First Week

Thursday, Henry turned one week old and it was his second day post-Norwood. Paige and I are truly amazed at the strength of our little man. Today, the nurses removed the temporary pacemaker wires, one of his two chest tubes, the central IV line in his neck, and he came off the ventilator. He has received some pain medicine off and on since Wednesday night - but since he had open-heart surgery a little over 48 hours ago, I think he can be forgiven! As all of the nurses and doctors have said, he is a Rockstar!

We are entering the grinding phase of Henry's recovery from this first surgery. For each two or three steps forward, there will likely be a step back. By the end of Thursday, he was back on a nasal respirator, to keep his oxygen up. He did start peeing Wednesday, but almost too much as he was a little dehydrated. That, combined with just coming off the ventilator, led to some shallow breathing and so he needs some oxygen. This is the tightrope the medical staff will be walking with Henry over the coming weeks as we work to get him breathing on his own, off of his heart medications, eating regular meals, and whatever other milestones we need to achieve. With the kindness and expertise of the staff at Children's Mercy, the love and support of friends and family, and the strength of Henry, we believe we will all be home together soon.