Half the Heart, Twice the Fight: 31 Weeks, 3 Days

Things this past week have been pretty slow. Carsyn has been pretty fussy and grumpy, which makes me very thankful I have been able to pick her up and carry her around. If we did have intervention I wouldn't have been able to pick her up for about a week. We think she is cutting her molars, and all she wants is to sit on my lap and watch TV. She never watches TV that often, and usually plays on her own very well.

Kennedy has been wiggling around a lot, and has been getting the hiccups quite often. When Carsyn sits on my lap....or belly, or even pushes into my belly at all Kennedy is already pushing back. She's a feisty little girl, and I am praying she continues down that road.

One of our cardiologists at Mott's contacted me last week, just checking in to see how we were doing and to inform us of our tentative plans for the rest of the pregnancy. They had spoken with the surgeon who has accepted to do Kennedy's surgeries, and from the research Blaine and I have done on him, we are very happy with him. We will meet with him at our next visit, March 18, and go over more specific details once Kennedy arrives. Our tentative date for delivery will be planned for the morning of Monday, April 20 (38 weeks, 3 days). Just one day after the gestation I was induced with and had Carsyn! Kennedy will be delivered via c-section, and immediately undergo full surgical atrial septectomy right in the operating room. This first surgery would be the first step of the hybrid Norwood procedure. There will be two more steps to the hybrid Norwood procedure, and those would likely be done another day after she has had time to recover from delivery and the first procedure. We honestly don't know much about the hybrid Norwood, and we aren't sure how all of the different steps are involved in that first week of life. With everything else we have been able to research, but with her delivery and first procedure, we are waiting to speak with the doctors and surgeons for a much better and more clear explanation of all the steps. I do have a general idea of how the hybrid works, I just know I don't know it well enough.

Although, we are back to wait, again, we are very confident in our doctors and surgeons and are looking forward to meeting and speaking with all of them in a couple weeks.