If there is one thing that people can always relate to no matter where you’re from, it’s the weather. Well today it was truly sunny and 70 degrees in Boston. It was a beautiful day here. I walked to the hospital in a cool mist and the day ended with a sunny sky. Today started with another sedation and MRI for Natalie and ended with the news that we would not be staying for another surgery.
It was however, a very long day of waiting for news. Our day consisted of waiting for the MRI to get done, waiting for the echo to get done, waiting for the waitress to bring me water at breakfast and waiting to hear from the doctors about the plan for Natalie. We finally got wind of the plan at 6:00 when our nurse told us the plan for Natalie’s evening stay. “We are restarting the aspirin” was all that Brad and I needed to hear to know that there would not be a surgery tomorrow. Aspirin is a blood thinner and is usually not given within 5 days of surgery. Those five words felt like the sun coming out from behind a huge cloud. Brad and I both looked at each other, smiled and knew that Natalie would not have to endure another night of not being fed, she would not have to be taken from us and put to sleep, and she would not have to battle that always painful recovery of open heart surgery. Amen and praise God.
Now what does that all mean for Natalie? Good question. We didn’t have that answer yet. We did finally meet with the fellow and NP to get more information on next steps for Natalie. Right now the doctors don’t feel there is anything to gain by doing another open heart procedure. They have placed the stint to keep blood moving across the 2 upper chambers, that will keep the pressures lower in the left ventricle. These high pressures have contributed to a lot of the issues Nat has had. We hope that with these lower pressures she will have an increased appetite and grow better and in turn her left ventricle will continue to grow as well. We will watch over the next few months to see if that happens.
Over the next few days we will start to wean some of the medications and watch for signs of tolerance to the new pressures. Weight gain, breathing more easily and a happier baby! We are hopeful that we will all return home together by Sunday.
God has given us so many gifts and blessings through this all. Thank you to everyone who continues to pray for us and follow Natalie’s story. Her story is short but full of life and action. This kid is always on the go and she doesn’t even crawl yet. She is such a blessing and we can’t wait to write new chapters with her.
That’s all for now! We will keep you posted over the next few days and we hope to be home soon!
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