Spotsylvania Hospital Open House

Our family took advantage of taking a tour for the general public of the new local area hospital (Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center) before it opens up in June. This hospital will offer 126 private rooms, 24-Hour Emergency/ Urgent Care Services, Cardiac Care, Women's and Children's Healthcare Services, Rehabilitation, Surgical Services, Imaging Center and Orthopedic Services.

We took the 12 o'clock tour that took us through the Maternity and Emergency Departments. Our group was nicknamed the stroller tour. I'm guessing I don't need to explain why! :) We were able to view a patient room that will be for both delivery and postpartum care (I had this kind of room back in Oregon when I had Jocelyn and I loved it...it was so nice!). This spacious room also has a bassinet that stays in the room unless there are complications - and the pediatrician's will come in to see the baby and talk to the patient directly. This hospital tour talked a lot about "doctors spending more time with their patients with higher technology playing a part in lowering the amount of time away from patient care." Next, we saw the nursery - where it will hold up to 10 babies. It also has a NICU down the hall. So all Women's Services are right there on that same floor.

During the tour, I ran into a nurse that I recognized - she was standing outside of the nursery doors while our guide spoke. I talked to her briefly while we continued on our tour and told her I remembered her taking care of Andrew and I when he was born at the other hospital almost 17 months ago. She too said she knew we looked familiar! Apparently, a bunch of staff from the other local hospital has transferred to this one. Better management is a huge part in why that's happening. I haven't had great experiences with 2 of my 3 children's birth at the other hospital, or the ER department for that matter. So I'm really excited for this new and closer-to-home hospital!

Some other things that were mentioned and displayed along the tour were:

*the big and spacious trauma rooms. John noted how huge they were. And I then added, "And let's hope this is the first AND last time we see one of those rooms too!"

*they have a helo pad at this hospital for emergencies.

*their goal is to have patients triaged within 10 minutes of arrival and see a doctor within 30 minutes of arrival.

{The front of Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center}

{Waiting for our tour of the hospital to start}

{John was really interested in these glass panels}

{A view from the other side of the hospital}

After our tour had ended, we walked out the Emergency area and enjoyed a free lunch with at least a thousand other community members that the hospital so generously hosted. They had chicken burgers, veggie burgers, hamburgers and hot dogs along with pasta salad, chips and fresh fruit.

They had local radio stations come out and play music. When we were there, B101.5 was playing and their bee mascot was there to entertain!

It even played peek-a-boo with Andrew, he started to cry. Something about these large costumes scare him. The soccer bird, the red robin bird and now the radio station bee. :)

They also had face paintings (we didn't do this due to the extremely LONG line of people waiting on ONE person to paint faces). They were cute though!

And they had representatives handing out children goodie bags with their logo on fun things like coloring books, crayons and a frisbee. The adult goodie bags were filled with a heart shaped stress ball, band aids, car coasters and their general service information sheet.

{Aubrey in line with us to turn in our raffle information in case we won one of the prizes.}

As we were leaving the event, we stopped at a firetruck that was on display. Jocelyn and Andrew got giddy with excitement and Jocelyn pretty much begged to get down from the stroller to take a look at everything. There were firemen standing outside of the truck to answer questions or let people look inside and it was then that Jocelyn wanted a turn at the wheel. I was shocked she wanted to even get inside the truck. Just a few months ago, there was a local firetruck that was parked out front of the library. They asked her if she wanted to get in and take a look around and she quickly said no. But for some reason, this was her day to try out something new!

While this was going on, I asked Aubrey if she wanted to try on the fireman's hat. She blushed and said, "No way Mom!" I tried convincing her - as the opportunity wouldn't likely come again, but she firmly stuck to her answer so I just shrugged it off and let it go. Would have been fun to get a picture of her wearing the hat though.

But this one will have to do! :)

I'm glad our family took this time to visit the new hospital and get involved in all of the fun.

And as most outings go, we had a blast!

