Man I don't even know where to start.. We checked in a few times last night and Evan was still doing really well. This morning we went over to visit and he looked so good :) I still can't believe how chunky he is! Anyways the ICU dr stopped in and let us know the cardiologists and surgeons were still on their weekly conference call discussing this week's cases and should be by shortly to give us an update. One of the cardiologists came in shortly after and let us know there was a potential problem. He said based on the last echo they think there is something else wrong with Evan's heart. The coronary artery coming from the left side is very large, and lead them to believe there could be some narrowing as it comes down to the bottom of the heart. The only way to know for sure was to do a heart cath. We then met with the other cardiologist who would be doing the cath and he gave us grim news. If they did find out there was narrowing in the coronary artery, Evan would be significantly higher risk for the surgery and we would need to also consider a heart transplant. Scott and I tried to stay positive but its so hard to get something like this thrown at you first thing in the morning and the outcome could potentially change everything. Evan went back for his heart cath about 145 and we didn't get to talk to the cardiologist until about 5pm. LONGEST waiting period ever. It's so hard to sit in the waiting room, just waiting. I knew when not one but three DRs came into the room that they didn't have good news. I can't even begin to explain the new "defect" they found. It was so unbearable to sit there and listen to them explain another problem with my perfect baby boy.. The DRs said our only options were to proceed with the Norwood surgery as planned, but the chances of Evan making it to the next surgery would drop to about 50%, or we could have him put on a waiting list for a heart transplant. Like I have said before, it's an unbelievable feeling to have no control over his life, but it's an even more unbelievable feeling to have his life put in your hands. This whole time we have thought the Norwood surgery was the best route to take, and the DRs have always agreed it was the best route. But now they had two options, and could not recommend one over the other. The choice was left up to us. How do you decide? How can I stand behind a decision for Evan's life, not knowing what the long term outcome will be? From the first day we found out about Evan's heart defect I have never wanted him to suffer. My number one concern has always been his quality of life in the future. I don't want my baby to go through life suffering in a hospital because I am too selfish to let God have him back. But this little boy is fighting so hard for his life, he is my hero and everytime I see him fighting for his life he gives me so much strength to fight for him too. Dr Chai, the surgeon, came by about 745 to talk to us again about the surgery vs. a heart transplant. I prayed and prayed for God to give us wisdom to make this decision and as soon as Dr Chai started talking I know God was answering my prayer. He gave us so much hope for Evan, 85% chance to make it through the first surgery! He let us know he had just participated in a nationwide study of 500-1000 HLHS babies and he is friends with the DR leading the study and he asked him if the complications Evan has made a difference in the mortality rate after these procedures and he agreed that there doesn't seem to be a connection. But every HLHS baby is different. No heart is the same. We are giving our son another chance at life, if it's in God's will Evan will make it through these surgeries and lead a healthy life. I pray every second that he heals my sweet baby, pray that he doesn't suffer and can come home to our loving family.. But I trust that the Lord has a special plan for Evan's life. I have so much faith that he will be OK.. Even so I can't help but cry watching every day unfold. But I don't take any of this for granted. I cherish every single second I get to spend with my Evan..
On a good note, Evan did SO good thru the cath and all day. He tolerated the cath lab way better than he did the last time. He was also very alert this evening. He loves holding onto Mommy and Daddy's finger :) He also opened his eyes for us a few times, I just love knowing he hears us and wants to take a peek!
Surgery is now for sure scheduled for Wednesday morning. They are going to let him rest tomorrow and keep recovering from the cath today. Hopefully we will be able to hold him for a little bit tomorrow too!
On a side note, if you have sent me a message or anything to let me know you are praying and thinking of us and I haven't written you back, I'm so sorry, but please understand how much stress we are under right now and hopefully reading my blog you see how chaotic our days are! We really do appreciate all of the support!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Another good day for Evan
Just a quick update, it's late and I'm exhausted.
