Elijah's Heart Journey: 36 weeks...

Friday, February 24, 2012

36 weeks...

There isn't much new to report. As the doctor on Thursday said, we are just counting down until the induction date. Baby Elijah is continuing to grow and it looks like he weights 5lbs 12 oz which is a good size for his gestational age. I sat down with our nurse and we discussed some of what would happen when he is born. Because he is a single ventrical baby, they will most likely transfer him to CHLA very quickly. I will have to pump and CHLA will store the milk for when he can finally eat.

There are so many unknowns. After he has his surgery, his chest will be left open and he will be intubated. They can't tell me how long either will continue, it all depends on how he heals and tolerates everything. She said it could take few weeks or it could take a month. During that time he will be sedated and pain free. At least that is comforting. We will meet with the neonatal doctors next week to discuss their plan for him. They will be the team of doctors that will be in the delivery room to take care of Elijah immediately after birth. We are still waiting for the insurance to grant us the MRI and the final echo. I have no idea why they are stalling. Hopefully it will be approved soon and we can move forward. The more information they have now, the better and quicker they can treat Elijah later.

1 comment:

Amy BennettFebruary 24, 2012 at 11:24 PM
Hi there! I've been thinking about you and sending you love and prayers to sweet Baby Elijah. The docs are right, every child is different and you just don't know how long anything will take. What I can tell you is that typically at CHLA, the chest is open for 2-3 days (Bodie's surgery was Monday and closure was Thursday, which seemed fairly standard practice - there were a couple of other Monday surgeries that also got closed Thursday along with Bodie). As far as intubation, that can really run the gamut depending on what kind of complications the child has. Most kids I've seen have their Norwoods at CHLA seem to be on the vent 5-7 days or so, but of course some are much longer. Bodie was on the vent for 10 days - he had issues with "twitchy lungs" and his sats kept dropping, so it took them awhile to get him off the vent. Also, a lot of kids have a hard time getting enough fluid off to extubate quickly. So, hope that helps. Please let me know if you have ANY questions.

Heart Hugs,
Amy
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The Chosen Mothers by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with life threatening illnesses are chosen?

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting His instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As He observes, He instructs His angels to make notes in a giant ledger. "Armstrong, Beth, son, patron saint Matthew. Forrest, Marjorie, daughter, patron saint Cecilia. Rutledge, Carrie, twins, patron saint Gerard."

Finally, He passes a name to an angel and says, "Give her a child with cancer." The angel is curious. "Why this one God? She's so happy." "Exactly" smiles God, "Could I give a child with cancer a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But, does she have patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she will handle it." "I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence that is so rare and so necessary in a mother. You see, the child I'm going to give her has it's own world. She has to make it live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she believes in you." No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness." The angel gasps -"Selfishness? is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take anything her child does for granted. She will never consider a single step ordinary. I will permit her to see clearly the things I see...ignorance, cruelty, prejudice...and allow her to rise above them." She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life, because she is doing My work as surely as if she is here by My side." "And what about her patron Saint?" asks the angel. His pen poised in mid-air. God smiles, "A mirror will suffice."