PostOp-is this normal?

[Mother of boys]

I had read previously about the sleeping problems after surgery. For those who experienced that, was it just night sleeping or was their whole sleeping rhythm thrown off? Keeson hasn't been sleeping right day or night. He only sleeps for brief periods of time. He has to be exhausted because I know he isn't getting enough sleep (when you add up all the little "naps" in a 24 hour period). Also, did anyone experience eating problems? From when we were placed in a regular room Saturday evening until Dr. Fearon came in on Sunday morning, Keeson had eated about 26 ounces. That was pretty close to what he was eating before the surgery, but since then, he hasn't eaten half of that in a day. Most of the time I can only get him to eat maybe 2 ounces at a time whereas before the surgery he would eat about 6 ounces at each feeding. He also used to suck his thumb before the surgery, but hasn't done it since. I am thinking it is due to the fact that he hasn't really moved his head from side to side yet, and when he sucked his thumb before, he usually turned his head to the side.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

[beccad]

We definitely had trouble with the sleeping but not with the eating. Her sleep patterns were off both night and day and it took her almost a month to get back to sleeping really good. She was/is a great sleeper, 2-3 hour naps and sleeps all night, so I was so happy when she started sleeping again. Good luck with the recovery I'll be praying for you this is a very exhausting time.

[Tawnia]

Azia took a good 2-3 weeks to be eating as much as before surgery. I don't know why. I just didn't push it and did it gradually. And yes the sleeping thing wasn't just nights with us, it was all the time. Is he still on any meds? They could be making him nauseous?

[Mother of boys]

We are still giving him Tylenol for pain and occasionally Motrin.

[dannlark]

We were lucky because Ian got right back on schedule very quickly. We tried to keep it as "normal" as possible while in the hospital and as soon as he was sprung. That helped a lot. As far as eating, is he pooing regularly yet? Ian was suffering so badly from gas after the surgery. They give the kids drugs that paralizes their digestive track during surgery and it takes a while for them to get back to "regular". Dr. Fearon joked that all Ian needed was a good Mexican dinner... It was a good 2-3 weeks before he wasn't suffering from the gas. But he's always had a problem with gas and pain so I think it took him longer to adjust. That could be a problem with Keeson. Try a lot of little meals through out the day until his poor tummy has had a chance to bounce back. It's a BIG surgery, so these adjustments are to be expected. Have you tried to cosleep with Keeson for a few nights? That also helped Ian get back to his old self. I know it's hard with two little ones at home, but it might be worth a try for a couple of nights... ((HUGS)) Hang in there Mommy, this too shall pass. The hardest part is behind you!!

[mimi]

Brandt was eating well in the hospital and then started puking once we were home (reaction to all the meds and going off of them). It took a good 36-48 hours to get that under control. After that (around day 6 post-op) he started eating again like crazy and is now back to his ravenous self!

Brandt didn't sleep more than 2 hours at a time before surgery, so the sleeping thing is nothing new for us. He did have trouble with pain when we lie him on his back, so up to now I've been holding him on me all night to sleep. I may try the crib tonight before he gets too used to this!

Good luck to you!

[Wyatt's Mom]

Yep, the sleeping thing is normal. Wyatt took awhile to get back to eating regularily too. I think all the meds make their tummy upset.

About the thumb sucking, is he turning his head at all? He really should be by now. If he continues to not turn his head I would have him checked by someone. Maybe he is just nervous about it but I don't remember Wyatt having an issue with that. He didn't like lying on his back for diaper changes though.

Good luck. I'll pray that he gets back on track soon.

[Mother of boys]

He is turning his head a little bit. He usually just follows things with his eyes without turning his head. He did try to roll over today which is something he had mastered before the surgery, but he would get on his side and just scream. Before the surgery, as soon as we layed him on his back he would try to flip over, but he isn't doing that yet.

[Lisa]

I think all of this is normal. It took Bradley about 3 weeks before he started rolling over and being active again. The eating, I would follow the other suggestions and maybe try smaller amounts more often. The sleeping, I slept with Bradley in our spare bed for about 3-4 weeks post-op and that helped a lot. He would still wake a lot, but me being right there, consoled him fairly easy.
I hope you find things that work for Keeson and your little cutie is back to normal soon.

[Fed]

Hey there,
My son Oscar has the surgery a little over a month ago now and his sleeping went from great(slept through from 7.30-6) to waking through the night and being really hard to settle into sleep in the evenings...did your sleep issues resolve? If so any ideas? He also became very attached to his dummy...i now leave my shirt that i have worn all day in the cot with him and i think that helps but he still wakes up...or is it all to do with the fact he has gone into that post 6 month developmental stage?? Ahh so hard to know!

[Grace'smommy]

Grace woke up every hour the first week after surgery, she now only wakes once or twice during the night..The neurosurgeon told me she probably still gets bad headaches even 2 weeks post op and could last a month or more and to use tylenol if she looks or acts uncomfortable.It seems to do the trick.Check with your surgeon or doctor to see what they can advise, it makes sense that they would still have a headache, hope this helps you

[Mother of boys]

Yes, the sleep issues resolved themselves. Not sure when, but it must not have lasted too long. Hang in there. However, even though he would sleep through the night after a while, he still hasn't gotten back to where he was sleeping 10+ hours.