Evan is doing so good, praise the Lord! He was taken off of the paralytic yesterday morning so he is more alert. He cracked his eyes open a couple times for us too. He is still on the prostaglandin (keeps his duct open to pump blood to the rest of the body), fentanyl (for pain), lasix (for liquid retention), lipids and a liquid diet stuff (for nutrition), milrinone (to help the heart function better), and his breathing machine. As hard as it is to see our little baby with a tube down his mouth, it's reassuring that he is doing so much better and not working as hard to keep functioning. Evan had several visitors yesterday. He finally got to meet his big sister! A counselor talked to Elli before she went back in the room and took pictures of what machines Evan is on and explained what they all did. She gave Elli crayons and a journal to draw pictures for Evan too. Elli drew a beach with sand and a boat and rainbow for him and it's in his little bed :) She only stayed in the room for a few minutes, she was a little scared, but she is already in love with him and can't wait to "hug him tight" when he gets home. My sister and parents also came by to see Evan as well as Scott's parents. I think it's hard for other people to see him the way he is right now.. Hopefully it's reassuring to them to see Scott and I so positive about his condition right now. We stayed with him until we met the night nurse yesterday then came back to our room to get much needed rest. We call the nurse to check in everytime I have to wake up and pump and he had a really good night last night too. This morning we went over early to see him and he was still doing great! The Drs came around and decided it would be best to give him some blood today. The DR said it would really help with all of the liquid he is retaining. It's so good to see Evan responding to us too, although it's SO SAD to see him make a crying face and not hear him actually cry. We left around 1030 to come home and spend the day with Elli. It was awful being at home for the first time without Evan. It took everything in me to get it together before Elli came home. She was so excited to get to spend time with us. It's very difficult to leave my sick baby to spend time with my other baby.. She knows her brother's sick but I don't think she likes me not being home. She did say Mama was taking very good care of her though. We watched Santa Paws together and played "Chefs" while we baked cupcakes. The nurse called us around 4 to let us know Evan was moved to another room. He was at the very end of the unit and now he's in a more central area. The nurse also said Evan did really good with the blood too. We came back too All Childrens about 830 and visited with the little guy. He still looked really good and was sleeping for a little bit. He woke up quite a bit before we left and responded so much to us! He has a great grip and his left hand doesn't have any Ivs in it so we hold his hand as much as we can. We've also developed a little game, not sure if he likes it too much though.. lol He sticks his little tounge out and as soon as you touch it he pops it right back in. Lol it's soooo cute and I got a video of it, I'll have to figure out how to post it. Tomorrow morning the surgeons get together and decide what surgeries need to be done, so Evan will hopefully be confirmed for Tuesday morning. Dr Chai (the surgeon) should be coming by to talk to us again about the procedure. We are going to hold Evan tomorrow too as long as that's still ok with the DR. We were given the go ahead on Friday but after everything that happened Thursday we wanted to just let him relax.
Today was a very rough day for me emotionally. I'm still trying to recover from having a baby 4 days ago while dealing with the stress of Evan's condition and Elli's life being disrupted. Going home not pregnant and with no baby is something I wasn't prepared to deal with. I still feel completely overwhelmed and sometimes I feel like I can't handle it all. It's a miserable feeling to have no control over your life and watch your new baby struggle the way Evan is. As a mom you naturally want to protect your child and not being able to help Evan breaks my heart. I don't think I will ever get over not being the first person to hold this child I carried for 9 months..
I will do my best to update tomorrow aftter we talk to the surgeon. Keep praying for our little warrior, his fight is just beginning.
