Iowa City Appointment

Our first appointment for the day was to have a Level II Ultrasound. We first met with a nurse to go over family history and to give them a little more information about our pregnancy so far. We then went in for the ultrasound. Again, everything looked great and was measuring right on, except for her heart. The ultrasound tech could clearly see the right ventricle, the right atrium and a small left atrium. She was having a very hard time pin pointing the left ventricle. She had the OB come in to take a look as well and he was in agreement. The left side of our baby's heart was very underdeveloped. She most likely has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. We went into this appointment knowing there was likely something wrong and that we would do whatever we needed to do to help our baby survive. Getting the confirmation still hits you like a ton of bricks. They gave us as much information as they could and let us know that the pediatric cardiologist conducting the fetal echo would be able to give us much more information.

We met with the pediatric cardiologist about an hour later. He confirmed what the OB had said and gave us a ton of details about our baby's heart problem. In a nut shell, this is a very serious heart problem. Our baby will essentially be born with a half a heart. We will be considered high risk and will need to deliver in Iowa City. Our baby will be taken to the NICU immediately after birth. She will require surgery at 1 week old, 6 months old and 3 years old. After her first surgery she will remain at the hospital for at least 4-6 weeks, maybe longer. The first 6 months will be the hardest. There is a possibility that she will need to eat through a tube, and there's always the possibility that there will be complications and she won't make it. We're praying for the best and trying to stay positive for our little girl.

We have a follow-up appointment on March 31st for another Level II Ultrasound and a fetal echo. We're keeping our fingers crossed for some improvement, no matter how small!