I had my bi-monthly Ob/Gyn appointment on Friday. Little Ethan now wieghs about 2 lbs 10 oz and I am measuring two weeks bigger than I should. It seems that my belly has popped significantly in the last two weeks. Ethan's cheeks are looking nice and chunky- I can't wait to kiss them when he arrives! No updates on Ethan's heart, everything is the same for now. We meet with the cardiologist on Thursday and will know more about the birth plan, surgeries, and what to expect at that time. I'll keep everyone posted as we learn more. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I can not express how much it means to my family and I.
Posted Jul 29, 2011 2:02am
Posted Jul 29, 2011 2:02am
We had our appointment with the cardiologist today and received both good and bad news. First the bad to get it out of the way- Ethan has started to develop fluid in his heart which basically means that his little heart is working extra hard. The cardiologist has changed our once a month fetal echiograms to an every week occurance to make sure that the fluid does not continue to increase and little Ethan does not go into heart failure in utero. This means that i get to travel down to San Diego every week now to be monitored by either the cardiologist or my Ob/Gyn specialist. :(
Now for the good news- it seems that in Ethan's case the power of prayer has worked miracles and his left ventricle has actually grown! Initially when we had seen the cardiologist at our 20 week appointment he had indicated that it was highly unlikely for the left ventricle to grow at all and that probably it would get smaller. The cardiologist attributed the growth to the VSD's (or holes) between Ethan's right and left chamber allowing blood to flow from the right chamber to the left ventricle. We asked if it were likely for the left ventricle to continue to grw and he thought not but said there was maybe a 20% chance it could. What does this mean for Ethan??? It means that the surgery he will require shortly after birth will be slightly less risky since he does have more of a presence of the left ventricle. His survival after surgery has increased because of this. Praise God!
Please continue to keep Ethan in your prayers. We know now that miracles can happen and we are hoping that his smaller left ventricle will continue to grow. Blessings and heart hugs to all!
Posted Aug 6, 2011 8:31pm
Now for the good news- it seems that in Ethan's case the power of prayer has worked miracles and his left ventricle has actually grown! Initially when we had seen the cardiologist at our 20 week appointment he had indicated that it was highly unlikely for the left ventricle to grow at all and that probably it would get smaller. The cardiologist attributed the growth to the VSD's (or holes) between Ethan's right and left chamber allowing blood to flow from the right chamber to the left ventricle. We asked if it were likely for the left ventricle to continue to grw and he thought not but said there was maybe a 20% chance it could. What does this mean for Ethan??? It means that the surgery he will require shortly after birth will be slightly less risky since he does have more of a presence of the left ventricle. His survival after surgery has increased because of this. Praise God!
Please continue to keep Ethan in your prayers. We know now that miracles can happen and we are hoping that his smaller left ventricle will continue to grow. Blessings and heart hugs to all!
Posted Aug 6, 2011 8:31pm
Hi everyone, this is Mike giving you a update on baby Ethan Matthew's progress. Renee has been experiencing contractions, enough to be concerned and bring it to the attention of the OBGYN Friday. The doctor did another ultrasound and found that their is a little more amniotic fluid than normal. She also had difficulty finding Ethan's stomach. When she found it she mentioned that it was smaller than normal. The doctor put in a order for bi-weekly visits. There will be 45 minute stress test to monitor Ethan's heart. She also placed Renee on modified bed rest to alleviate pre-term labor. Fortunately the appointments are in San Marcos rather than in San Diego. The baby will be born in Los Angeles so the best heart surgeons will be available. I am very thankful for everyone's prayers for our son. A special thanks to Renee for being strong through all the ups and downs physically and emotionally. She is an amazing woman.
Six appointments later....
Posted Aug 22, 2011 12:55am
Sorry I haven't posted lately. I've been in a bedrest "funk" the past two weeks. My doctor put me on bed rest due to the contractions I have been having in combination with her diagnosing me with polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid). Normal amnniotic fluid levels are between 12-22 centimeters and I have been measuring as high as 31 centimeters of fluid. A side effect of the polyhydramnios can be preterm labor, hence the bedrest.
I do non-stress tests two times a week now where they monitor the baby, check my amniotic fluid levels, monitor the baby's heart and monitor contractions. These appointments are usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how well Ethan cooperates. He likes to move around a lot and he has a pool of fluid to swim in so it's easy to lose him on the heart monitor.
