Hi to everybody. We will be using this space to publish photos and news about our dear new baby, Gabriel (Gabe, or Biel in Spanish). If anybody wants to offer any comments please feel free to do so. Thanks!
So the story is this: after over 36 weeks of Laura's pregnancy going excellently, with our routine checkups with the gynecologist, we finally went to the last checkup before the cesarean, which had originally been planned for December 20.
When the doctor started checking the baby through the ultrasound, she noticed something that caught her eye, but she didn't want to comment on it. She just said that something looked different and that we should check it out with another doctor who would run more detailed tests.
That night we had a hard time sleeping, and next morning we made an appointment as soon as possible to see the new doctor. He explained that Gabriel's heart (that wasn't his official name yet) was larger than normal, but he wasn't sure why. He said that we should go see a cardio-pediatrician.
Thus started an oddyssey of anxiety and nonstop searching for answers and some kind of solution. This search only ended once Gabriel came out of his mother's tummy and started to cry, like a normal baby, indicating that his breathing process had started and was more or less healthy.
The problem is that Gabe has a small malformation in the heart. He's missing a valve in the artery going from the right ventricle to the lungs, which didn't get formed right for some reason. This valve stops the blood from going back into the heart, allowing it to become oxygenated. He also has an orifice between both ventricles, which is not uncommon for newborns, and which apparently becomes blocked soon after birth.
The first cardiologist (quite recommended, and with a luxurious office) we saw said that it would be necessary to have an emergency operation in order to place a valve in the artery. The valve would be bought in the US, and would probably be obtained from a dead pig, or person. There were also artificial valves for sale (teflon or steel) but those presented more problems.
The valves, needless to say, are quite expensive, and so would be the surgery, which would also entail a significant risk because Gabe would be a newborn. The valve would also need to be changed (more operations...) every one or two years. Sounded terrible.
Fortunately, thanks to the recommendation of several friends and family members, we found another cardiologist (Dr. Gomez) who provided a more optimistic and feasible solution. He suggested to use a part of Gabe's pericardium as a makeshift valve - less expensive, and probably no further operations would be necessary. Also, and best of all, it would probably be possible to perform the procedure one or several months after birth, reducing the risk considerably.
We decided to stick with Dr. Gomez (that's his name).
The cesarean was on the 16 of December (Tuesday) at 9:00 am. It originally was going to be in a different hospital, but the date and hospital were changed in case the heart surgery had to be done right away.
That day we got up at 6:00 in the morning and got to the hospital at 8:00; a little after 9:00 Laura was in her operating clothes and was taken into the operating room, and I followed a few minutes later so that I could give her some support and maybe take some pictures with her cell phone.
Not much after that (about half an hour) they started to get the baby out. I was able to peek and see his little head starting to come out, and then saw how he was pulled out completely. He started to cry almost immediately, which appeased both doctors and parents because we knew at that moment that he wouldn't have to have the heart implant right away.
Laura was alternating between tears and laughter (she was pretty high on whatever they gave her) but it was a very touching moment for her and for me. I almost staterd to cry myself, but instead I called my mother and told her that Gabe was now officially born!
I left the operating room to follow the pediatrician into the intensive cre unit, where Gabrielito would spend the next few days.
Yesterday we spoke to the pediatrician in charge of the intensive therapy unit at the hospital. He said that on Wednesday we will begin to try feeding him breastmilk through the feeding tube. Hopefully he will be able to assimilate it, so that he may acquire more antibodies and become stronger. If it works out maybe he will be coming home by next weekend!
Gabe has been getting fed breastmilk through the tube for a few days now, and started sucking it from a bottle yesterday. But this seems to have tired him, because his heart is working too hard, and he lost 15 grams today. His blood was also getting less oxygen, which of course could be dangerous.
The pediatrician and the cardiologist agreed that it will be best to continue to feed through the tube, and hopefully we can bring him home on Wednesday or Thursday. We will need to control the room's temperature, and we will also have a heart monitoring machine in case there is some problem. Hopefully before then Laura and I will have gotten rid of our colds (especially me) so that he can be welcomed into a healthier space. Otherwise he will need to stay in the hospital longer.
