Discharged- Home

After a tough first night in her cast, Hip Chick was discharged home yesterday.  She awoke at 10pm and was awake most of her first night in the cast, which made for an exhausting second day.  A medical professional can no longer  draw near her without evoking wails and shreiks, so we hoped that transferring home would mellow her disposition.  Her favorite activity at Scottish Rite was to be carried for walks by Mommy and Daddy- especially to study an aquarium or the gorgeous carousel horse pictured above.  Her cast adds a significant amount of weight, however, and we could not carry her for lengthy periods of time.  We hope(d) to find better ways to entertain her at home.

We were able to make her comfortable rather quickly with a handful of pillows and a couch.  We /she experimented with positions during the rest of the day.

Naptime...

Bean bag trial #1...

Bean bag trial #2...

Tinkerbell couch...

Dinnertime was difficult.  It will take a bit of trial to find a good position for her. 

In other news, Mommy is proud to report 48 hrs of successful diapering.  Learning to diaper a child in a spica cast takes a little creativity.  I held my breath during the first few poopy changes, fretting that I would discover leaks or smear the cast.  Now that I have a little confidence, it is time to teach Daddy.

Pain management is also of primary concern for now.  She was on morphine her first day and transitioned to hydrocodone yesterday.  We can alternate with ibuprofin.  This morning, she awoke with cries of "oww-eee" and so I anticipate that mornings will be tough for her first several days.

Lastly, I see that clothing will also take some creativity.  The dress pictured above is a size 2.  The pajama shirt she wore in the hospital was a size 4.  Last night, she slept in one of her big sister's tshirts, which was a size 8.  We will have to pay close attention to brand and design more than pure sizing.  As I suspected, the dress above offered far more roominess than the more fitted shirts and allowed us to stay nearer to her true size.