Cardiologist Appointment

We went in for the fetal echocardiogram and we were expecting to get some answers to all the questions running through our heads. Although we did get some answers they weren't all exactly what we wanted to hear. It just seems that with every doctors appointment we go to a little more wind gets taken out of our sails. We understand that there is something wrong with her heart and that because of that she is at a higher risk for downs but it seemed as though this lady really wanted to drive that point in. She asked what the perinatologist told us and I said he told she had a 50/50 chance and her response was oh no it's more like 70/30, okay...I know as a dr. maybe she felt we need to know what we are up against but damn, I got it lady! I fully understand that she might have downs and she went on to let us know that the majority of kids with this particular heart defect also have downs...on and on, I wanted to scream. Needless to say I was not at all impressed with her bed-side manner, I don't want to be lied to or have this sugar coated for us but seriously she reminded us of the new cardiologist on Grey's Anatomy...you know the one with no soul. Oh and she reminded us that since we have decided not to do an amnio that they would run the test after she is born for downs but that since they have so much experience with downs babies "they could just look at her and pretty much be able to tell by her facial features" ~ thanks, that's what every parent wants to hear ~ as soon as we look her we'll know ~ because the general public judging her isn't hard enough but the very people who are supposed to help us through all of this as well. Awesome.

Anyway, she confirmed that Laiken does indeed have Atrioventricular Canal Defect and that we can expect her to have surgery at about four months old. As long as she is eating okay she does get to come home with us, so that was our glimmer of good news, I was worried about her not coming home with us until after surgery. Of course when we asked if I could still breastfeed she told us that downs babies do not latch on as easily but that I could pump either way. All in all, she didn't tell us too much that we didn't already know but that the surgeons that will help Laiken are very familiar with canals and valves and I thank God that we live in the time that we do with the resources that we have because otherwise her prognosis would be grim. Downs or no downs she has an excellent chance of making it through this surgery just fine and for that we are so thankful, thirty years ago she may not have made it long past delivery.

I meant to write this right after we came home but that lady and her "roughness" has made this all that much harder to deal with let alone write about. So, I apologize but that is the reason there haven't been pictures and more to talk about. I don't want a pity party but we are trying to deal with this whole dark cloud that has been put over everything. Thank you all again for all the support and prayers, we appreciate them all so much!