A Blog's Start!

Hello!

I would like to say that this is an original idea, but I actually got it from one of the ladies in my heart support group. I decided to keep up a blog in order to keep everyone up to date on the baby. First things first... let's give a little history here!!

July 2006 -
I get pregnant! Well, this was a surprise, but we're happy about it.

September 2006 -
Our first ultrasound... he looks so cute already. Well, I had been calling him a boy, and our ultrasound doctor, Dr. Case, says that his "gender guess" at this point is male. Can't really tell at 12 weeks.

November 2006 -
Another ultrasound. It was during a big wind/rain storm. I remember the storm well as it took us over an hour to drive the nine miles home. While we were in the ultrasound room we found out that we are indeed having a boy. We also found out our son has something called TGA - Transposition of the Great Arteries. I have no idea what that meant at that point... I am scheduled to have more tests.

November 2006, con't -
We have a Fetal Echocardiogram. This is a test like an ultrasound, but designed to look right into the baby's heart. The diagnosis is confirmed. It is TGA. The baby's Pulminary and Coronary arteries are connected into his heart on the wrong side. When he is born and his little body takes over on his own without mine to support him, he will continually circulate blood that never gets any O2 from the heart. If nothing is done... well, we won't go there.

What is the option? Surgery.

When? Right after he's born--within days.

Oh boy.

Back to the present....

My pregnancy has been going along normally other than the heart issue. The baby is strong, his heart is strong, he is healthy and growing like he should be. There seem to be no associated defects (like a hole in the heart or misshapen chambers) with the TGA. We learn more and more with every appointment we go to.