Evan is doing so good, praise the Lord! He was taken off of the paralytic yesterday morning so he is more alert. He cracked his eyes open a couple times for us too. He is still on the prostaglandin (keeps his duct open to pump blood to the rest of the body), fentanyl (for pain), lasix (for liquid retention), lipids and a liquid diet stuff (for nutrition), milrinone (to help the heart function better), and his breathing machine. As hard as it is to see our little baby with a tube down his mouth, it's reassuring that he is doing so much better and not working as hard to keep functioning. Evan had several visitors yesterday. He finally got to meet his big sister! A counselor talked to Elli before she went back in the room and took pictures of what machines Evan is on and explained what they all did. She gave Elli crayons and a journal to draw pictures for Evan too. Elli drew a beach with sand and a boat and rainbow for him and it's in his little bed :) She only stayed in the room for a few minutes, she was a little scared, but she is already in love with him and can't wait to "hug him tight" when he gets home. My sister and parents also came by to see Evan as well as Scott's parents. I think it's hard for other people to see him the way he is right now.. Hopefully it's reassuring to them to see Scott and I so positive about his condition right now. We stayed with him until we met the night nurse yesterday then came back to our room to get much needed rest. We call the nurse to check in everytime I have to wake up and pump and he had a really good night last night too. This morning we went over early to see him and he was still doing great! The Drs came around and decided it would be best to give him some blood today. The DR said it would really help with all of the liquid he is retaining. It's so good to see Evan responding to us too, although it's SO SAD to see him make a crying face and not hear him actually cry. We left around 1030 to come home and spend the day with Elli. It was awful being at home for the first time without Evan. It took everything in me to get it together before Elli came home. She was so excited to get to spend time with us. It's very difficult to leave my sick baby to spend time with my other baby.. She knows her brother's sick but I don't think she likes me not being home. She did say Mama was taking very good care of her though. We watched Santa Paws together and played "Chefs" while we baked cupcakes. The nurse called us around 4 to let us know Evan was moved to another room. He was at the very end of the unit and now he's in a more central area. The nurse also said Evan did really good with the blood too. We came back too All Childrens about 830 and visited with the little guy. He still looked really good and was sleeping for a little bit. He woke up quite a bit before we left and responded so much to us! He has a great grip and his left hand doesn't have any Ivs in it so we hold his hand as much as we can. We've also developed a little game, not sure if he likes it too much though.. lol He sticks his little tounge out and as soon as you touch it he pops it right back in. Lol it's soooo cute and I got a video of it, I'll have to figure out how to post it. Tomorrow morning the surgeons get together and decide what surgeries need to be done, so Evan will hopefully be confirmed for Tuesday morning. Dr Chai (the surgeon) should be coming by to talk to us again about the procedure. We are going to hold Evan tomorrow too as long as that's still ok with the DR. We were given the go ahead on Friday but after everything that happened Thursday we wanted to just let him relax.
Today was a very rough day for me emotionally. I'm still trying to recover from having a baby 4 days ago while dealing with the stress of Evan's condition and Elli's life being disrupted. Going home not pregnant and with no baby is something I wasn't prepared to deal with. I still feel completely overwhelmed and sometimes I feel like I can't handle it all. It's a miserable feeling to have no control over your life and watch your new baby struggle the way Evan is. As a mom you naturally want to protect your child and not being able to help Evan breaks my heart. I don't think I will ever get over not being the first person to hold this child I carried for 9 months..
I will do my best to update tomorrow aftter we talk to the surgeon. Keep praying for our little warrior, his fight is just beginning.
Friday, December 3, 2010
There will be good days and bad days..