This last week we had a cardiologist appointment on Thursday. Mike and I went down to see Dr. Levy in San Diego for another fetal echiogram. We had some really good news. The VSD's (holes in Ethan's heart) have both closed up on their own and his left ventricle grew a little more. Ethan is turning into my little miracle baby and I just know it's from all the prayers from friends, family and church members. Dr. Levy indicated that if the left ventricle continues to grow then he may just have to have a cardiac catherization performed to balloon his aortic valve. We won't really know till after Ethan is born but this was the best news I have in months. I'm trying to not get my hopes up to much for this but it would literally be a miracle.
On Friday I had an appointment with my perinatal specialist. Actually my perinatal specialist was on vacation and I saw another doctor in the practice. Half way through the ultra sound I asked if she was able to see Ethan's stomach as our normal doctor had trouble finding it at the last two ultrasounds. She said that she couldn't locate the stomach at all. Near the end of the appointment she asked if I had any additional questions and I asked what kind of repair would need to be done to fix his stomach issues. She said that he might have tracheal esophageal fistlua or esophgeal atrsia. Best case scenerio he just has a blockage in his esophagus which they can insert a tube down his throat after he is born and that will clear out the blockage. She said that the worse case scenerio would be no airway passage and that the doctor's would not be able to ventilate after birth and he would pass away.
It's crazy how this pregnancy is going and how one day I'm feeling on top of the world and the next I just want to crawl in a hole. My mission now is to continue to rest. Keep positive and keep Ethan in for four more weeks so he can continue to grow and get strong. Other than that I give it all to God.
I do non-stress tests two times a week now where they monitor the baby, check my amniotic fluid levels, monitor the baby's heart and monitor contractions. These appointments are usually 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on how well Ethan cooperates. He likes to move around a lot and he has a pool of fluid to swim in so it's easy to lose him on the heart monitor.
This last week we had a cardiologist appointment on Thursday. Mike and I went down to see Dr. Levy in San Diego for another fetal echiogram. We had some really good news. The VSD's (holes in Ethan's heart) have both closed up on their own and his left ventricle grew a little more. Ethan is turning into my little miracle baby and I just know it's from all the prayers from friends, family and church members. Dr. Levy indicated that if the left ventricle continues to grow then he may just have to have a cardiac catherization performed to balloon his aortic valve. We won't really know till after Ethan is born but this was the best news I have in months. I'm trying to not get my hopes up to much for this but it would literally be a miracle.
On Friday I had an appointment with my perinatal specialist. Actually my perinatal specialist was on vacation and I saw another doctor in the practice. Half way through the ultra sound I asked if she was able to see Ethan's stomach as our normal doctor had trouble finding it at the last two ultrasounds. She said that she couldn't locate the stomach at all. Near the end of the appointment she asked if I had any additional questions and I asked what kind of repair would need to be done to fix his stomach issues. She said that he might have tracheal esophageal fistlua or esophgeal atrsia. Best case scenerio he just has a blockage in his esophagus which they can insert a tube down his throat after he is born and that will clear out the blockage. She said that the worse case scenerio would be no airway passage and that the doctor's would not be able to ventilate after birth and he would pass away.
It's crazy how this pregnancy is going and how one day I'm feeling on top of the world and the next I just want to crawl in a hole. My mission now is to continue to rest. Keep positive and keep Ethan in for four more weeks so he can continue to grow and get strong. Other than that I give it all to God.
Recent appointment in Los Angeles
Posted Sep 4, 2011 2:24pm
The recent visit to Kaiser in Los Angeles brought more bad news. It seems that prior to Ethan having his open heart surgery he will need to have his stomach/esphagus surgery first at Kaiser. He will need to recover from this surgery and then will be transfered over to children's L.A. This means potentially another month of being in Los Angeles away from our other children.
At this point we are second guessing our decision to have Ethan in Los Angeles. If we had him there it would be three to four months of time away where if we have him in San Diego I would be able to visit Ethan during the day and drive home to be with the other children in the evening. I understand that it is important for Ethan to have the best care possible but the surgeon's at Children's L.A. and Rady's are ranked pretty much equally, it's just the post care in L.A. is ranked so much higher as they have their own cardiac post care unit. I have been praying all week for clarity and guidance and would appreciate any feedback from family and friends. I need to make up my mind by the 12th of September as that is when the doctor's would want me to go to L.A.