Sometimes it's difficult to go on. I ask myself, "Why did this have to happen to our baby? Why did this have to happen to us?" But I know that, being realistic, we are not the first couple who had this happen to them, and life always has many good and bad surprises for all of us. It's no use trying to figure it out, I guess. You normally don't think of the bad things that could happen to you, you think (or fantasize) about the good things. We can actually only do what's within our reach; we have very little control over our lives.
When I was in bed these last couple of days with a cold, I felt guilty from not going to the hospital with Laura to visit Gabe. But I realize that it's also important to be well ourselves. That it's no use trying to give more than we can give, in any sense, because for Gabriel to be well we have to be well also.
Hi everyone, just a quick note to give you the happy news - Gabe is at home with us now, we got here a couple of hours ago! Thanks and hugs to you all!
OK, so here we are, practically under house arrest because taking care of Gabe takes up almost every second of the day (no exaggeration :D I remember "Horton hatches the egg", by Dr. Seuss.
The day goes on more or less thus:
5:45 AM - I get up to go to the kitchen to prepare the baby´s formula, or thaw out Laura's milk (if available). Laura extracts as much milk as she can (not always abundant) while I feed Gabe through the feeding tube. Everything has to be perfectly sterilized, of course. Laura finishes extracting her milk (about 45 min. later), hands it over, and I go down to store it in the freezer. Then I wash and sterilize everything in order to be ready for the next feed (3 hrs. later). 8:00 AM - We give Gabe his medicine through the tube. I get myself a cup of coffee to wake my brain up. 8:45 AM - Extract, feed, medicate, sterilize, change diaper, change clothes. 11:45 AM - Bathe, dress, change feeding tube, extract, feed, sterilize, store milk, change diaper, put clother in washing machine, try to calm Gabe because his formula has lactose and he is intolerant (doctors undecided). Go to pharmacy to get baby formula without lactose, as well as medicine to calm upset intestines...
etc. etc. etc.
Fortunately we have already learned a thing or two about caring for newborns.
My God, what a schedule! Of course the little guy is worth it. I know how exhausted you two must be and my heart goes out to you. I would so gladly take a duty shift if I could. Christopher was fed every two hours around the clock and since he could not suck (premie) it was more or less poured into him. I know Gabe is getting stronger and feels the love you have for him. His great aunt Martha loves him too...and you as well!!
These last few days have been full of ups and downs. Yesterday Gabe was very calm, sleeping most of the time. But the day before was awful, he wouldn't stop crying because the feeding tube was bothering him so much. We sometimes have tried to take out the tube and feed him with an eye dropper or syringe, which is much more comfortable, but then he falls asleep before he's finished. Since he needs to gain weight as fast as possible in order to have the surgery, it doesn't seem that feeding like this is going to work. I suggested adding a bit of coffee into the baby formula, but Laura didn't think this was such a good idea. :)
The night before last we started giving him a homeopathic treatment supposed to fortify his liver tissue in order to improve his digestion and his general well-being. We don't know if this is what has improved the situation, but he has definitely improved greatly.
On Jan. 29th we held an art auction to raise money for Gabe´s operation. The event was a complete success, attended to by artists, collectors and collaborators, who all contributed to a wonderful evening that ended until about one in the morning.
It was all possible thanks to the generous work of Ana Luisa Ramirez, my cousin, who took over the organization of the auction from the start. Thanks also to the artists and collectors who donated works, and to friends and family who made everything possible. The list of people involved is a bit long to be shown here - but we are truly thankful to everyone for their generosity and their involvement.
Today we had two nurses come and install a pump in order to provide Gabe with a slow, constant feed during the entire day. We did this after the advice of doctors who say that this is the easiest and most effective way to ensure that he gains as much weight as possible for the operation. The machine is quite simple, it just pumps the liquid through the tube at a set quantity per hour, in this case 20 ml. We just need to add more milk (or formula) every six hours.
Last night was one of the worst we've had. Gabe was crying and crying, and we guess it was just because babies sometimes do that - we couldn't figure it out, but we just had to keep getting up every half hour to console him. I hope we don't have to go through that too often.