This is something we have learned very quickly. Yesterday morning we came over to visit with Evan and he was doing great. The DR talked to the surgeon and they decided it would be ok for him to eat before the surgery. They were even going to let him try to nurse. Then the cardiologist decided it would be best to take him to the cath lab to try and push his line in his belly button a little bit further. They gave him morphine for the pain. Once he got back to his room, it was an hour after he had the morphine, and he was having a lot of trouble breathing. All of a sudden people come rushing into the room.. Evan wasn't able to breathe on his own. That was by far the scariest moment in my life.. We just sat back and watched everyone working with him while he struggled. They were able to stabalize him and things calmed down.. They check Evan's blood every few hours and his CO2 level was very high, in the 80's and they like it in the 30-40's. After another long hour they tested it again and decided it would be best to intubate Evan so the machine could control his breathing.. It's so sad to see him with the tube down his throat.. He did finally open his eyes for us though, it warmed my heart to know he wanted to see Mommy and Daddy :) Throughout the day his levels were getting better but he was struggling last night and the DR decided it would be best to keep him sedated. They also made an attempt to start a line in his arm but he had stubborn veins and they were unsuccessful. We left for the night after midnight yesterday, the nurse reassured us that he was very stable and didn't forsee any problems through the night. This morning we came up to see Evan and he looked so precious! He has a NG tube in to make sure no secretions get into his stomach or help if he vomits, and is still on the paralyzer and pain medication. He's also on a medication to help make his heart pump stronger. They have been testing his CO2 level today and it's down a lot and the DRs seem happy about it. Evan had another echo done today and the cardiologist said his heart is pumping great and everything looks really good. He is tentatively scheduled for surgery Tuesday morning. The DR also made a last attempt at getting a central line in, they tried both legs and were unsuccessful so they are going to wait until he is in the operating room to put one in. The cardiologist is going to keep him on the paralyzer until surgery, just so Evan can recover from all the work he was doing the last two days. I just suctioned out his little mouth too :) He has the chubbiest cheeks and neck!!
As for Scott and I, we are doing a lot better today, thankful for the peace God has given us today. As much as it breaks my heart to see Evan with all of these tubs and wires in, it's very relieving to know he is so much more stable on the breathing machine. We've had a relatively uneventful day today and are hoping it stays this way.. We are going to check into the Ronald Mcdonald house tonight.
Big sister Elli will be coming for a visit tomorrow, I can't wait for her to meet her beautiful baby brother!!
We are SO thankful to all of our family and friends who are reaching out to help in any way possible. Please, please keep praying for Evan. I know God is with our baby boy and will be watching over him every minute..
As for Scott and I, we are doing a lot better today, thankful for the peace God has given us today. As much as it breaks my heart to see Evan with all of these tubs and wires in, it's very relieving to know he is so much more stable on the breathing machine. We've had a relatively uneventful day today and are hoping it stays this way.. We are going to check into the Ronald Mcdonald house tonight.
Big sister Elli will be coming for a visit tomorrow, I can't wait for her to meet her beautiful baby brother!!
We are SO thankful to all of our family and friends who are reaching out to help in any way possible. Please, please keep praying for Evan. I know God is with our baby boy and will be watching over him every minute..
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Happy Birthday Evan!!
Today we finally got to meet our sweet baby boy! It's been such a long day but I want to write everything down before I forget it all!
First off though, all the praise and thanks goes to God. I know He alone gave me peace and strength today and I feel so blessed that he is taking such great care of my little man..
