We apologize for the delay in posts. There are several drafts going, but since it has been soooo long we've decided to publish some of what we have for our readers. :-) More pictures & updates are on the way.
Post started Saturday, Oct. 15:
"Martin gave us our first real scare this past Friday. Morgan was feeding him at Full Bloom, a great local maternity place where we took birthing classes, with the help of the lactation consultant/R.N., Lucia, who was showing her how to get better flow for Martin. Everything was going great until they stopped to switch sides and Martin got really upset. He wouldn't be consoled and began to turn paler and paler until his lips turned blue. At that point Morgan quickly pulled out the stethoscope and started checking his pulse for tachycardia (dangerously fast heartbeat), since he'd had an episode of that twice before in the hospital, but Lucia measured his heart rate at 180 bpm, just under the tachycardic range; more in the really pissed off baby range. He was still pale, blue and crying though so they quickly called 911 and tried to calm him while waiting for the ambulance.
Morgan called me immediately after 911, gave me the quick version and told me to meet them at the hospital. I immediately dropped everything and booked it to the ER. On the way I talked to Morgan again who was riding in the ambulance at this point and learned that his vital signs all looked more-or-less normal but he was still very pale and upset. We ended up sitting in an emergency room for 3 or 4 hours waiting on an ambulance from Egleston to fight its way through traffic. Mostly everyone left us to ourselves and tried not to upset the baby since he seemed to be somewhat better after Morgan remembered he'd gotten only half way through his meal. Eventually, the ambulance arrived and took Martin & Morgan to Egleston while I went home to get things from home in preparation for our stay.
The good news is that they've decided Martin's problems weren't just spontaneous, unpredictable heart trauma, they were probably caused by ingesting milk a little quicker than he was used to and getting very upset about it; possibly regurgitating it; maybe aspirating on it."
We ended up staying at Egleston for observation until Monday evening. The entire time we were there, Martin was his normal, happy, healthy self. However, while we were in the hospital the team of doctors decided to start Martin on a new medicine that will help lower pressures in his heart and peripheral vascular system. As we understand it, the new medicine dilates the blood vessels throughout the body which reduces the pressure required for the heart to pump blood through them. One of the risks of the new medicine is a sudden decrease in blood pressure so it is recommended to be started while in the hospital. So since we were already there for observation, what better time to begin?! :-)
On the bright side, we got to see several of Martin's nurses from our first hospital stay. They were super excited to see him and incredibly happy to see how much he had grown. They all kept saying that he looked great! Their words were VERY encouraging for Doug and I. One night, the nurses encouraged Doug and I to go out to eat. So after a feed, with Martin sleeping soundly in his crib, we had dinner out together at a delicious pizza place, Everybody's Pizza. We brought back several pizzas for the nurses and found Martin just as we had left him, sleeping peacefully in his crib.
Also, we met with the Egleston lactation consultant who encouraged us to continue nursing Martin, just as Lucia had, and measured the calories in my breast milk. Breast milk averages about 20 calories per ounce. However, that varies greatly from woman to woman as well as the time of day and whether it is measured from the beginning or end of a feed. Anyway, the lactation consultant measured my milk twice and got 24.5 & 25.5 calories per ounce. :-) Even though those are just two readings, it felt good to think that my body is providing Martin with all the calories he needs.
Before we left Egleston, we were able to ask questions and get more information about Martin's upcoming cath lab in preparation for his next surgery. During a catherization, the cardiologist navigates a mini video camera inside the heart via an artery to take pictures and measure pressures. His cath lab is scheduled for this coming Wednesday. Typically, the cath lab is an outpatient procedure. However, the care team suggested we pack an overnight bag just in case Martin needs to be monitored after the procedure. Sometimes, infants take a little bit longer to recover from anesthesia and they like to monitor overnight to make sure everything is alright. After the cath lab, the doctors will schedule Martin's second surgery, probably to take place at the end of November. Our cardiologist told us that Martin should be home in time to pull on the tree. :-)
This experience has definitely made us even more thankful to have such an amazing health care facility, Egleston, so close to our home. The care team at Egleston is wonderful! They understand Martin's heart condition and aren't remotely wary of caring for him. The team at Egleston is really great at encouraging and calming us.
After a long weekend, we were discharged Monday evening. The next day we had an appointment with our cardiologist in Athens. Even with the hospitalization, Martin gained 3 ounces in 5 days. Talk about strength and resiliency!
Doug & Martin at Egleston on Sunday afternoon watching football and tracking our fantasy team in Martin's Cardiac Step Down room.
