For some kind of crappy news…ok, well, super crappy.
We had our 20 week ultrasound Thursday. It didn’t go well.
Our son has what is known as hypoplastic right heart syndrome. We are looking at a lot of testing in the near future to figure out what our exact situation is.
Our current best case scenario is that when he is born, he will be taken into his first of 3 open heart surgeries. 1 at birth, 1 at 3 months, 1 at 4-5 years. If we are lucky, that will be it. Some of the children with this heart defect will require a heart transplant sometime between the ages of 15-30.
I’m terrified.
I can feel him stretch, and kick, and wiggle around just like a normal fetus. But he will not be able to survive after birth without serious interventions and a likely long stay in the NICU.
We are summoning our courage. We will learn all we can. We will prepare. The road will be rough ahead, but we have to find the strength to be guides to our daughter and to our son. We have to teach them strength and courage and love.
To my son -
We love you. We will be your strength and comfort. You will never be alone. We will have you and hold you. You may be in the hospital for a while, but you will come home. You will grow. You will crawl. You will walk. You will never play football, but let’s face it…we knew that already. You will live a normal life with a few extra doctor visits and a few surgeries. We will get through this.
Thankfully, we live in a good time to be sick. At least as good or better than there has ever been. And with the circle of friends and family you have, all of the love and support, surely if survival is possible your son will not only survive but thrive and live a long and happy life.
ReplyDeleteThere's nothing lucky about the situation, except that your son was conceived in a loving, strong family. A family that will provide all of the things needed get through this tough time.
Our prayers and well wishes are with you all.
i love you. i love your strength, your sense of humor in the face of such heartache, your sense of perseverance, your green lifestyle. i love how amazing of a mother you are, how stinking smart your little bird is and always has been. i love how devoted you and your wonderful husband are to eachother and your family. and i know i will love rowan very much too. you woman, are supermom. you're my idol. i am so proud of you and i know that you're going to get through all of this and that baby is going to be so loved and so spoiled. can't wait to see you and evie thursday. love love love.
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