Baby Street Update
It has been over two months of tests, uncertainty and passive aggressive "suggestions" but we finally have concrete answers. After more ultrasounds than I can count, it has been determined that our baby has Interrupted Aortic Arch and everything else is fine. There was some concern about part of her skull but that has since been resolved.
I am now seeing an OB team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto and while it is a long way to go for regular check-ups, I know that my baby and I are in great hands. They will continue to do ultrasounds to ensure her left ventricle is growing (even though it is smaller than the right side) and as my pregnancy progresses we will meet the neonatal team who will provide round-the-clock care to our sweet girl until she is transferred to Sick Kids. This is the easy part.
The hard part will be after she is born. I have already been told that I will only have time for a couple minutes of skin-to-skin contact with my daughter before she is taken for the required tests. Although my husband and I will be allowed to see our baby at any time, I have done this before and I know it's not the same. From the moment Grace was born she never left my side and I am very aware of how different this experience will be. I am hanging onto the fact that the doctors have enough time to track her progress during my pregnancy and prepare for how they will fix her heart.
In the meantime, I will enjoy the rest of this pregnancy. I will cherish the kicks, the frequent trips to the bathroom, the leg cramps, the vivid dreams and even the heartburn. It helps me to remember that this baby is just as "normal" as my first one was. Yes she will have to fight shortly after she is born, but just as she is soothed by my heartbeat and movements while she is safe inside of me, I will do everything in my power to soothe her after her birth and for the rest of her life.
I am now seeing an OB team at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto and while it is a long way to go for regular check-ups, I know that my baby and I are in great hands. They will continue to do ultrasounds to ensure her left ventricle is growing (even though it is smaller than the right side) and as my pregnancy progresses we will meet the neonatal team who will provide round-the-clock care to our sweet girl until she is transferred to Sick Kids. This is the easy part.
The hard part will be after she is born. I have already been told that I will only have time for a couple minutes of skin-to-skin contact with my daughter before she is taken for the required tests. Although my husband and I will be allowed to see our baby at any time, I have done this before and I know it's not the same. From the moment Grace was born she never left my side and I am very aware of how different this experience will be. I am hanging onto the fact that the doctors have enough time to track her progress during my pregnancy and prepare for how they will fix her heart.
In the meantime, I will enjoy the rest of this pregnancy. I will cherish the kicks, the frequent trips to the bathroom, the leg cramps, the vivid dreams and even the heartburn. It helps me to remember that this baby is just as "normal" as my first one was. Yes she will have to fight shortly after she is born, but just as she is soothed by my heartbeat and movements while she is safe inside of me, I will do everything in my power to soothe her after her birth and for the rest of her life.
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