Andrew's Surgery

All went well today with Andrew having oral surgery. We're all pretty exhausted to say the least! Yesterday our friends that were so kindly taking our girls overnight for us called and said they were going to pick them up around 5pm. Which ended up being a huge lifesaver as I had more packing and cleaning to get done before our drive up north for Andrew's surgery. John hadn't gotten home from work yet to see the girls off before they had to leave, so we thought we'd surprise him with this picture:

{He loved it by the way!}

I've been meaning to write about Andrew needing to have surgery for months now but have fallen short doing so as other things kept coming up. It all really started right after he was born. About a week into nursing, Andrew and I went in to see a lactation consultant. During the exam, she noticed that when she was checking his palate for his sucking strength, that his tongue wasn't protruding as far as it needed to for proper and efficient latching during nursing. Which would explain the feeding difficulties. His tongue was shaped like a heart or a "w" instead of a round or pointy tip. We then had his pediatrician refer us to an ENT specialist. It wasn't until May that we were able to get him in. After the ENT doc had a check into his mouth, he was able to confirm that he did indeed have Ankyloglossia - also referred to as tongue tie. Surgery was recommended within the following month or so. I learned that because of this condition, it was the likely culprit for nursing him to cease at 2 weeks. I have to say that a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders when I learned this bit of information at his appointment. With every one of my children, nursing was not a question. It was important to me to go as long as possible. At least for the first 6 months. But for some reason or another, it didn't last as long as I had hoped with Andrew. I now know full heartily that I did everything in my power to make it work. So his ENT doc recommended that he has surgery called Frenulectomy where they clip the frenulum under the tongue. Without this procedure done, he could face serious problems in the future. Some including: speech and eating difficulties, cavities, not being able to stick out the tongue past his lips, etc. Hind sight is definitely 20/20. Had I known of Ankyloglossia, I would have had it checked right after he was born. The girls never had it so I never thought to look. The good news is he's healthy and happy. I'm very thankful for the awesome doctors that have had the opportunity to be partners with in Andrew's care.

{Andrew and I at my cousin's house last night getting ready for bed.}

Surgery was scheduled for today, Thursday June 25th at 8am. We checked in at 7am and went through the admitting process. Once we were taken back into a room to get him dressed into a gown and answer pre-surgery questions, I started to get a bit nervous - but it surprisingly went away rather quickly. Andrew's surgeon was well reputable with 30+ years experience so I knew he was in good hands. He also had a blessing given to him a few days before which calmed our fears and nerves and I believe was the main reason why I was as calm as I was. The nurses came into our patient room where we then handed him over - pacifier secured in his mouth and all. (Yes, he was called a girl on accident because he was wearing a peach gown!) It was hard watching him leave down the hall but I knew it was going to be a fast procedure and we'd see him in just a little while. John and I were taken to the recovery waiting area. That was the longest 30-45 minutes I've had to endure in awhile. Unfortunately, reading material wasn't on the priority list at the hospital but I did managed to fumble across an old issue of People Magazine. I had to have something to distract me until his surgery was done. His surgeon came out. Told us the surgery went really well and he had to have 3 sutures and needed to be on antibiotics for 5 days in the event of infection. Moments later we were called back to be with him as he was awaking from anesthesia. I couldn't wait to hold him! His heart rate was still being monitored by his finger but I was surprised to see that he was wire free elsewhere. Apparently, they weren't lucky enough to get an IV started so they had to give him a shot in a muscle to help with the oxygen flow (which raised his heart rate quite a bit and then returned back to normal once the surgery had ended) and due to the lack of an IV, he wasn't able to receive anti nausea medication so that made for an interesting first feeding after surgery. To skip the hype, let's just say I was happy that the bottle was diluted. Once he was cleaned up and changed, we made for our way back home. It did take us about 3 hours due to traffic issues but we were just happy to finally get home. I was even happier once my girls returned and I was able to hug them and hear all about their fun sleepover at our friend's house. We're very lucky to have so many amazing friends here that are like family to us, especially when immediate family doesn't live close by. Thank you Dani and Brent. We sure do appreciate and love you guys! Especially for taking them for us on such short notice. Our girls had such a great time. :)

{Our car ride so early in the morning - on our way to the hospital.}

{Daddy with his boy before getting dressed into his surgical gown.}

{Andrew sporting his oh so sweet peach gown - ready to go in for surgery.}

{He was out for most of the car ride home. Cheeks still red from his surgery.}

{At home later in the day feeling a little better with his toys and blankie.}

As for Andrew, by the end of today, he's already starting to show signs of his old self with smiles and cuddles. They told us before we left the hospital that especially with the antibiotics and the wearing off of anesthesia, that it may take a few days for him to feel better - with his appetite returning and not being so sleepy. All in all, he's been such a trooper through this whole ordeal and we're so glad he's doing as well as he is. A big thank you to all of those that kept Andrew in your thoughts and prayers. We are very grateful for wonderful family and friends!

