Early a.m update

1 a.m. (Yes, I called the PICU to check on Charlotte. I was awake…..): Little Charlotte was a handful after Philippe left. Fussy, inconsolable, crying for hours. The nurse told me that they had to “help” her by holding her and that intubation was imminent. You probably don’t want to get me started on the nurse and our conversation. Suffice it to say, she emphasized that if she could get the fellow alone in a room and discuss Charlotte, the baby would be tubed by morning. Did I sleep after that? You decide.

7 a.m. We got to the hospital and Charlotte was resting comfortably, swaddled in a pink blanket and looking a bit like an ice cream cone. Turns out she’s been peacefully asleep since just after my conversation with the nurse.

8 a.m. Morning Rounds: As Robin, the MD fellow, brought everyone up to speed, we learned that it had been Robin who decided Charlotte needed to be cuddled and cuddling calmed her down. The nurses thought that the baby was having brief (6-8 seconds) periods of not breathing, but Robin said that she did not experience that. This confirmed a nurse/physician disagreement from yesterday as well. Bottom line—her blood gasses are slowly improving, her respiration rate is slowly coming down to a normal range and she’s comfortable. For now. Her surgeon, Dr. Mavroudis, changed nothing except for lowering the dosage of Milrinone, the only IV drug she’s on. We’re hoping they’ll start her food again today (it was suspended in anticipation of reinserting the ventilator. So the kid is hungry. Don’t know about you, but I’m a bit of a crab when I’m hungry, too). We’ll be in the PICU at least through the weekend. If things stay stable like this, we can hope to see her grow and have a positive outlook for next week. However, as we all know, a few hours can change everything.