner and I found a picture that helped me see what was going on, and thought is might be interesting to others.
It shows the hole in the center wall of the heart as well as the common valve that they will be repairing. The center wall will be patched using a synthetic material and the valve will be repaired with her own tissue.
Aunt Susan and Claire
One of the few pictures of the three of us
The best things we took the last time Piper was in the hospital were smaller, hand-sized toys- all her favorites... It gave her something to do, and made her feel a little more comfortable when she wasn't home. We also took some new toys that she hadn't seen before to keep her interested. We also LOVE babylegs- kept her warm without obstructing any crucial areas... Keep in mind that if you need anything while your in town, feel free to contact us- we probably have something you can use. :)
ReplyDeleteWe brought sleepers and clothes that buttoned up thefront so we could put clothes on Elijah and still let the cords come through. We also put socks on him to prevent him from kicking off the IV line on his foot. I also looked at pictures of children while they went through surgery so I was not as shocked when I saw him after surgery. The first day was the worst and then every day more and more wires were disconnected and he looked better. You can look at our blog to see what it was like when he had the surgery in December.
ReplyDeleteExtra socks are good for hands too. Megan got pretty cold in the hospital. She also tried to pull out her wires and ng tube. For entertainment, we borrowed crib toys from the hospital, which kept her attention (lights and songs). Ask to see a Child Life Specialist, if they have one. It was also nice for her to see her favorite toy from home. I brought no-brainer celebrity magazines to read and chocolate bars to sneak bites from in the CICU (no food allowed). Also, make sure you bring a water bottle and use it often because that hospital air will dry you out!
ReplyDeletemelissa - we were close to home so i didn't pack much for the hospital, sorry i can't be of much help. one thing i was happy i brought down to the room (ask the staff if it is ok) was a cd player and music for whitney to listen to... i just thought it would be good for whitney to have more to listen to than the machines and the chatter of the nurses and doctors :)
ReplyDeletei would agree with aimee's comment about the baby legs, too.
thinking about you guys!
Just wanted to you know that I was thinking of you and Claire's upcoming surgery. I hope everything goes well and that ya'll don't have to stay in the hospital too long. When Julian had his surgery it was unexpected and I didn't really pack anything. I had my husband bring stuff up but we were only there for four day so Julian just stayed in his diaper until we went home.
ReplyDeleteI jsut saw your pictures. So cute. The best advice I can give you about the surgery is Breath. I am going through it right now and my husband has to continue to remind me to breath.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to take a small pad of paper. I used it to take notes of what the doc said, list visitors, and what my observations were from visit to visit so I could remember that things were getting better. We also took small blanket throws to use as wraps for our shoulders and legs. Its cold in hospitals! The best thing I took was my Bible!
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