I have left everyone hanging about the condition of our baby boy, so I will try to cut to the chase to give everyone an update!
About two weeks after our initial appointment, we had our referral appointment to the Montreal Children's Hospital to receive confirmation of our son's CHD. That two-week period seemed like the longest days of my life, as I spent most of the time "wondering" without having any real answers. As much as I wished for a miracle, I mostly hoped that this cardiologist would give us the same diagnosis as the first, so that we could gain some clarity on our son's condition and not be left asking "who's right?"
Much to our relief, the cardiologist at the MCH saw the same thing--our baby did indeed have CC-TGA, but as far as he could see, it was a "simple" form with no major complications that would require immediate medical intervention or surgery. Although the outcome of CC-TGA is impossible to predict with absolute surety, the doctor gave us a lot of hope about the future. He believed that the remainder of my pregnancy would be healthy with a normal birth and otherwise healthy newborn. He also expected our son would have an overall healthy, normal life.
The only issue that concerned the cardiologist at this point was a second-degree AV block, a complication that had the potential to worsen and cause heart failure while the baby was in-utero. If heart failure occured, our son would need to be delivered early in order to be given a pacemaker to correct the AV block. At the time of this appointment, I was just a mere 21 weeks--our son would have no real hope of survival if heart failure occured before 24 weeks, and even after that he would be subject to the many complications associated with a premature birth.
So this is the miracle that we've been praying for: that God would sustain our son's heart and allow him to remain in-utero for as long as possible.
JUMP TO NOW:
I am 28 weeks! I am officially in the last trimester of my pregnancy!
The specialists are currently monitoring our son every other week, watching for any signs of heart failure caused by his AV block. I had my last appointment this week, and everyone was happy to see that our son is still growing healthy, and despite his heart condition, he is an EXTREMELY active baby! The doctors are always impressed by how much he moves!
Everyday, I am reminded of the miracle growing inside of me. Instead of a "count-down" until our baby is born, I "count-up" each day as another day that he is able to remain inside my tummy.
I believe that the One who created my son's heart, also has the power to sustain his heart, "...to him who is able to do exceedinly abundantly above all that we ask or think..." Ephesians 3:20
The epitome of perfection!
