BREATH, BABY, BREATH!

Forget baby coming home with a pulse ox; I think she might be coming home with another surgery instead.  We have been having more issues with her oxygen saturation levels throughout the afternoon.  She had really thick mucous in the back of her throat and has spasmodic episodes of almost holding her breath.  She will look like she is trying to breathe several times in a row, but nothing comes out of her mouth or nose, and sometimes she looks like she wants to choke.  We've had only one episode that needed medical intervention (oxygen), but we've had numerou1s smaller episodes (way more than what she normally has with bigger swings in saturation levels) all afernoon.  The neonatologist came by, so we talked to her about it, and she said it sounds like she has reflux.  This makes complete sense, because it has been getting worse as her feedings have been increasing!  What this means for her is that the suregeons will likely want her to have a nissen procedure to solve the reflux issue at the same time they are putting in her G-tube, so two surgeries in one.  Nothing is set in stone, because they are still watching her, but I think that is the direction we could be headed.  We really do not want to do an unnecessary procedure, so we are going to talk to the doctors about meds for her reflux first.  The problem is the surgeons don't want to have to end up going in the same area twice.  Also, without the palate the nasal membranes are very exposed and sensitive to products of reflux.  Dang, that cleft is causing us some real issues!  Poor, sweet Priya!