Norah was on the regular pediatric floor for the next week. She slept most of the first few days after the surgery but when she was awake she looked right at Daddy and I. We didn’t get to hold her that much for those first few days but by Tuesday, she gave me her first smile since Friday morning before surgery. I was so happy I couldn’t help but bawl my eyes out and kiss her over and over again. Grandma Tamara also got to hold her a couple of times, and we all were so excited to see her skin get less and less yellow and for her to finally get some pink in her cheeks. Her bilirubin dropped significantly over that week and a half and everyone, doctors, nurses, and our family were hopeful that the surgery worked and that she would be well for a long time. The surgeon said to us that we were “lucky” because only about a third of Kasai procedures work this well. We were so happy! Not to mention they finally let me give her some breast milk by bottle Wednesday and Thursday, 1.2-1oz at a time, but by Friday they allowed me to nurse again. Both Norah and I were so anxious and ready to get to resume this special bond and for her to get nourishment in her preferred way, skin-to-skin with me.

Norah didn’t make it home quite in time to celebrate her second month birthday, so we did a mini photo shoot in the hospital. She was pretty quick to pull on her tubes and lines so we had to keep socks on her hands to prevent her from hurting herself. Nevertheless I got to put clothes back on her and it felt like we had our baby back, better than new!

We were finally discharged on Sunday, March 8 and got to be home as a family!