Our 20 Week Ultrasound

On March 9, 2010 Jeff and I went for my 20 week ultrasound and OB appointment. This being our second child, I was very excited to find out if we were adding another girl to our family or could it possibly be...a boy! Imagine our surprise and elation when we found out that we were having the boy that Jeff, my father and brother all had hoped for! Finally more testosterone in the family! Our happiness was short-lived and quickly turned to fear when my Doctor explained to us that there may be something wrong with his heart. They immediately sent us to a maternal fetal doctor that specialized in reading ultrasounds. Unfortunately, this visit confirmed our fears. Our son had what appeared to be a malformation of the heart. We would know more after an echo cardiogram could be performed by pediatric cardiologist. They set up an appointment with a cardiologist at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for the following week. We were also asked to consider an amniocenteses to rule out the possibility of any chromosomal abnormalities. It appears that congenital heart defects are common in babies with these abnormalities. Although, it seemed reasonable to find out. I was unsure about proceeding with this because of the possibility of miscarriage. We agreed to think about it and to get back with Dr. Fortunato's office the next day. So this is how our day ended. As I look back I wonder how I made it through that day. It was truly one of the worst in my life. It's through God's love, Jeff's strength, my mother and father's support and my 3 year old daughter's unconditional devotion that I got through that day. I am truly blessed. And although we have a hard road ahead, I feel it in my heart that our dear angel boy will still be smiling with us 20 years from now.