Not Music To My Ears

{Jocelyn today - not feeling well}

Friday I took Jocelyn to go see the doctor because she was complaining of it hurting when she had to pee. Because she's not potty trained yet and can't give a normal pee sample, they decided to do a catheter on her to get it instead. Hearing that tore me to pieces. I hate seeing her in distress and pain. The first try didn't go too well so they had to try another time. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get much from it to run a test so they told me to take her over to the E.R. Great! More words that break my heart! I don't know anyone that particularly LIKES going to the doctors or to the E.R. so I know I can speak for many on this. I rushed to pick up Aubrey from school and then meet John at home. We discussed who was going to take who (Jocelyn to the E.R. & Aubrey to soccer practice). As much as I didn't want to go through it again that day, I knew that I had to take her in and be with her. It was a hard decision to make as I knew this choice would lead me to not having Andrew with me as well. (I refuse to take my babies into the E.R. atmosphere unless they need to be there!) The E.R.'s motto seems to stem from the military's motto: hurry up and wait! (It really isn't their motto; I just like to say it is!) We did a lot of that. Waiting! Fill out paper work, go back and sit and wait for name to be called, go to triage, go back and sit and wait for name to be called again, go to a room, after test - go back and sit and wait for name to be called AGAIN, and then go to a room AGAIN. It got old real fast and 5 hours later they gave us the results: negative for a UTI. I was confused why that was but was thankful at least. The doctor said they were going to let the culture grow over the next few days in case there was something they didn't catch while we were there. And low and behold, he called us yesterday to report that the results changed. That she did indeed have an infection and called in an antibiotic. And it's a good thing too because she spiked a fever in the night and wasn't feeling well at all. It's so hard to see your children sick and in pain. I can still vividly remember her screaming in the E.R. and in the room they put us in. At one point, I had done everything I could do to calm her and at another attempt of distraction, I asked her what her Ritz cracker looked like. "A moon? A sun?" I had asked her. "No mama, it looks like a cracker!" Wow. She sure does point out the obvious doesn't she? :) Today is day one on antibiotics. Let's hope we get this infection to go away soon so I can get my little girl's cute personality back! :/

Andrew's Birth Day...Continued

Not long after Andrew was born, I had nursed him and then he was wheeled off to the nursery to get the routine checkup that newborns get. We then had some breaking news. I had just stepped out of the restroom to be greeted by a Cardiologist. She asked if we knew why she was there and we said no...we had not been informed. Apparently while running the routine checkup they were concerned with his irregular heart rate. (He was breathing fine though) It would go from the 140's and then drop to the 90's and then back again. They wanted him to be carefully monitored in the NICU and run additional tests such as an EKG and and Echo. Naturally, all of this information hit me in the face too fast after delivering my precious boy so hearing what was going on put me in shock. I just wanted to cry but I physically couldn't do anything. Thankfully John was my support and he remained strong for the both of us. I tried to reassure myself that until they found out more news, I wouldn't stress or worry too much about it. That they were just being extra cautious and I was grateful for that. We found out the following morning that the valve in the heart was still open and usually closes at birth or soon there after. After running the necessary tests he was well enough to finally room in with me. (Upon us discharging Sunday night from the hospital, they said he'd need a follow up with the Cardiologist for his one month check up.) All in all, he's one healthy boy. A lot bigger than the girls were at birth that's for sure (6 lbs. 7 oz. & 6 lbs. 10 oz.). My doctor said I could stay through Monday but I wanted to get the heck out of there as soon as they could discharge Andrew. I was thankfully only in labor for 6 hours or so before he was born. Because of the help of Pitocin, I opted for an epidural around 4 cm. Finally...hours of breathing through pain I got some relief. But that didn't last for more than a second. Back labor hit me hard and apparently an epidural doesn't help with that. All the while I was in labor, John came down with a migraine. Great timing huh? He blindly left my side and walked his way to the pharmacy to get some Excedrin. After returning to my room he layed on the floor with some pillows and blankets the nurses had gotten him. He felt better just in time for me to start pushing. I was so happy to finally meet Andrew after all was said and done and he was in my arms. I remember snuggling him up to my face and whispering "Happy Birthday sweetie." He's such a calm and happy baby. And did I mention VERY sleepy too? I'm absolutely in love with this little guy of mine. I finally got my boy. He's such a joy and blessing to be a part of our family.