So of course I couldn't sleep last night at the hotel, I think I got maybe 2 hours of sleep! We got to All Children's just after 6am today and got hooked up to the monitors in our room. Evan's heart rate was high when we got there, in the 170's, so I got fluid and laid on my left side immediately and his heart rate came down pretty quickly. I think they started the pitocin around 730ish.. maybe later? Geez I am already forgetting lol I was 4cm dilated before we even started the induction so I did have a good "head start", plus I'm pretty sure I was already in labor this morning, my contractions were steady 4 mins apart and I had a lot of cramping last night. The DR came in and broke my water around 9 and I was 5cm dilated 100% effaced. I had already asked for the epidural because the nurse said it would take 45 minutes or so to get it in and it was all done right after my water broke. I wasn't in a lot of pain but I knew I would be soon so I'm glad I got it early lol Made for a pretty painless labor. Contractions were 1 minute apart around 10am and I was 9cm dilated already. Soon after I started feeling a lot of pressure and some pain with each contraction and at 1130ish I called the nurse in. The DR came in and said I was ready to go! Delivery was pretty painful but he came out so fast! I only pushed for like 10 minutes. The DR tried to hand him to me when he was delivered but the nursery team came and took him right away. He was crying a lot and they cleaned him up and let Scott bring him over to me :) I was only aloud to hold him for a few minutes, maybe 3 or 4, and then I had to give him back to the transport team to take him to the cardiovascular ICU (cvicu). Even though I know God was watching over him the whole time, it was still really hard to have him leave. An hour later I got moved over to a recovery room and had lunch while we waited for the cvicu to let us know we could come back in. Evan looked so precious in his little bed.. Wires were everywhere and he was just sprawled out lol The u/s tech was scanning his abdomen and his head when we got there, and then another tech came in and did his first echo. We met with the cardiologist on call right after that and he confirmed the hypoplastic left heart and said everything else looks great! He said he thinks the surgery will be Monday or Tuesday, but will know for sure on Monday. Until then, we can snuggle Evan as much as we want in his room! :) I spent most of the afternoon cuddling him. I can't believe how chubby he is! lol that little boy has rolls everywhere. I am so grateful he is that big for his surgery! He makes the cutest little noises and hates to be uncovered or cold! He loves to be bundled up tight and rocked. Oh I am just so in love!! Scott and I came back to my room and had dinner then headed back over to cuddle some more. He can wear socks and hats of our choice so we "dressed" him too. So adorable! It was really hard to leave him in his room tonight but I know He has his hands on my baby boy tonight.
Poor Scott is passed out on this tiny little 'bed' right now lol he is such a GREAT dad already and Evan already has him wrapped around his finger ;) I know I always say how amazing that man is but he has just been AMAZING today! I really could not have had a better partner today. He has been so helpful and poor guy has had to deal with way more than any dad should. I just love him to pieces :)
As for me, I feel great! I've been getting around just fine all day and had no complications during delivery. I can't believe I had a baby 12 hours ago lol
We are going to spend the rest of the week snuggling Evan as much as possible! Elli will be coming up to meet her baby brother on Saturday and I can't wait!! She is so excited that her brother is finally here. Sunday Scott and I will be spending the day at home to get some quality time in with Elli before Evan has his surgery early next week. I'll be sure to update regularly!
Lastly, THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have been praying for Evan and our family, and supporting us in every way possible. It means so much to both of us to know that many people care about us and Evan! God doesn't make mistakes; my sweet baby boy is perfect in His eyes. He has a purpose for Evan's life and I am trusting in Him 100%. Let His will be done. I will be patient and grateful for every day I get to spend with my Evan and I can't wait to get him home..
First off though, all the praise and thanks goes to God. I know He alone gave me peace and strength today and I feel so blessed that he is taking such great care of my little man..
So of course I couldn't sleep last night at the hotel, I think I got maybe 2 hours of sleep! We got to All Children's just after 6am today and got hooked up to the monitors in our room. Evan's heart rate was high when we got there, in the 170's, so I got fluid and laid on my left side immediately and his heart rate came down pretty quickly. I think they started the pitocin around 730ish.. maybe later? Geez I am already forgetting lol I was 4cm dilated before we even started the induction so I did have a good "head start", plus I'm pretty sure I was already in labor this morning, my contractions were steady 4 mins apart and I had a lot of cramping last night. The DR came in and broke my water around 9 and I was 5cm dilated 100% effaced. I had already asked for the epidural because the nurse said it would take 