Our latest little peanut gurgles and rattles like a broken coffee maker. Not to the same level as the Morsel did, but, approaching. So we went in today. And it was oddly comfortable? I can’t quite explain it. But it was familiar, having been there with the Morsel and eventually graduating out from the feeding program after such great success. The feeding therapy team holds a very warm place in my heart.
So today, we found our way there and got into the appointment a few minutes early. In we went, and we went over the very minimal history I could offer on baby’s behalf. The therapist took the bottle and started the feeding, assessing every move made. We tried a different flow of nipple, and it made one detail better but another one worse. There was much burping, many breaks, and lots of brainstorming. We settled one some small tweaks, but with a swallow study to come. Hopefully next week already.
We left, and as we waited for the elevator, we were joined by a group of three. It seemed to me to be a husband and wife, as well as someone from the hospital transporting the husband in a wheelchair. He was in hospital jammies. They commented on the baby’s hair, of which there is a lot, and then the wife lovingly rubbed her husbands hair. He looked at me and told me he had phantom hair. I chuckled and asked him what that meant. Turns out he had a brain surgery, and now his nerves were all funny, and it feels like he’s wearing a toque at all times. I told him my husband had also had a brain surgery and he could relate to nerves doing funny things while they healed up, and that the numb spots are really strange. As we rode the elevator up to the main level, they mentioned brain surgery haircuts and how rough they are, and they laughed when I told them Brady was super concerned at the idea of having his beard shaved for surgery. When I said he was more concerned about his beard than his breathing, the man snort laughed. I got off on the main floor, and I heard them say they were heading up to the sixth. Thats neuro.
Oddly, the whole visit to the hospital felt kind of nice. Close to home, but not in a bad way. In a familiar way. Feeding stuff can be pretty tricky, but I feel like I know my way fairly well. And then to have a short interaction with people who have gone through brain surgery recently, and to be able to relate in some ways, it just felt like a reminder that God uses all our messy stuff for GOOD, if we let Him.
And we’re going to 💜