Parker got tubes in his ears
Our poor baby has had one ear infection after another this year. So many that when I asked our pediatrician to help me count how many infections he had she told me that it was difficult to say because they just seemed to string along all winter long.
Our pediatrician referred us to a fabulous ENT who confirmed that our Parker Bear was a candidate for tubes and as luck would have it, the surgery was scheduled for the very next day!
Honey was out of town for work and my mom was visiting Parker and I that week so I was *very happy* not to be alone for my baby's surgery. My emotions were all over the place - thankful to have an answer that was going to help Parker Bear in the long run and scared out of my mind to hand my ten month old over for surgery.
We had to arrive at the surgical center by 6:45 AM for our 7:45 AM surgery appointment. The worst part? Parker could not have anything to eat or drink after midnight the night before. That meant I could not nurse him upon waking the morning of his surgery. Worst. News. Ever. For both he and I.
The night the before the surgery I hardly slept. I kept waking up and couldn't go back to sleep. When the hour to rise finally came I was shaking and felt like I was going to throw up... How I managed to get dressed that morning I'll never know.
I scooped Parker from his crib and took him straight to the car without even changing his diaper. (Hooray cloth diapers!) We drove the 20 minute drive in complete silence. I was afraid that with too much interaction from me Parker would cry wanting to nurse.
When we got to the center, I went inside to fill out paperwork and my mom stayed in the car with Parker. I thought he may go back to sleep but he decided he wanted Twinkle (my mom) to play with him! So they played while I was inside. Sweet baby.
When it was time I ran to the car to get Parker and bring him in. I changed him into the surgical gown and also changed his diaper.
By the way, if you ever see infant surgical gowns, bring a tissue. I wasn't prepared for that. Babies just shouldn't be in surgical/hospital gowns.
I held Parker while the doctor and nurses went over everything one final time. Then it was time for the worst part.
There was a hospital bed in the small pre-op room where we were waiting and I asked the nurse if they were going to wheel Parker back to the OR in that bed. Fortunately she said - No, Honey, I'm going to carry him!
I was so thankful! Watching him get wheeled away in that bed would have broken my heart to the point where I would have likely needed a sedative!
Instead the nurse had a warm fluffy blanket that she wrapped around Parker to carry him in. He looked up at the nurse and gave her a huge Parker Bear smile and away they walked to the OR. Seeing him go happily helped to ease my fears.
Then we waited. For a whole seven minutes. The doctor came out. Parker did great! We could go see him!
Coming out of surgery Parker was not happy. He was disoriented, tired, and hungry. I held him immediately. We nursed as soon as possible. Parker was happy to be with me but still a bit fussy. Understandably!! He fell asleep the moment I placed him in his carseat.
He woke up when we got him home just as happy as can be! The rest of the day was surprisingly normal. Parker nursed and napped on his usual schedule.
We gave Parker antibiotic drops in each ear every morning and night for one week. He has to wear ear plugs during his bath to keep water out. Aside from that there have been no changes to our day-to-day with the exception of me fearing the next ear infection coming on!
We had our post-op check up one week later and the doctor was very pleased! Parker should continue to wear ear plugs until the tubes fall out. No problem! He doesn't mind wearing them and that is certainly a small price to pay.
This experience only reminds me even more of how very blessed we are to live in a time when we can get the medical care we need when we need it to improve our lives.
Thanks for reading and caring about our boy! I loved hearing from so many other mommy's on IG and Facebook that they had been through the same experience. Love it when the world feels smaller and I can connect with other moms like that!
Poor little guy!! I hope he is feeling better. That would be so scary to deal with. Surgery, no matter how serious, is always something that frightens me.
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