First Post - Kyla surgery

Saturday, June 2, 2007

Thought this would be a great way to keep everyone updated on our little family since Kyla joined. Of course for pictures there is also the website (www.kylabeatricescott.com).


As many of you know, Kyla had to have surgery on Monday, 5/28 (Memorial Day) for a condition called pyloric stenosis, which is a thickening of the pyloric muscle between the stomach and the small intestine. The muscle normally opens and closes allowing food to pass from the stomach to the small intestine, but when it becomes thickened the food can't get through and so backs up and the baby vomits. It is one of the more common surgical conditions in newborns (although usually affects males) and the reason why Kyla had been projectile vomiting the week prior. The thickening of the muscle happens after birth and usually begins to cause vomiting the 3rd - 6th week of life.

As for how we ended up having surgery, here is the story:

On Sunday evening we realized Kyla was not acting her usual self. She had only had 2 wet diapers the entire day (6-8 is normal) and she was more lethargic and not really wanting to eat. We were worried she was getting dehydrated so we called the pediatrician. Since a newborn's system can be very fragile and go down hill quickly with dehydration, she sent us to the emergency room. We got there about 9pm and they saw us pretty much right away. Of course they needed to draw blood and start and IV (just in case she needed fluids) so Kyla was poked and prodded until they could get a good vein. Needless to say John and I cried during the entire time - it was so traumatic seeing our baby in pain! The ER doctor suspected she might have pyloric stenosis, but unfortunately we could not get an ultrasound until the following morning. At 2am the lab work finally came back and Kyla was not technically dehydrated so they took the IV out and sent us home. However, physically she was - although we didn't know that until the next morning.

We got home at 3am Monday morning and were back up at 6:30am to get the ultrasound at 8am. The ultrasound tech did 2 measurements that took all of 2 minutes and we had our diagnosis of pyloric stenosis. They admitted us to the hospital immediately to have surgery that day. Poor Kyla had only had 1oz of formula at midnight and did not show any signs of wanting to eat. She would just lay in our arms and suck on her pacifier. She was clearly not doing well and when they tried to get an IV started in the hospital, her veins kept blowing because she was dehydrated (mummy was VERY angry at the ER doctor for not giving Kyla fluids when she was there because although the blood work came back ok, looking at her you could tell something was wrong!).

Kyla went in for surgery at 1pm that day and handing over our daughter to the nurses to be taken to the OR was one of the most heart-wrenching things John and I have ever experienced. The surgery took 1 hour and she did great! The surgeon made 3 tiny incisions in her belly for the camera and the instruments and made a cut in the pyloric muscle that will allow it to open and let food pass to the small intestine. The anesthesiologist was able to get the IV started right before surgery, so the extra fluids really helped her bounce back. Kyla was able to eat about 2 hours after the surgery and took 3oz! She kept that down and ate like a champ the rest of the day. We were able to go home the next day at noon and Kyla has been the picture of health ever since.

We are so thrilled that our little girl is back to being happy and healthy! She lost about 6 oz from the week prior (down to 8lbs, 4oz), but she should regain that very quickly the way she is eating now. There are no long term effects from this condition and Kyla will have a normal digestive tract.

A special thank you to our family and friends who called and came by the hospital to see how she was doing. Your support really helped us get through those days!