Brian
 Well
where do I begin? I guess the moment I realized I was pregnant
with a son. I have two daughters and my husband and I were trying
for our son. We scheduled a twenty week ultrasound to determine
the sex of our child. During the procedure, the technician told us
it was definitely a boy. We were so happy!
The next day, I got a call from the O.B. and he wanted me to
have a level II ultrasound. I asked him "why", and he
said "I believe there is a size difference in the heart
chambers, you need a more sophisticated test". At this time,
I didn't know what to think - I just said , O.K. , let's arrange
another ultrasound.
One week later I went to a Neonatologist and had the
ultrasound. I started with a technician, then the doctor, then
another doctor, then a cardiologist. I was wondering what was
going on and no one would say for sure. Finally, the neonatologist
said , "We believe your son has a congenital heart defect
called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. I had know idea what he
was talking about! He said these children have no chance for
survival after being born. I was devastated. The cardiologist over
heard and corrected him, saying that there is a palliative surgery
for these children that can prolong life.
The neonatologist ordered an amniocentesis to rule out Down
Syndrome. This day was a total nightmare. He was pretty much
giving me the option to continue the pregnancy or terminate. My
husband and I would never have any intentions of terminating a
pregnancy without giving the child a chance in the world. We
believe the Lord will take care of everything.
The next few days was waiting for the amnio. test to come back,
and it came back with no signs of Down Syndrome. My pregnancy took
a complete change of course, as I was now considered High Risk,
with numerous trips to a Neonatologist rather than a normal O.B.
Gyn. I found a really terrific doctor who worked with the
pediatric cardiologists. I went to him every two weeks after the
diagnosis up until delivery. I believe the 20 weeks before he was
born prepared me for what to expect.
Brian was induced on August 1, 1996 the day I would never
forget. Labor lasted only 5 hours and I had a beautiful baby Boy,
7 lb. 9 oz., 19-1/2'" long. He looked just like his dad. I
held him only briefly before they swept him off to get stabilized
and start the medications to keep his PDA open.
The day of surgery I was a complete mess... my husband was the
strongest of both of us. We walked with our son down the hall,
never to know what will happen behind those doors. We signed the
consent for the surgery , and they whisked him away with his
little blue elephant we had bought him which was holding his
pacifier in his mouth. We were very happy to hear the hourly
reports but I couldn't stand to be in the waiting room where right
across from me was a newborn baby. All feelings and emotions kept
overwhelming me whenever I glanced in that direction. I felt like
my life is sitting behind those doors and I can't do anything
about it. This is truly the worst feeling in the world.
Surgery lasted 4 hours and we were able to see him an hour
after the surgery had ended. I was completely shocked to see my
son, with millions of wires, tubes, machines, etc... where was my
baby underneath all of this? The doctors came in and discussed his
condition, he did very well. Every day they took something off,
and we were on our way to a fast recovery. We spent a total of 11
days in the hospital post-op, and left for home. His sisters were
so glad to welcome their little brother home !
Brian had his Hemi-Fontan (Glenn) Procedure on February 3,
1997, and is recovering nicely...even looking a little more pink !
Laura L. Ulaszek
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