Feeling: relieved.
When Luke was a few weeks old he would scream and scream like he was in pain for what seemed like no apparent reason. I was very worried about this but after some investigation, google, talking to docs/nurses and other mothers...the word COLIC seemed to be the answer............!
In all honestly, I do believe that all babies have some form of colic because of their under developed digestive systems but I think that a lot of mothers loosely just throw around the term. My child screams so it must therefore be colic!
The word colic gives a solution to a very tough problem, it gives us mothers a reason as to why we can not get this baby to stop screaming. It also evokes community support from fellow mommies. They will stand together and sympathise with the frayed, emotional, hollow eyed mother. It is not you MAMMA X, Y and Z...it is COLIC!
It is easier to arrive at a social function looking like something that you pulled out of a clogged drain pipe and say Colic with conviction.... than to admit that you are not well organised, don't know what the hell you are doing, did not burp your baby properly because you got bored, feel hormonal, got vomited on, peed on and pooped on and yes your darling bundle of cuteness is already flexing its little muscles and may "gasp" be a strong willed child. You do not yet know your babies lingo and he is crying in order to communicate with you but....... NAH must be colic!
Now the reason that I say this is when you do actually encounter a friend whose baby has real text book colic you will know it - trust me.
I have 2 mommy friends whose babies suffered with the real deal. It is not an urban, desperate mothers legend but a rather an oh my goodness I am so relieved my cherub is not like x, y and z.....as you back away from the other mother slowly holding you breath, hoping with all your soul that her screaming baby is not contagious! It is real and is very tough for all involved!
I was convinced for the first 8 weeks of Luke's life that he was starting with colic. I mean come on I did everything that the baby booked had told me to do and it just made my cherub angrier and purple! I was totally wrong...
After his 8 week inoculation I arrived home pretty much traumatised by the size of the needles that they shoved into my tiny babies thighs. When he and I finally calmed down from the entire ordeal I decided to give him a soothing bath. As I removed his nappy I say a huge bulge on the side of his winkie, his one testicle was also twice the size of its friend.
OMW MOM I yelled there is something wrong with Luke!! When I touched the protrusion it slipped back in and out again. I raced Luke to the Doc who had a good feel and look around, stood up and with certainty said uuuuuuuu it is a hernia....Light bulb moment my child did not have Colic he had a Inguinal Hernia!
Ah Inguinal Hernia or a groin hernia, is a protrusion (lump) of the small intestine or fatty tissue into the groin through a weakness or tear in the abdominal wall.
Frequently hernias produce no symptoms. However, some people may experience the following symptoms:
A lump or swelling in the groin
A sudden pain into the scrotum
Abdominal discomfort
A heavy feeling in the groin
Pain in the groin while standing or moving
Hernias that are painful and can't be pushed back (incarcenated or strangulated hernia) are treated surgically. There are two surgically procedures available for the treatment of inguinal hernias - open surgery or laparoscopy.
Open surgery is the most common type of treatment, accounting for 95 percent of inguinal repairs. This procedure is done under local anesthesia and requires a 4- to 6-inch incision in the groin. The doctor then pushes the herniated tissue back into place and sutures the opening shut. Sometimes a small piece of synthetic material is placed over the gap to serve as a scaffolding on which scar tissue will grow. Full recovery time takes 4 to 6 weeks.
So yes the next day we saw the Pediatric Surgeon. Luke was booked to have his surgery the following day...it was all very sudden and I must admit I drizzled for days.
Luke's surgery was pretty straight forward but to my uttermost horror I was not allowed to feed him from 10am to 15:00pm on the day of his op, this meant he missed 3 feeds. I prayed about it and honestly a little miracle happened: my son who LOVES his milk and would scream blue murder until fed every 2 hours did not make 1 sound and no medication or calming drugs were needed. He was as good as gold, it was truely a little miracle, I am convinced that God had his hand on Luke!! Thank you Lord what would I do without you.
Luke went into theater at around 15:00pm Chris had to walk him into the theater and sat with him until he fell asleep, I just could not do it. We waited for 45min while they fixed his hernia, we gave the surgeon permission to check both sides of Luke's abdomen and thankfully we did because the little mite had 2 hernias one on each side of his groin. He came around from the anesthetic fighting and within 2 days was a happy, changed baby. He no longer screamed from pain!
Not surprising he had been trying to tell us about his hernias all along, my clever boy!
The only reminder of his surgery are 2 little lines about 2cm's long on each side of his groin...almost like mammas Caesar scar just neater.
I was changing his nappy a few weeks after his surgery and my youngest brother walked into the room, he was taking a good look at King Luke's scars and said " HEY Mands come and see this, look it is a blinking elephant."
Confused I looked down at Luke's winkie and with the 2 slits just above it I could clearly see a blinking elephant!
Much Love M
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