Morphine Miracle and No, No to the No-No's

She was awake when we went back to recovery.  Already awake.  They said she had a high tolerance for the sleepy drugs.  In true E fashion, she did not rest all day.  She tossed and turned, giving it her best fight.  She was understandably whiney and ticked off.  Her cleft was, in the doctor's words, "A big cleft, on both sides, that required additional dissection."  The surgery took four hours.  And they anticipated a huge amount of pain.  The surgeon took before and after pictures for Brent, to which he commented, "Imagine a chainsaw tearing apart your mouth and then putting it back together."

Though she drank initially, probably because she was still loopy, she has refused since.  She is calm in my arms, which is substantial on many levels.  For the first time since she joined us, she feel asleep in my lap.  It felt magical to rock my baby.  I talked the staff out of her arm restraints, also known as "No-No's."  They seem a bit inhumane to me.  We used socks and hairbands to give her mobility of her arms but enough bulk to keep those hands out of her mouth.  For now it's working.  She struggled in the afternoon and more into the evening, miserable.  They called in for morphine at 7pm. Within minutes of injecting it into her IV, the crying stopped.  Again, she climbed into my lap, curled up, and snuggled.  We rocked for two hours watching TLC.  She stayed awake, but content and out of pain (and arm restriction) for the meantime.  We looked into each others' eyes for minutes on end.  The positive of this experience is the emotional reliance and bonding that is taking place.  I just put her down for the night (hopefully) and she complied.  She keeps staring at her wrapped hands, wondering what she's to do.  But at least she can bend her arms and flip over.  Removing the No-Nos made a huge difference in her comfort.  No, No to the No-No's.  Glad the nurses listened to this mama.  Instinct always gives you the answer.