We went for our Level II ultrasound and found out that we were having a girl! However, Abby was curled up in a tight ball and they couldn't get a good view of her spine or her heart so we knew we would have to come back for another ultrasound.
I came back a few weeks later and they confirmed that Abby was still a girl and that her spine looked fine. However, they still couldn't see all of her heart. Dr. Thind called a few days later to say that she was getting concerned and referred us to a fetal cradiologist to get a fetal echocardiogram.
On September 1, 2006 I visited Dr. Elisa Castro for a fetal echo. After a very long time, she turned to me and said, "We have a problem." She told us that our sweet baby Abby has a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Everything past that is a blur. She gave me the contact information for the fetal cardiac specialists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and we made an appointment to meet with them in a few days to confirm the diagnosis and find out what to do next.
This is just the beginning for us. I know there will be many ups and downs, good days and bad days, and more questions than answers. So for us, it's one day at a time, and one step at a time. So for now, our next step is to go to CHOP.
Here are some pictures of Abby from our ultrasound:
Friday, September 22, 2006
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2 comments:
Alison-
I just noticed that you have this blog. What a great idea.
You are such a strong woman and excellent mother. I really admire you and the way your family is handling this news.
Of course, the SDs will be there every step of the way.
Abby is going to be a beautiful little girl. :)
Thanks to K's post, I also just found your blog.
I look forward to being able to follow along and keep up with all of your latest updates.
You are so strong, Alison. Your posts really move me! You have done a great job setting this up.
Abby has a set of incredible parents and a beautiful sister. She is going to be an equally strong and beautiful child who will teach us all so much about courage.
Much love to you.
Wendy
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