Poor 16-year-old Katianna has had all of her wisdom teeth removed.  

Following day surgery, we were advised that the swelling would be worst on day three, and at this stage, there is barely enough room on her face for her very own cheeks.  

Having watched a girlfriend go through the procedure last year, my eldest daughter had a vague idea of what to expect regarding her own reflection.

However, the sensation of stitches in your cake hole making it impossible to open wide enough to eat cake, smile or laugh without pain and injury is now fully appreciated.  

With a tiny little mouth, and lots of lovely teeth, Katianna has enjoyed close to a decade of specialist dental treatment, so her surgery was performed in Melbourne, which was very much a concrete jungle on one of this summer’s hottest days.  

Knowing the healing power of one’s own bed and refrigerator, I drove my baby down to town and back on the same day.  

While it was non-stop stories and chatting on the way down, the experience was somewhat different on the return leg.

It was occasional mumbling and regular stops for dressing changes on the way home.  

Capable sister Yasinta welcomed our patient home with a freshly baked and decorated chocolate cake – which she still can’t eat, and delicious soup – which our chipmunk was able to strain of all solids to sip lukewarm the next day.  

Fruit puree, squeezy yoghurt and liquid breakfast drinks were life savers in the first couple of days, with even jelly proving too hard to chew early on.

Luckily our queen of smoothies, Tiani, was able to pack enough nutrition into her creations to keep Katianna alive.

Ridiculously, I took paperwork and reading material with me to Melbourne, thinking I’d make use of the time my first born was under the knife.  

Obviously I could not concentrate on anything, and could only manage to flick through a few trashy magazines in the waiting room, which I kid you not, were from 2011!  

I am incredibly relieved that Katianna’s surgery is over and her recovery is well underway – nicely slotted in between a Shakespearian performance and a musical audition, and I’m feeling  hugely grateful for our Australian medical professionals; doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and nannas who stew peaches that slide down nicely with custard.