Three Appointments in One Day!

April 21, 2010- Today I went to my first appointment with my new OB(s). Dr. Brown comes highly recommended. He will be the one to deliver Gabe. He is in a private practice near Baptist but has privileges at Vanderbilt. He is exactly what I am looking for in a Doctor (since I can't have my beloved Dr. Kyzer). First and foremost I liked him. Also, he is in a private practice. No residents or students to worry about. Although, Vanderbilt is the best place for Gabe to be, it is a teaching hospital, so there does tend to be an audience at times during treatment. Secondly, he has delivered babies with CHD. He explained that he would be in constant communication with Dr. Parra and the new high risk doctor I will be seeing later this afternoon.

My appointment went well. They drew blood after I drank the yucky orange sugar drink (glucola) to check for gestational diabetes. Again, I am gaining, gaining, gaining. I won't mention how much! Gabe's heart rate was in the 130's. Still in the normal range. I am to see Dr. Brown every two weeks. Everything seems to be going great! My glucose check came back negative for diabetes. Woo-hoo!


My next appointment that afternoon was with Dr. Kelly Bennett with the Vanderbilt Junior League Advanced Maternal Fetal Medicine. This group will monitor the baby very carefully. I will have an ultrasound at every visit. (once a month until 32 weeks, then twice a week). I love the thought of seeing my little angel boy. He is so cute! His profile reminds me of Jessie's. They measured every inch of him and made sure that everything was growing as it should be (from Brain to Spine). Afterwards, they were able to tell us how big he currently is. He is 2 lbs and 4 oz. This puts him in the 73% on size in utero. He's pretty big! I like that. I really want him to be on the big side at delivery. This will be a huge benefit going into his first surgery. I also want to add that the staff at the Advanced Maternal Fetal Office are wonderful. They were very concerned with our comfort. A very nice lady even came in and offered a basket of refreshments and drinks. Jeff and I didn't know what to think initially! I believe that the Junior League partially runs on the generosity of others. I will have to make it a point to bring in snacks and to help to support all other parents in our situation.

We then met with a geneticist. She basically met with us to answer any questions we might have had about the causes of CHD and the chances of having another child with CHD. (We laughed and said our chances were highly unlikely since Gabe will be our last! I think we will have our hands full with Jessie and him!) The chances are less than 5% for those of you that would like to know. It was nothing Jeff or I carried or did. 1 out of every 100 babies are born with a congenital heart defect. It is the #1 most common birth defect.

Afterward, they gave us a tour of the NICU and part of the Children's Hospital. We stopped by the Family Resource Center on the way out. It is a family information center created to help provide information to families of children with medical conditions. They have a library and we found a book titled "The Parents Guide to Children With Congenital Heart Conditions". We thought it might be enlightening. There is a forward from Sylvester Stallone, whose child was also born with a heart condition.

I probably will not write again until my next appointment with Dr. Brown on May 5th. Until then, please continue to keep Gabe in your prayers. I had wondered at times that since it had been a month since Gabe's diagnosis, if the prayers had continued. People forget in time and life goes on. But let me say that anytime that thought has crossed my mind, someone has always called to check on us or sent a card or left a beautiful pot of Daisies (my favorite! Thanks again my dear friend, G!) Or even mentioned out of the blue that someone else we don't even know is praying for us. I think that through your prayers, God has given me the strength to look past the agony and heartache and look forward to the days when my sweet angel is playing side by side with his big sister! We love you all! Thank you for your prayers. Keep 'em going!