CHD and my Baby!

I am a stay at home mother to a wonderful baby boy. He is about to turn 9 months and is growing like a weed! Coming from a recovering workaholic, parenting is the hardest job that I have ever had! I say recovering workaholic because parenting isn't really work. Sure certain aspects of it are daunting, especially when you bring your little bundle of joy home and you no longer have the friendly nurses to help you, or answer questions at 2 in the morning. Then you have the days where you just want to stare at him all day because you can't believe he is yours. He is a little part of you that you get to shape for the rest of his life, or at least as long as he will listen to you! If you couldn't tell I love my job!

So to tell you a little bit about the stress that came with bringing our son into the world, Brogan was born with a CHD. We knew about this before birth but knowing didn't help us deal with our new reality once Brogan was with us. We also were not sure of the type of CHD until we had him. He was born with Tetralogy of Fallot or TOF with Pulmonary Atresia.

My 2 day old baby!

Brogan after fist surgery

We had to have a c-section because of the baby's heart rate dropping at the end of my contractions. Daddy got to stand up and see what the baby was (it was a surprise!), but once they had the baby they whisked him away to the NICU. I didn't even get to see him except for the pictures that dad got to take before they wheeled him away. Once they sewed me back up, I went to a recovery room. Once I could move enough to get up and sit in a wheel chair, I went to see my baby. He was just beautiful, and SO tiny! I wanted to hold him right away, but the first time I got to hold him he was 6 days old. The night before his first open heart surgery. We both held him for a long time that night, and the next morning came with some of the hardest moments I have had yet! Watching them wheel him away from us after giving him a kiss, waiting anxiously for updates through his surgery, and then seeing him completely unresponsive after his surgery because of the anesthesia. Some very hard moments for me. He healed up pretty quick though and we were going home just 9 days later. He came home with aspirin and a feeding tube. He only used the feeding tube for a week at home, and then he ripped it out and just ate from the bottle!

Brogan after second surgery

Four months later, right after his first Halloween (he was the cutest little monkey!), we were back in the hospital waiting to have his second surgery. This one would be the complete repair with the gortex patch and them closing the holes they found in his heart. It was just as hard to hand him over this time, but I got to hold him until right before they took him into the prep room. Another day of anxiously waiting for updates through surgery, and then the heartbreak of seeing him not responding to touches or noises. He bounced back quicker this time and we went home 7 days later with some lasix for his fluid retention.

Now at 9 months, we just had a cardiologist appointment and Dr. Z said everything sounds good. He did an echo cardiogram of his heart and saw the piece that they patched isn't growing as well as he hoped, so he says they will have to do a heart cath in 6 to 12 months. If it's anything like the last time they said 6-12 months we will be in the cath lab in 4. He hasn't had to take any meds for a couple of months now, but he did get his RSV shots through the winter. We had a doctors appointment today and she said he looks great and the nurse measured him twice because she couldn't believe how much he had grown!

He is doing great developing, the only thing he doesn't do is crawl. He doesn't like to be on his tummy! He will roll over right away if you put him down for tummy time. This doesn't stop him from moving however. If he wants to get somewhere he will get there! He does the cutest little scooting maneuver and a couple of turns, and he can get anywhere!

Brogan at 9 months!

So that is the short version, or not so short I guess, of my smiley, always happy, chunky monkey! We love him so much and know that we are blessed to have him! Now for the planning of his FIRST Birthday! Yeah!