Hi to everybody. We will be using this space to publish photos and news about our dear new baby, Gabriel (Gabe, or Biel in Spanish). If anybody wants to offer any comments please feel free to do so. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteSo the story is this: after over 36 weeks of Laura's pregnancy going excellently, with our routine checkups with the gynecologist, we finally went to the last checkup before the cesarean, which had originally been planned for December 20.
ReplyDeleteWhen the doctor started checking the baby through the ultrasound, she noticed something that caught her eye, but she didn't want to comment on it. She just said that something looked different and that we should check it out with another doctor who would run more detailed tests.
That night we had a hard time sleeping, and next morning we made an appointment as soon as possible to see the new doctor. He explained that Gabriel's heart (that wasn't his official name yet) was larger than normal, but he wasn't sure why. He said that we should go see a cardio-pediatrician.
Thus started an oddyssey of anxiety and nonstop searching for answers and some kind of solution. This search only ended once Gabriel came out of his mother's tummy and started to cry, like a normal baby, indicating that his breathing process had started and was more or less healthy.
The problem is that Gabe has a small malformation in the heart. He's missing a valve in the artery going from the right ventricle to the lungs, which didn't get formed right for some reason. This valve stops the blood from going back into the heart, allowing it to become oxygenated. He also has an orifice between both ventricles, which is not uncommon for newborns, and which apparently becomes blocked soon after birth.
ReplyDeleteThe first cardiologist (quite recommended, and with a luxurious office) we saw said that it would be necessary to have an emergency operation in order to place a valve in the artery. The valve would be bought in the US, and would probably be obtained from a dead pig, or person. There were also artificial valves for sale (teflon or steel) but those presented more problems.
The valves, needless to say, are quite expensive, and so would be the surgery, which would also entail a significant risk because Gabe would be a newborn. The valve would also need to be changed (more operations...) every one or two years. Sounded terrible.
Fortunately, thanks to the recommendation of several friends and family members, we found another cardiologist (Dr. Gomez) who provided a more optimistic and feasible solution. He suggested to use a part of Gabe's pericardium as a makeshift valve - less expensive, and probably no further operations would be necessary. Also, and best of all, it would probably be possible to perform the procedure one or several months after birth, reducing the risk considerably.
We decided to stick with Dr. Gomez (that's his name).
The cesarean was on the 16 of December (Tuesday) at 9:00 am. It originally was going to be in a different hospital, but the date and hospital were changed in case the heart surgery had to be done right away.
ReplyDeleteThat day we got up at 6:00 in the morning and got to the hospital at 8:00; a little after 9:00 Laura was in her operating clothes and was taken into the operating room, and I followed a few minutes later so that I could give her some support and maybe take some pictures with her cell phone.
Not much after that (about half an hour) they started to get the baby out. I was able to peek and see his little head starting to come out, and then saw how he was pulled out completely. He started to cry almost immediately, which appeased both doctors and parents because we knew at that moment that he wouldn't have to have the heart implant right away.
Laura was alternating between tears and laughter (she was pretty high on whatever they gave her) but it was a very touching moment for her and for me. I almost staterd to cry myself, but instead I called my mother and told her that Gabe was now officially born!
I left the operating room to follow the pediatrician into the intensive cre unit, where Gabrielito would spend the next few days.
Yesterday we spoke to the pediatrician in charge of the intensive therapy unit at the hospital. He said that on Wednesday we will begin to try feeding him breastmilk through the feeding tube. Hopefully he will be able to assimilate it, so that he may acquire more antibodies and become stronger. If it works out maybe he will be coming home by next weekend!
ReplyDeleteGabe has been getting fed breastmilk through the tube for a few days now, and started sucking it from a bottle yesterday. But this seems to have tired him, because his heart is working too hard, and he lost 15 grams today. His blood was also getting less oxygen, which of course could be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteThe pediatrician and the cardiologist agreed that it will be best to continue to feed through the tube, and hopefully we can bring him home on Wednesday or Thursday. We will need to control the room's temperature, and we will also have a heart monitoring machine in case there is some problem. Hopefully before then Laura and I will have gotten rid of our colds (especially me) so that he can be welcomed into a healthier space. Otherwise he will need to stay in the hospital longer.
