One Step At A Time

We had our appointment at Children's this morning and it went well. We were there for almost 4 hours, but at the end of the appointment we have to say that we feel better about the situation.

Basically, Baby Chase has three major heart defects (AV Canal Defect, Transpostion of the Great Vessels, and Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return) as well as an issue with several other organs called Hetrotaxy (the stomach is on the wrong side and can cause issues with the liver, spleen and intestines). As it sounds, it is very serious, but can be repaired with surgery(s). We spent a lot of time talking about these issues and the DR explained what needs to be fixed first, etc.

I will now be delivering at Parkland b/c we need to be as close to Children's as possible. Baby Chase will need immediate surgery once he is born...he must be in surgery within 4 hours of birth. All of the heart issues are critical to fix, but the Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return is the first priority. I don't really understand it all completely, but I have a feeling I will soon! ; )

The DR told us to expect Baby Chase to be in the hospital for about a month. Also, he will likely be fed through a tube in his nose for a while. Once he has recovered from the surgery and is doing well with his feeding tube, we will be able to bring him home. There will obviously be more surgeries down the road (at 6 months and others), but this will be the first hurdle.

Although we are encouraged by our appointment today, we still need LOTS of prayers.

Please pray for Baby Chase's left ventricle to GROW GROW GROW! It is much smaller than his right ventricle and it will be very beneficial if the left side will grow.

Please pray that Baby Chase's vessels into his left atrium will continue to grow and remain strong. We are very blessed that these vessels look good now, but we need this to continue. THIS IS VERY CRITICAL TO HAVE A SUCCESSFUL FIRST SURGERY

Please pray that Baby Chase will stay safely inside of me until his due date. None of these issues make me more likely to go into labor early, but it is critical that Chase's lungs are fully developed when he is born. We don't need any added issues!! : )

Please pray for the Drs that will be performing his surgery and deciding the best roads to take. We feel very blessed that God has led us to Children's and feel like we are in great hands.

Baby Chase (and his family) will have a difficult road, but we are ready!! We know that God has given us this challenge for a reason and we plan to use it to it's full potential. We know that God is bigger than this and that he can bring us through this!! Thank you for all your prayers! We will be providing updates on our blog as often as we can.

"Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. NOTHING IS TOO HARD FOR YOU."
Jeremiah 32:17