My perinatologist in San Diego thinks we should stay down here to deliver. She is a mother and is looking at the over all picture for the family plus being that I will be postpartum with a sick baby away from the majority of my support system. Our cardiologist from San Diego still recommends Los Angeles as so much can happen after surgery and post care is so important to combating infection and other potential post surgery risks.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers and any words of advise are definitely welcomed from all.
Much Love and Appreciation,
Renee
At this point we are second guessing our decision to have Ethan in Los Angeles. If we had him there it would be three to four months of time away where if we have him in San Diego I would be able to visit Ethan during the day and drive home to be with the other children in the evening. I understand that it is important for Ethan to have the best care possible but the surgeon's at Children's L.A. and Rady's are ranked pretty much equally, it's just the post care in L.A. is ranked so much higher as they have their own cardiac post care unit. I have been praying all week for clarity and guidance and would appreciate any feedback from family and friends. I need to make up my mind by the 12th of September as that is when the doctor's would want me to go to L.A.
My perinatologist in San Diego thinks we should stay down here to deliver. She is a mother and is looking at the over all picture for the family plus being that I will be postpartum with a sick baby away from the majority of my support system. Our cardiologist from San Diego still recommends Los Angeles as so much can happen after surgery and post care is so important to combating infection and other potential post surgery risks.
Please continue to keep us in your prayers and any words of advise are definitely welcomed from all.
Much Love and Appreciation,
Renee
Hello All!
Posted Sep 23, 2011 6:48pm
Thought I would give one last update before Ethan arrives.
First of all I wanted to thank all of our friends, family and friends of friends that attended the fundraiser for Ethan. We have been so overwhelmed by the support of everyone. I was especially surprised by the donations from local business owners that don't even know us.
As far as our birth plan we have changed things up a bit because of the prenatal diagnoses of TEF/EA. We have decided to have Ethan down here at Kaiser in San Diego. He will be taken to the NICU there and then will undergo tests, fetal echo, MRI, etc. Once the exact prognosis is given on his stomach issues he will have surgery to have a gtube put directly into his stomach and depending on the extent of the possible diconnect of the esophogus may have that either connected to the stomach or tied off so the stomach is able to grow. After he is stabilized from that operation he will be transfered by ambulance up to children's L.A. for his first heart surgery. He will be in the CICU up there until he is strong enough to be transfered back down to San Diego where he will await his second surgery to connect the esophogus to his stomach which might not be until he is six to eight months old from what the stomach surgeon has told us.
Hopefully things are better than what the doctors are anticipating but as of now they tell us he will need to stay in the hospital for the duration which is why we will be having him transfered back down to San Diego.
Good news is that he is now over 7 pounds which was my goal weight for him. I have been having contractions and am now 2 centimeters dilated so I'm hoping to have him sometime next week. If not they have scheduled an induction for October 6th.
Again, we thank you all for your support and words of encouragement. I don't know how I would've made it tis far without knowing I have so many people sending prayers and positive thoughts our way. Much love to you all. I will post an update again as soon as baby boy has arrived.
First of all I wanted to thank all of our friends, family and friends of friends that attended the fundraiser for Ethan. We have been so overwhelmed by the support of everyone. I was especially surprised by the donations from local business owners that don't even know us.
As far as our birth plan we have changed things up a bit because of the prenatal diagnoses of TEF/EA. We have decided to have Ethan down here at Kaiser in San Diego. He will be taken to the NICU there and then will undergo tests, fetal echo, MRI, etc. Once the exact prognosis is given on his stomach issues he will have surgery to have a gtube put directly into his stomach and depending on the extent of the possible diconnect of the esophogus may have that either connected to the stomach or tied off so the stomach is able to grow. After he is stabilized from that operation he will be transfered by ambulance up to children's L.A. for his first heart surgery. He will be in the CICU up there until he is strong enough to be transfered back down to San Diego where he will await his second surgery to connect the esophogus to his stomach which might not be until he is six to eight months old from what the stomach surgeon has told us.
Hopefully things are better than what the doctors are anticipating but as of now they tell us he will need to stay in the hospital for the duration which is why we will be having him transfered back down to San Diego.
Good news is that he is now over 7 pounds which was my goal weight for him. I have been having contractions and am now 2 centimeters dilated so I'm hoping to have him sometime next week. If not they have scheduled an induction for October 6th.
Again, we thank you all for your support and words of encouragement. I don't know how I would've made it tis far without knowing I have so many people sending prayers and positive thoughts our way. Much love to you all. I will post an update again as soon as baby boy has arrived.
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