Jordan
 |
Awaiting the
birth of our twin sons was getting more and more difficult.
After being hospitalized on many different occasions for preterm
labor, Jonathan & Jordan were finally delivered by emergency c-section
on the early morning of March
12, 1998. It seems I had
developed toxemia, and since I had been given steroids two days earlier to
develop the boys' lungs, the doctor thought it would be safe for them to
be born at 34 weeks gestation.
After
the boys were wrapped in blankets, we were able to take a few photos with
them. I was taken to recovery
and the boys were taken to the nursery.
We were told that Jordan was having some difficulty breathing, but
it was expected since they were 6 weeks premature. |
My
husband went home to shower and I was settling into my room when the doctors
came in to talk. They said Jordan's heart
hadn't formed right and that he was being transported another hospital which is
almost 2 hours away from us. hey
explained that he had Tricuspid & Pulmonary Atresia, and that he needed
surgery immediately. That whole
conversation felt as if it were a dream. They took him away before I even got to
see him.
The
next day, the doctors came in to tell us that Jonathan had a hole in his heart,
and that they would need to keep a close eye on him (his hole closed on its own
by the time he was about 4 months old).
Jonathan and I were able to go home after 3 days, but the doctors
wouldn't let me go for Jordan's surgery the next day. The surgery went well, and he came home when he was 12 days old.
He was very small and fragile at 4.6 lbs. and wasn't feeding well
He also had Reflux, which has just recently, at 21 months, gotten under
control). Day by day, he grew stronger.
At
6 months, the doctors decided he was ready for his next surgery, this one,
open-heart. Again, the surgery went
well (Glenn Shunt) and he was home in 5 days.
He was back to himself, playing with his brother, just 6 days after his
surgery. He's such a strong little
boy!
Jordan
was also born with Bladder Reflux. He had corrective surgery in April of 1999 at
13 months of age. Once again, the
surgery went well, and he was home in 3 days.
Jordan
sat up a little later than Jonathan did, and also crawled later.
He started walking at 15 months, a month later than his brother.
Otherwise, he's right on track...right where he should be
developmentally. He still needs one
more open-heart surgery when he's 4 or 5 years old.
We can't help but worry about that one.
He'll be older, he'll understand more and will be scared. We just have to
find the strength to get him, and ourselves, through it.
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