Day of Surgery for Shunt Placement.. and Colton first 2 days.

Day 1-
Colton is doing really well.  He is on a warmer to help keep his temperature up.  The nurses think because his head is so big and there are no hats to fit him that is why he is having a hard time with his temperature.  He nursed for the first time the night after he was born.  All the doctors are so amazed my how well he is doing.  We are so thankful for him!  He is such a strong, amazing, determined little boy!!

Day 2: (day of surgery) August 11, 2011
Colton had his last feed at 3am.  He got wheeled of to surgery at about 7:15am.  Brad went down to stay with him until he left for surgery (brad was there about 6am).  I stayed back at our room because I went down for every feed the night before and ended up bruising right next to my cut from the c-section.  When brad finally made it back to the room and told me he left for surgery I was so nervous and started to tear up.  I knew he was going to go but it just scared me to know my baby boy was about to get brain surgery done.  The doctors told Brad that it would take 2-3 hours for surgery.  It seemed like a long time but Brad reassured me it was normal.  The couple of hours past and I was so nervous the whole time I kept looking at the clock and just wondering how he was doing and how everything was.  I cried a couple of times and just felt so sick to my stomach the whole time... I mean what mom wouldn't feel nervous/anxious if there son was going through what my son was.  After the 3 hour mark Colton still wasn't back from surgery.... now I was really starting to freak... wondering if something went wrong, wondering if Colton was okay.  Finally 4 hours after they wheeled Colton of to surgery the Neurosurgeon came into our room to let us know how it went.  She told us everything went great!  The shunt was in with not a lot of trouble... she did tell us that when she was putting the extra tubing into his belly she tried to put to much in and then how to redo the tubing in the belly (she was just trying to put in as much as possible so when Colton grew he had enough tubing to last a while).  Then the Neurosurgeon told us that Colton was able to come off the Ventilator and was on a little bit of oxygen.  She said he was back in the NICU and that we could visit him.. So after she got done talking to us about what to expect with the shunt we went to the NICU.  When we first walked in and I saw him, I felt so bad for him... His shunt tubing in his head all the way to his belly was really red... and he looked so out of it.  He was hooked up to lots of things and was still on oxygen.  The tubing look really big for him you could basically read the writing on it...  His skin was really stretched from his head being so big that is why we could see the tubing so well.  But we knew this surgery is what he needed so we were thankful he got it and hoping this will help him tons! I was just so thankful that he was okay that he made it through surgery and that he was doing great!!  He is such a strong little boy!  And we are just so blessed to have him for a son!!

Colton starting to get prep for surgery:

Colton getting wheeled down to surgery:

Right After Surgery:

Colton was only on oxygen for a couple of hours and they were able to completely take him off from it and he was breathing just room air!  And the shunt already seems to be draining his head already looks small and he eyes don't seem as pulled back from his head being so big.  Hoping he recovers well from surgery and hoping tomorrow he will start to eat again. Stay Strong Colton James!  And we love you!!