From NICU to PICU

Leo came out of surgery and he is spending the night in the hospital in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit).  His shunt replacement went fine although he is in a grumpy post-op state (as he should be) and when not on a few pain killers he is taking some milk.
PICU is quiet.  We didn't think it would be given that so many tragic cases go through there, but it's more mellow than the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), at least now.  Maybe kids aren't going out and hurting themselves right now to scare their parents.  Thank God!
Anyway, as far as Leo's parents are concerned our nervous temperature is down considerably from NICU days but it is still a trial to watch your baby go off to surgery.  On his release forms I always want to sign "take me" instead of my signature.  Nevertheless, we handed him over to Dr. Durham and her professional team knowing full well they are damn good at what they do.  During the surgery we sat on the wonderful cafe patio and baked in the early Fall sun, read magazines, and relaxed (to the best of our ability).  They paged us when Leo was done and we went to join him to the PICU.  The doctors said that he was inconsolable until we showed up.  We literally walked into the room and he quieted down.  There is a debate in the medical journals about how much consciousness babies with hydranencephaly have.  Much of the "theories" derive from watching how these babies interact with the environment.  Some say their response to the environment even in little ways, whether it's a smile or a a tactile response to an object etc., may or may not be a sign that they are registering at the "consciousness" level.  But this is sketchy territory.  It seems that hydran-kids can register the environment in a sensory way.  But this is not saying anything new or profound.  All human beings take in the world in a sensory way.  What the "consciousness level" is is debatable.  That is the realm of psychology (something I am interested in myself).  In Leo's case he can register the sensory input normally.  Hence he knows who his parents are when we walk into the room full of doctors swarming around.  Amazing.
Let the consciousness debate go on.  All babies are the same.  They are malleable sensory beings.  If you think they aren't conscious even at a very basic sensory level, watch out!  Parenting starts early, early, early.  I didn't know this with my first child but now I am more dialed in.  Many prayers should go out for all those babies and children who are neglected and unloved due to parents ignorance about the emotional registers of their baby.  It begins at this most basic sensory level even in the womb.  Enough of this for now.  Please weigh in on the debate.  Good night.