Sometimes it's difficult to go on. I ask myself, "Why did this have to happen to our baby? Why did this have to happen to us?" But I know that, being realistic, we are not the first couple who had this happen to them, and life always has many good and bad surprises for all of us. It's no use trying to figure it out, I guess. You normally don't think of the bad things that could happen to you, you think (or fantasize) about the good things. We can actually only do what's within our reach; we have very little control over our lives.
When I was in bed these last couple of days with a cold, I felt guilty from not going to the hospital with Laura to visit Gabe. But I realize that it's also important to be well ourselves. That it's no use trying to give more than we can give, in any sense, because for Gabriel to be well we have to be well also.
Sometimes it's hard to tell both things apart.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeletejust a quick note to give you the happy news - Gabe is at home with us now, we got here a couple of hours ago!
Thanks and hugs to you all!
OK, so here we are, practically under house arrest because taking care of Gabe takes up almost every second of the day (no exaggeration :D
ReplyDeleteI remember "Horton hatches the egg", by Dr. Seuss.
The day goes on more or less thus:
5:45 AM - I get up to go to the kitchen to prepare the baby´s formula, or thaw out Laura's milk (if available). Laura extracts as much milk as she can (not always abundant) while I feed Gabe through the feeding tube. Everything has to be perfectly sterilized, of course. Laura finishes extracting her milk (about 45 min. later), hands it over, and I go down to store it in the freezer. Then I wash and sterilize everything in order to be ready for the next feed (3 hrs. later).
8:00 AM - We give Gabe his medicine through the tube. I get myself a cup of coffee to wake my brain up.
8:45 AM - Extract, feed, medicate, sterilize, change diaper, change clothes.
11:45 AM - Bathe, dress, change feeding tube, extract, feed, sterilize, store milk, change diaper, put clother in washing machine, try to calm Gabe because his formula has lactose and he is intolerant (doctors undecided). Go to pharmacy to get baby formula without lactose, as well as medicine to calm upset intestines...
etc. etc. etc.
Fortunately we have already learned a thing or two about caring for newborns.
Imagine what single mothers have to go through!!
My God, what a schedule! Of course the little guy is worth it. I know how exhausted you two must be and my heart goes out to you. I would so gladly take a duty shift if I could. Christopher was fed every two hours around the clock and since he could not suck (premie) it was more or less poured into him. I know Gabe is getting stronger and feels the love you have for him. His great aunt Martha loves him too...and you as well!!
ReplyDeleteThese last few days have been full of ups and downs. Yesterday Gabe was very calm, sleeping most of the time. But the day before was awful, he wouldn't stop crying because the feeding tube was bothering him so much. We sometimes have tried to take out the tube and feed him with an eye dropper or syringe, which is much more comfortable, but then he falls asleep before he's finished. Since he needs to gain weight as fast as possible in order to have the surgery, it doesn't seem that feeding like this is going to work. I suggested adding a bit of coffee into the baby formula, but Laura didn't think this was such a good idea. :)
ReplyDeleteThe night before last we started giving him a homeopathic treatment supposed to fortify his liver tissue in order to improve his digestion and his general well-being. We don't know if this is what has improved the situation, but he has definitely improved greatly.
On Jan. 29th we held an art auction to raise money for Gabe´s operation. The event was a complete success, attended to by artists, collectors and collaborators, who all contributed to a wonderful evening that ended until about one in the morning.
ReplyDeleteIt was all possible thanks to the generous work of Ana Luisa Ramirez, my cousin, who took over the organization of the auction from the start. Thanks also to the artists and collectors who donated works, and to friends and family who made everything possible. The list of people involved is a bit long to be shown here - but we are truly thankful to everyone for their generosity and their involvement.
Today we had two nurses come and install a pump in order to provide Gabe with a slow, constant feed during the entire day. We did this after the advice of doctors who say that this is the easiest and most effective way to ensure that he gains as much weight as possible for the operation. The machine is quite simple, it just pumps the liquid through the tube at a set quantity per hour, in this case 20 ml. We just need to add more milk (or formula) every six hours.
ReplyDeleteLast night was one of the worst we've had. Gabe was crying and crying, and we guess it was just because babies sometimes do that - we couldn't figure it out, but we just had to keep getting up every half hour to console him. I hope we don't have to go through that too often.