My baby girls story!

     This story is about our sweet little Natalie Anne. The Journey started back on the 13th of February. We walked into the OB/GYN excited to see our little baby and find out her gender. In my previous post, I mentioned that the ultrasound technician thought that I might be placenta previa. I was then referred to Dr. Stettler, a specialized Obstetrician. The next Thursday, February 20th, I walked into his office with my mom. I was told that I was no where near placenta previa. Hoping the appointment would end up with a clean bill of health, it began to drag on. Natalie was a live wire and gave the doctor a hard time seeing the right side of her heart. Eventually, Dr. Stettler noticed some orange feedback in the heart. Not the normal blue (blood going to the heart) and red (blood going away from the heart). This gave him concern. He expressed the hope that he was wrong and set up a quick appointment with another doctor. The next thing I know, we are running to Dr. Bresa (Pediatric cardiologist). There I had another echocardiogram ultrasound. Though it was fun to see my sweet little girl twice in one day, the following news was very surreal. Dr. Bresa walked in and began to tell me that my daughter's condition is called "Transposition of the Great Arteries." Found here: ( http://www.mayoclinic.org/condition/transposition-of-the-great-arteries/multimedia/transposition-of-the-great-arteries/IMG-20008845 ).  He explained that as long as she is inside me, she will be fine. Our goal is to bring her to full term. No need for a C section. The doctor also explained to me that all babies' hearts have a hole called the Foramen Ovale and a small tube called the Ductus Arteriosus. In the first week of life, these two openings close up naturally. When Natalie is born, she will be injected with a medicine that will keep the Ductus Arteriosus open longer. On her first day of life, they will do an echocardiogram ultrasound on her heart. Dr. Stettler will determine if the Foramen Ovale is large enough. If not, they will go in with a small balloon to enlarge the hole. If everything goes as planned, she will be in open heart surgery on day three.

     Was this news scary? Yes! Did I cry? Yes! However the odds look great. The doctor told me that 1 in 1,000 babies are diagnosed with this condition. He also told me that the surgery procedure has 1% fatality rate leaving me hopeful with the 99% success rate. Will the road after birth be easy? No. She may need to relearn how to eat, there might be speech delay, etc. The thing that brought me most comfort was she will likely never need a heart surgery again. She will be followed the rest of her life. Every year she will have to have an echocardiogram. Overall, we are very hopeful and excited to meet this special person.