45 minutes or so to get it in and it was all done right after my water broke. I wasn't in a lot of pain but I knew I would be soon so I'm glad I got it early lol Made for a pretty painless labor. Contractions were 1 minute apart around 10am and I was 9cm dilated already. Soon after I started feeling a lot of pressure and some pain with each contraction and at 1130ish I called the nurse in. The DR came in and said I was ready to go! Delivery was pretty painful but he came out so fast! I only pushed for like 10 minutes. The DR tried to hand him to me when he was delivered but the nursery team came and took him right away. He was crying a lot and they cleaned him up and let Scott bring him over to me :) I was only aloud to hold him for a few minutes, maybe 3 or 4, and then I had to give him back to the transport team to take him to the cardiovascular ICU (cvicu). Even though I know God was watching over him the whole time, it was still really hard to have him leave. An hour later I got moved over to a recovery room and had lunch while we waited for the cvicu to let us know we could come back in. Evan looked so precious in his little bed.. Wires were everywhere and he was just sprawled out lol The u/s tech was scanning his abdomen and his head when we got there, and then another tech came in and did his first echo. We met with the cardiologist on call right after that and he confirmed the hypoplastic left heart and said everything else looks great! He said he thinks the surgery will be Monday or Tuesday, but will know for sure on Monday. Until then, we can snuggle Evan as much as we want in his room! :) I spent most of the afternoon cuddling him. I can't believe how chubby he is! lol that little boy has rolls everywhere. I am so grateful he is that big for his surgery! He makes the cutest little noises and hates to be uncovered or cold! He loves to be bundled up tight and rocked. Oh I am just so in love!! Scott and I came back to my room and had dinner then headed back over to cuddle some more. He can wear socks and hats of our choice so we "dressed" him too. So adorable! It was really hard to leave him in his room tonight but I know He has his hands on my baby boy tonight.
Poor Scott is passed out on this tiny little 'bed' right now lol he is such a GREAT dad already and Evan already has him wrapped around his finger ;) I know I always say how amazing that man is but he has just been AMAZING today! I really could not have had a better partner today. He has been so helpful and poor guy has had to deal with way more than any dad should. I just love him to pieces :)
As for me, I feel great! I've been getting around just fine all day and had no complications during delivery. I can't believe I had a baby 12 hours ago lol
We are going to spend the rest of the week snuggling Evan as much as possible! Elli will be coming up to meet her baby brother on Saturday and I can't wait!! She is so excited that her brother is finally here. Sunday Scott and I will be spending the day at home to get some quality time in with Elli before Evan has his surgery early next week. I'll be sure to update regularly!
Lastly, THANK YOU to all of our family and friends who have been praying for Evan and our family, and supporting us in every way possible. It means so much to both of us to know that many people care about us and Evan! God doesn't make mistakes; my sweet baby boy is perfect in His eyes. He has a purpose for Evan's life and I am trusting in Him 100%. Let His will be done. I will be patient and grateful for every day I get to spend with my Evan and I can't wait to get him home..
Thursday, November 25, 2010
6 more days.. :)
Time is really starting to fly by now!! Only six days until Evan is here, WOW! Still doesn't seem real yet. We had our last OB appointment on Tuesday. Evan is doing wonderful, his estimated weight was 7lbs 9oz, big boy! I'm still sticking with my guess of 7lbs14oz, we will see. The OB was explaining the heart defect to the ultrasound tech and pointed out some things to her, and then said something along the lines of "the best prognosis you can have with hypoplastic left heart..". Made me smile to hear that. I'm still 1/3 of the way done dilating so I'm very glad I will have a headstart on Wednesday lol I'm thinking I will progress quickly, we'll see! Scott and I have decided to stay the night in a hotel in St Pete on Tuesday, that way we can sleep a little longer since we have to be at the hospital at 6 AM. This will probably be my last update until we have Evan, it's just a waiting game now, but I will make sure to update (when I feel up to it) after Evan is born. And just a FYI.. neither Scott or I will have our phones turned on until after Evan is born and things are 'settled' so you may go awhile without hearing an update; just assume everything is ok! We will be going thru a lot on Wednesday and your patience and understanding will be appreciated..
