Here is an update on our little one. IT"S A BOY! Alex and I are both thrilled and we have already started thinking about names for our little prince.
At my twenty week ultrasound our little boy was growing normally and he had all of his fingers and toes. However the doctors did heard some irregularity in his heart beat, my doctor said that sometimes that can happen and it fixes itself, but to be on the safe side she had me go back in 4 weeks. This is my favorite pic from our 20 week ultrasound.
Alex and I also had the chance to go to New Mexico for Thanksgiving, it was so great to see everyone, at one point or another our entire family was there, It is so amazing to have such a close family, we are truly blessed. It was also the last time we got to see Dalton before he leaves for brazil. I am so happy for him and excited that he gets this chance to serve the Lord:) We also had a chance to see Roselyn, John, Hannah, and Luke. It was a great week, but now it is time to get back to life.
We went back for another ultrasound on December 2nd and we got to see out little boy again:) He is still growing as he should, and he is still moving around and staying comfy in my tummy. They once again heard an irregular heartbeat, and I am pretty sure that the ultrasound tech that did it was confused by it, because some beats were in the normal 130-140 range while others were in the 60's. But she told us it probably isn't anything to worry about.
My Doctor is on maternity leave so it took her a little longer to get back with me after the ultrasound. But she told me that she wanted to refer me to a neonatal specialist to check it out and see what was going on. So I went on December 6.
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| He is smiling for the camera:) |
Alex got off work early and we got to the doctors at 2:30. We went in to have the tech do the first ultrasound before the doctor came in. They were there just to look at the heart, she must have heard the same thing as the other doctors at the hospital the previous ultra sounds because she went and brought the doctor in. Right away he could see that our boys heart walls were a little bit thicker, he said it was probably because it was compensating for the irregular beating. He had his assistant go next door to the pediatric cardiologist to see if they were available to take a look and luckily they were, I cleaned up my belly and Alex and I went next door to see another doctor. By now it is 3:45.
I am not too worried at this point, nobody has really told us anything we are just getting a closer look at our little boys heart and the cardiologist had a different kind of ultrasound that can take a closer look at the blood flow in the heart. The assistant started with the ultrasound and could get everything she needed except for one part of the heart. But our little boy was being stubborn! He was turned in a way that his spine was in the way. We tried everything to get him to move, she jiggled my belly, I would get up an move around, I would lay on my side, and at one point she even gave me some cold juice! but no luck! sometimes he would tease her and roll over for a bit then go right back! Haha he is a little stinker;)
After 45 minutes of that she decided that she would talk to the doctor and see if what she had would be enough. The doctor came in and had me lay back down, he had her change things up so they were just looking at the blood flow. And he was able to see what he was looking for. The doctor was very kind. He sat Alex and I down and just talked and explained everything. He talked to us until after hours, we didn't' leave the office until after 6. I will do my best to repeat what the doctor told us hopefully in a way that you can understand as well.
The first thing they found in our little boys heart is that he has was is called "Congenitally Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries". If you look at the picture on the left, that is a normal heart, the one on the right is our little boys heart. If you look at the bottom two valves that kind of look like spears, on the regular heart, the left one has ridges and the one on the right is smooth. The rigid one pumps blood only to the lungs, while the smooth one pumps blood to the rest of the body. The smooth valve is stronger because it has more work to do. Now if you look at the heart on the left you can see that the two valves are switched. The smooth valve is on the left and the rigid valve is on the right. This just means that the weaker valve will be pumping blood to the whole body while the stronger valve will pump blood to the lungs. The doctor explained it as if our hands were cut off and switched, you put your left hand on your right arm and your right hand on your left arm, you can see that there is an obvious difference and the dominate hand is on the wrong side. Luckily the doctor said that our boy shouldn't have any immediate problem. He said there is a chance in 30-40years that the right valve could grow week and leak, but that they can fix that with a patch. The doctor said that may or may not happen and many people live their entire life with CCTTGA and never have any problems. However, that is not what is causing the irregular heart beat in our boy...
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| Regular Heart |
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| CCTTGA Heart |
The also found what is called a "2nd degree heart blockage". So when a heart beats, the upper chambers beat then send a signal to the lower chambers to beat in rhythm with them. If you look at the picture on the left yo can see a line distinguishing the top of the heart from the bottom. On the top part there is a dot that says sinus Node, this is what starts the beating, it then sends a signal to the AV nod found on the line that separated the top and the bottom. They communicate so that the heart will beat together. Now if you look at the picture on the right the AV node is weaker. So there is a lack of communication between top chamber and the lower chamber. It is called an arrhythmia. In our little boy the top part will beat twice, and then the lower chambers will beat. so while the upper chamber is beating 136 beats the lower is only beating 68. so it is a 2:1 ratio.
So for now his heart is stable enough to survive, his heartbeat is slow but it is beating. However if it gets any slower or if it gets to a 3:1 ratio, then there is danger it will turn into a 3rd degree blockage which is much more dangerous. If it gets too low fluid can start to build up around his organs and in his stomach, I would have to deliver him early so that they can fix his heart. I will have to be monitored weekly so that they can make sure his heart is still beating at a safe rate. Either way our little boy will need a pacemaker when he is born. Our cardiologists expects that it will need to be put in within the first few days of his birth. It could be a year or two but he thinks with our son it will be when he is first born.
It is a very scary thing to find out that our precious baby is going to need a pacemaker put in, he will have one when he is born then it will have to be replaced when he is 6 or 7 years old. It doesn't make us love him any less, it just makes me worry more for his health and the quality of his life. The cardiologist assured us that he can have an active childhood, he should be able to run and play like the other children. He just wont be able to play any contact sports to keep his pacemaker safe. That was a relief to hear that he can run and play and his life will not be dictated by his pacemaker too much.
I have been upset and worried about our boy, but I have the best husband who has such a good attitude about it all. He is constantly assuring me that our boy will be just fine, and that we are going to do everything that we can to take care of him. I know he is right. Yesterday he gave me a priesthood blessing. I feel much more at peace, I know he will be ok.
At the bottom there are two links that explain scientifically I guess what is going on in our boys heart if you want to read and see. I hope no one is offended by me not calling and telling them personally, but it was hard enough trying to tell my mom through all my tears. I thought this would be a good way to keep everyone informed without me getting emotional all the time. But I am willing to answer any questions you have if you do want to call. I am so grateful for my family and all of their love and support, Thank you for the kind words of encouragement and hope that I have already received. I am so blessed to have the family that we do and love you all so much.
I would also ask that if you could keep our baby in your prayers, just to keep him safe!
Love Always Lezlie and Alex
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/hb/
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