First of all, I would like to welcome you to our blog. This is the story of our son, Jayden and his journey into life.
Let me start from the very beginning...
My husband and I found out on April 13, 2011 that we were expecting!! At first, it was a whirlwind of emotions that soon turned into pure joy and excitement! The day after we got our positive pregnancy test, morning sickness kicked in. It was so severe that I lost 20lbs by the time I was 15 weeks along. Thankfully, it subsided!!
Everything seemed to be going along perfectly, the baby was growing as he should, all tests came back clear and there was never a concern. Our doctor (Dr. T) sent us for our anatomy ultrasound when I was 22 weeks and 5 days pregnant. We were all smiles and filled with excitement to see our little boy! A month later, my doctor told us there was some concern with our baby's heart and that we would need to go see a High Risk Specialist (Dr. B). The exact quote from the ultrasound report states... "The fetal heart may be abnormal. Only three chambers are visible on this exam". Needless to say, it broke our hearts to hear this. We were so concerned and could not stop worrying!
On August 29, 2011 I started having some on and off cramping that wasn't too severe. I drank a bunch of water and went to bed thinking nothing of it. The next day (Aug 30), the cramping continued and started getting stronger so to be safe, my husband drove me to the hospital. In Labor and Delivery, they monitored my contractions and the baby's heart (which sounded great). The nurse came back with some medication in a needle and told me that she needed to give it to me to stop the contractions to prevent me from going into labor. Well, after one shot of that, the contractions completely stopped and I was able to go home.
On September 6, 2011, the contractions came back, and strong! My husband drove me back to L and D immediately this time since we were instructed not to ever wait that long again. Again, they monitored the contractions and the baby for just over an hour, and like the time before, gave me the medication to stop the contractions. Thankfully, one dose did it again and I was sent home.
It took 2 weeks to get in to see the High Risk Specialist (Dr. B), and finally saw him on September 7, 2011. Our appointment was at 3:45 in the afternoon, and each minute seemed like hours before we saw the doctor. Finally, our appointment time came! We were called into an ultrasound room, where there were 2 nurses and 2 students. They did an ultrasound of the baby. They checked the brain, kidneys, bladder, heart and measurements. Afterwards, the doctor (Dr.B) came in and did another quick ultrasound of the baby. He found that the baby had all 4 chambers to his heart, but that one on the left side was under developed. He zoomed into the heart and showed us what he saw. There was quite a significant size difference in the healthy chamber and the one causing concern.
He explained that we would have to be referred to yet another doctor (Dr. K), a Pediatric Cardiologist. He also explained that a baby with an under developed organ can indicate a genetic problem, such as Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida so he offered us an Amniocentesis. I was scared to death of this test, but I knew it would be in my son's best interest to find out and be prepared for what other complications he may face in life. Well, the Amnio test went fine. I was pretty sore and had some light cramping for a couple days, but everything was alright.
Now here we are, on September 12th waiting to see the Cardiologist and waiting for the results of the Amnio...
I must say, this has been the longest and most heart-wrenching time!! I wish I knew exactly what was going on with my baby, and I wish I could hear a doctor tell me everything will be alright.
This Friday (September 16), we meet with the Cardiologist (Dr. K) for the first time. Hopefully, they will tell us exactly what is going on with Jayden's heart and tell us what is in his future.
Next Thursday (September 22), I have an appointment with the High Risk doc (Dr. B) to discuss the results of the Amnio.
Next Friday (September 23), I see my regular prenatal doctor (Dr. T) for a routine appointment and to pass on any information we get from the other doctors.
The time has already been dragging on, so wish me luck that I get through all of this without having a mental break-down!!
-Cassandra (mom)
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