Armitage Home: Zoe Grace: Tender Mercies

What an eventful weekend we had! I am just now getting up the energy to blog about every moment.

Zoe and I headed to Northwest Gastroenterology for Round 2 on Friday. The appointment started off on a positive note as Zoe's weight went from 8 lbs. 9.5 oz. on Thursday to 8 lbs. 11.5 oz. on Friday. A 2 oz. increase in 24 hours is not too shabby! We are seeing some drastic results in weight gain from the continuous feeding and I couldn't be happier.

I knew I liked Dr. Fridge right off the bat because she started out by telling me that her daughter's name is Zoe. Love it! It was also refreshing and comforting to have a female doctor. All of our doctors so far have been men and we have felt confident with each and every one of them, but it is nice to have your baby in the care of another woman and mother herself. Dr. Fridge was completely on board with the Gastrostomy Tube and used a baby doll to show me exactly what to expect. She was very thorough and left me with no questions at all. Zoe's endoscopic procedure will be on Thursday at Randall Children's. We will check in at 6:30AM and she will go in for surgery at 8:30AM. It is a pretty simple procedure. Dr. Fridge will be placing a PEG Tube (Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy), where an endoscope is lead from the mouth down to the stomach to find the correct position. Then a small incision is made through the abdomen, where the PEG Tube is then fed through from the inside out. The actual procedure only takes about 20-30 minutes but because Zoe requires Cardiac Anesthesia, it will be about an hour long.

Although I know it is a standard procedure, I am getting nervous to take my baby back to the hospital. As much as I love the care we received at Randall, walking into that building... it's the smell, the food, the hand sanitizer, the familiar faces... everything there brings back all of the fears that were felt in the first 30 days of Zoe's life. I know those feelings will never go away and will be heightened with every surgery Zoe undergoes... but knowing doesn't make it any easier to accept.

I was told that Zoe will be monitored for 1-2 nights at the hospital, to make sure that the new tube is working properly. Dr. Bridge said that it will probably only be one night since we are already used to her being on the enteral feeding pump. I'm crossing my fingers, because sleep in the hospital is pretty much nonexistent.

Overall, I am praying that this next step in Zoe's journey will help her weight to progress consistently. She is constantly making an effort to rip the tape off of her cheek and pull her tube out. At least we know she's a feisty one and is strong enough to do so! She has already pulled her tube out twice in the last week when I thought she was asleep in her bassinet. Since the pump was running, milk was all over her. She could have drowned!

In less than 36 hours, I will get to see my baby's beautiful face completely tube-free.

Zoe's such a gangsta. Word.