We are still praying for a miracle for our sweet baby boy.. So you keep praying too! I know God has amazing plans for our son and we are trusting in him to keep Evan safe. <3
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
We are still praying for a miracle for our sweet baby boy.. So you keep praying too! I know God has amazing plans for our son and we are trusting in him to keep Evan safe. <3
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Update :)
Today we had our 36 week OB appt and the last fetal echo of Evan's heart until he is born. It's been quite an interesting day! Our OB appt was this morning. The nurse checked my cervix and turns out I am 3cm dilated and 50% effaced. I have been having some pretty strong contractions the last two days and feeling a lot of pressure so I knew something was going on, but I wasn't expecting to be that dilated! Good thing is I am already 1/3 of the way done with the "labor" lol Gives us a good head start for when I'm induced. We had our weekly u/s before we met with the DR and everything is great still, Evan was being lazy and didn't want to move for once so we had to wait a while to get fetal movement. We met with the DR and she was concerned that I had dilated this much already, and doesn't want me to go into active labor just yet so she prescribed me Procardia. It's a med for chest pain, lol, but apparently they use it to stop contractions/labor. So I'm assuming I will be on that for another 2 weeks until my induction date, I'm going to find out more on Tuesday at our next appointment. Luckily I wasn't put on bedrest, that would suck, she just told me to "take it easy" and don't exert myself. We are very, very lucky we did not end up in labor and delivery this morning! I would have been disappointed too, I'm really looking forward to our Thanksgiving dinner this Saturday!!
After the OB we headed to All Children's for the fetal echo. Evan is 6 pounds, 5 ounces and doing great! Cardiologist said he looks to be very healthy, with the exception of the HLHS of course. He scored another '10' on his cardiac profile. I am very glad to report there are no leaky valves or other complications :) The cardiologist says this is a very straight forward case of HLHS. It's kind of bittersweet.. He also said there shouldn't be a problem with us being able to hold Evan for 30 minutes or so right after he's born before they start the IV.. YAY!! :) Best news I've heard in a long time. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but I was expecting maybe a couple of minutes so it's a lot to me! Hopefully the DRs and nurses will go along with that time frame though!
So that's where we stand right now. We won't be seen again until Tuesday, hopefully Evan can hang out for 13 more days, but I'm not gonna lie I am very very anxious to meet our little boy <3
After the OB we headed to All Children's for the fetal echo. Evan is 6 pounds, 5 ounces and doing great! Cardiologist said he looks to be very healthy, with the exception of the HLHS of course. He scored another '10' on his cardiac profile. I am very glad to report there are no leaky valves or other complications :) The cardiologist says this is a very straight forward case of HLHS. It's kind of bittersweet.. He also said there shouldn't be a problem with us being able to hold Evan for 30 minutes or so right after he's born before they start the IV.. YAY!! :) Best news I've heard in a long time. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but I was expecting maybe a couple of minutes so it's a lot to me! Hopefully the DRs and nurses will go along with that time frame though!
So that's where we stand right now. We won't be seen again until Tuesday, hopefully Evan can hang out for 13 more days, but I'm not gonna lie I am very very anxious to meet our little boy <3
Saturday, November 13, 2010
18 more days!
December 1st is our "official" induction date. I feel like the last 7 weeks have gone by so fast! We are prepared to bring Evan home; his nursery is complete, but we haven't even begun to prepare for our stay at the hospital. Well wait, I take that back, I did call the Ronald McDonald house in St. Pete and reserve a room for our 4-6 week expected stay. It seems so surreal that in less than 3 weeks Evan is going to be here and this journey will "officially" begin. I have mentally prepared myself as much as I can but I still feel clueless about the whole situation. I don't think reality will sink in until after Evan's born and 24 hours later we will still be at the very beginning of our hospital stay instead of loading up in the car to bring him home... I'm still trying to stay strong, but it's so hard to trust in the Lord that everything is going to be ok. I pray for peace all the time and I feel like God has answered that prayer but I still can't help but wonder if the first time I hold Evan will also be the last..
This Thursday we have my 36 week OB appointment and our 4th and final Fetal Echo. I will make sure to update after those appointments.. Til then, keep Evan in your prayers please!
This Thursday we have my 36 week OB appointment and our 4th and final Fetal Echo. I will make sure to update after those appointments.. Til then, keep Evan in your prayers please!
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