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Hi ladies - sorry I haven't been posting much. I've been lurking and keeping up to date on all of you - I just don't seem to have much time to actually post. Anyway, I told you all awhile ago that baby has some serious heart defects, but they weren't sure exactly what they were. Since then, I've had another ultrasound done by the perinatologist and another echo done by the cardiologist and they can't quite agree. The perinatologist says the heart has gotten markedly worse and it's a really bad prognosis. The cardiologist, on the other hand, says she's not seeing the same thing and she thinks its about the same and we're in the same boat we were in a month ago, not really sure about diagnosis. All that they can seem to agree on is that the heart is at a funky angle and there is definitely something seriously wrong that, at the very least, will require surgery. So...we're going to Children's Hospital today to meet with a cardiac fetal specialist (and possibly a surgeon). We're hoping to get an official diagnosis because honestly this whole roller coaster has been way too stressful and emotional for me. DH can't go with me (he can't get the time off work), so one of my best friends is going with me. I'm trying to stay calm and not freak out, but the prospect that we could get really bad news today is hard for me. I'm still hoping and praying for a miracle - and would appreciate any extra thoughts and prayers you ladies can send my way! I'll update when I get home tonight...TIA...
*** UPDATE***
Well, I'm back. DH isn't home from work yet, so I haven't even had a chance to debrief with him yet. The doctors spent an hour and a half scanning the baby from every possible angle. They still couldn't get the best angle, but here's what we do know - the baby only has one working ventricle in the heart along with several other abnormalities. I asked the doctor if he'd ever seen a heart like this and he said that while he had seen a lot of abnormalities over the years, he's never seen anything like this. He actually called it "bizzare." He said there may be more wrong, but we won't know for sure until baby is born and we can actually get a good look at the heart. Since the heart is currently functioning well, it's possible that the other abnormalities aren't a big deal - we just don't know yet. He sees a number of factors making the baby a good candidate for surgery right after he or she is born (a 3 stage surgery, the first is within the first week of life). BUT, there's a reversal of blood to the brain, so about 20-25% of these babies also have brain abnormalities. They can vary from slight learning disabilities to extremely severe. So, we wait until baby is born and they will do a full workup on the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, etc. to determine if baby is a good candidate for surgery. If baby has severe brain abnormalities or other issues, he or she will likely be a candidate for comfort care only due to quality of life issues. The good news is that the odds are really in our favor that baby will otherwise be ok, especially since baby's brain looked fine at the last scan. But again, we won't know until baby is born. The other good news is that since the heart is functioning fine right now, he doesn't think we're in any imminent danger of losing the baby. He did say that baby seems extra sensitive to pressure - the heart rate is normal (140's-150's) until they start fiddling and scanning and then it drops very quickly to the low 100's - but again, while he didn't necessarily like it, he didn't know if that would be a problem in the long term.
So, all in all, not the good news we had been praying for, but certainly not the worst news we could have gotten. It definitely is nice to have some clarity and to know what to prepare for. I had hoped to get even more clarity than that, but it sounds like that's not in the cards for us. So, we spend the next 3 months praying for baby and for us. Thanks ladies!!!
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Our C-section is scheduled for Feb 16th! Then we'll know whether Baby Bennett is a BOY or a GIRL!!!
Last edited by HappytoBe; November 13th, 2009 at 05:30 PM.
I'm keeping u and ur lil one in my T&P.I hope u'll have a nice appointment and get some good news.Please KUP once ur back home.
Good luck & lots of hugs
I cannot imagine having to go through something like this. My thoughts and prayers are definitely with you and your little one....
__________________ Alexandra Eva is here! Born 1/17/10 at 5:55pm. Weighing in at 6lbs, 8oz and 20 Inches Long! Secondary Infertility Blog*~*http://onemunchkin.blogspot.com/ *~*
Hugs Im sure hearing all of that news must of been really hard on you. I really hope bub continues to do well and I'm keeping bub and your family in my t&p.. I pray everything works out well for bubby and your family. I wish they could of gave you a better answer but I hope once bubs born they work everything out.
Take care hun and keep us updated on how you and bub are going.
