Another day, more new hardware

After Caroline was extubated yesterday, we had a few bumps...which I'm told isn't rare. She is still off the vent, but her breathing patterns rise above what they would like to see. With getting rid of the vent, we also got rid of that ridiculous thing (which I'm sure was necessary at some point) on her forehead. We are weaning the rest of the dopamine, and the other "heart" drug, milrinone today. I got to hold her last night for the first time post surgery and she was a dream. I know that we are very fortunate to have had such success with Caroline less than a week post Norwood. In the back of my mind, I'm still waiting for the ball to drop. I'm waiting for that something to set us back like so many of the others.
For the past 12 hours or so, I've been in a lot of pain. I was lucky to have it hold off for this long, but I sure am paying for it now. It's hard to sit and relax when you can hear your baby crying. I'm not a nurse, so technically I am not responsible for her care at the moment. But it isn't really in their job description to comfort your child.