Our excitement of Maddox's birth quickly changed to an overwhelming feeling of fear and uncertainty.
After a doctor from our pediatrician's practice checked Maddox, he told us he heard a murmur and ordered an echocardiogram. I was not concerned at this point. I know murmurs can mean many things, and I wanted to wait until we knew something before I got worried. We had also done a fetal echo, so I was confident it would have already been seen if it were anything big. They were able to do the echo quickly and a cardiologist was back in our room with results within an hour.
I was not prepared for the news we received. We were told our son had severe Aortic Valve Stenosis. The doctor explained to us what this was and the immediate problems it would cause.
The information kept coming, but I was unable to get a good grasp of the details.
I was expecting to hear we would make an appointment to come in his office once we left the hospital, but it was far more serious than what I was letting myself believe.
"I recommend Maddox be transferred to another hospital where we will do an exploratory and corrective cardiac catheterization procedure."
The idea of him being transferred was the hardest to swallow. I had spent 9 months anticipating the moment I would meet him and the time we would spend in the hospital getting to know each other. After just a couple of hours and only getting to hold him a few times, he was being hooked up to various tubes and leaving my arms. All of it was so surreal and happened too fast.
Brandon was able to go with him in the ambulance. I was relieved he would be able to go with Maddox, but this left me without my husband or son. A moment that should of been one of the happiest, became one of the scariest I had experienced.
We weren't allowed to hold him, and he was being fed through an IV. These are two things you look forward to as a new mom. Things that make you feel like you are doing what you can to take care of them. All we could do was sit there with him. Hold onto his hands and hope that the fun stuff was soon to come.
This started to feel like my home. With a toddler already to take care of, it almost feels like you are leading separate lives. I spent the day with Maddox and the evenings singing and reading with Emmy. Thankfully this only lasted a short time, as I do not think I would have held up too well had it kept going much longer.
The cath procedure was successful and we were able to take Maddox home when he was exactly one week old. We will have many follow up appointments with the cardiologist, and he will be closely watched to ensure his heart condition does not get worse.
This is something you don't ever expect and can't be prepared for. Thankfully, we were able to lean on our faith and each other to stay strong. We are thoroughly enjoying all of our snuggles now that we are all home.
After a doctor from our pediatrician's practice checked Maddox, he told us he heard a murmur and ordered an echocardiogram. I was not concerned at this point. I know murmurs can mean many things, and I wanted to wait until we knew something before I got worried. We had also done a fetal echo, so I was confident it would have already been seen if it were anything big. They were able to do the echo quickly and a cardiologist was back in our room with results within an hour.
I was not prepared for the news we received. We were told our son had severe Aortic Valve Stenosis. The doctor explained to us what this was and the immediate problems it would cause.
The information kept coming, but I was unable to get a good grasp of the details.
I was expecting to hear we would make an appointment to come in his office once we left the hospital, but it was far more serious than what I was letting myself believe.
"I recommend Maddox be transferred to another hospital where we will do an exploratory and corrective cardiac catheterization procedure."
The idea of him being transferred was the hardest to swallow. I had spent 9 months anticipating the moment I would meet him and the time we would spend in the hospital getting to know each other. After just a couple of hours and only getting to hold him a few times, he was being hooked up to various tubes and leaving my arms. All of it was so surreal and happened too fast.
Brandon was able to go with him in the ambulance. I was relieved he would be able to go with Maddox, but this left me without my husband or son. A moment that should of been one of the happiest, became one of the scariest I had experienced.
We weren't allowed to hold him, and he was being fed through an IV. These are two things you look forward to as a new mom. Things that make you feel like you are doing what you can to take care of them. All we could do was sit there with him. Hold onto his hands and hope that the fun stuff was soon to come.
This started to feel like my home. With a toddler already to take care of, it almost feels like you are leading separate lives. I spent the day with Maddox and the evenings singing and reading with Emmy. Thankfully this only lasted a short time, as I do not think I would have held up too well had it kept going much longer.
The cath procedure was successful and we were able to take Maddox home when he was exactly one week old. We will have many follow up appointments with the cardiologist, and he will be closely watched to ensure his heart condition does not get worse.
This is something you don't ever expect and can't be prepared for. Thankfully, we were able to lean on our faith and each other to stay strong. We are thoroughly enjoying all of our snuggles now that we are all home.
2 comments:
That's a lot to go through. You are a strong person and a great mother. I'm so glad Maddox is home now and you have some time to catch up on the cuddles and snuggles.
this brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't imagine. I am so sorry for the depths of fear and pain that your family experienced that day, but happy that it is over for you.
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