Mordorski's Miracles & Moments: September 2014

On Monday, Paul and I took Hattie to the Nassef Pediatric Heart Center to meet with the cardiologist. They did an EKG and an echocardiogram first, then we met with Dr. Shanthi, the cardiologist. She was very kind and informative and kept stressing that if we have any questions at all, to call her directly. She started by drawing a diagram of Hattie's heart, showing us the hole that is located between the two upper atriums. Then she went on to talk about a vein that grew incorrectly because of the location of the hole. This type of hole, an ASD, will not fix itself. Hattie will have to have open heart surgery between the ages of 1 and 1.5. They'll place a Dacron patch over the hole, disconnect the vein and reattach it where it is supposed to go.

For now, Hattie will be seen every 5 or so weeks to make sure her lung pressure and oxygenation level is good. Paul and I are still a little overwhelmed by it all and are kind of in shock. We had so many ultrasounds - even a level 2 that did a workup of her heart. However, Dr. Shanthi told us that this type of heart defect can be really difficult to detect and how some aren't found until the kids are between 5-8 years old, which is beyond the ideal time to operate. She said that we were very lucky the pediatrician doing rounds picked up on Hattie's heart murmur and followed up on it. We are grateful and feel lucky that we have some time to do research and learn about ASD's and how we can best help Hattie have a successful surgery. We are also grateful that we have such great medical options right here in our backyard.

For those of you who are so inclined, we appreciate any prayers or positive thoughts sent Hattie's way! She is healthy and happy and according to Dr. Shanthi, she will continue to be one, now and after the surgery.

After a post like this, I have to end with some cute kid pictures! We had Hattie's newborn photo shoot last night. We used a new photographer and we really liked her. Here are a few sneak peeks. Enjoy!

On Saturday, September 6, I woke up with a migraine. I haven't had one since February, so I was really bummed. I was scheduled to have my C section on Tuesday morning, but on Sunday, when my headache still hadn't gone away and my blood pressure was kind of high, we decided to call in. The doctor told me to go ahead and go in just to make sure everything was okay. My blood pressure went down, but since I was contracting quite a bit, the nurse came back in and asked how we felt about having a baby that night. And so the fun began!

Around 9:00PM, they brought me into the OR. They gave me a spinal and told me that I'd start to feel like I was sitting in a hot tub.....or not! It felt warm and tingly, but also kind of claustrophobic. I asked them to take off my oxygen mask, but they said that I had to keep it on. Before I knew it, the anesthesia was getting to me and I was getting sick. They promised me that I wouldn't feel pain, but that I'd feel a lot of pressure during the surgery. It was a very strange sensation to have them pushing the baby out of me! It was a totally different experience than last time when I was completely under.

Hattie was born at 9:50PM and weighed 9lbs., 2 oz. She wasn't breathing as well as they wanted her to be at first, so she was taken to the nursery for a nasal canula. After they finished my surgery, I went to recovery. Unfortunately, I was still getting sick, so it took longer than they had anticipated. Paul stayed with Hattie and got to watch her get her first "bath." Everyone kept talking about how big she was! The surgeon said, "You didn't buy any newborn diapers, did you!?!"

Meeting Hattie for the first time and her eyes were wide open

We finally made it to our room at about 2:30AM. Paul got up early and took Owen to school, then came back to be with Hattie and me. On their rounds, her pediatrician noticed a heart murmur, so she took her to see the cardiologist. We don't know a whole lot yet other than that she has a heart defect called ASD, which is a hole in the upper ventricles of her heart that allows blood to flow through where it shouldn't. We see the cardiologist on Monday to find out more and to get our plan of attack in place. It is our understanding that she will probably need surgery within a year to close up the hole, but it isn't so serious that she couldn't come home with us. So, please keep her in your prayers as we determine the best route to take to heal her heart.

Paul picked Owen up early from school on Monday so he could come to the hospital and meet his new sister! At first he said, "Awwww, I wanted a brother." But he is smitten with her. He wants to kiss her, hold her, talk to her and show her his toys. It's pretty cute. He was very impressed that she brought him a present!

Owen and Paul went to the nursery to bring Hattie to our room

Owen got a special wristband and stickers from the nursery saying he's a big brother

All ready!

My two little loves!

I got my staples out on Wednesday morning and then they let us go home. Owen was excited to come home to baby Hattie! Our first night was rough, but last night, she woke up every 3 hours to eat and then went right back to sleep in the comfy bassinet that Papa made for Owen when he was a baby.

We were getting Hattie dressed in her little going home outfit and I caught this moment. Ironically enough, her outfit says, "Daddy Adores Me."