So many people have asked me to write what is going on with AJ since his last heart surgery in Michigan. I finally was able to take the time to do so. I also figured that this would be a good opportunity to look back on the last year since AJ just celebrated his birthday!
I can't believe it has already been a year. A crazy year to say the least. I still remember June 20, 2010 like it was yesterday. Literally. Tom and I were at the Baum lake house for the weekend. I laid out in the lake the entire day before so I had a nice tan with a minor sunburn. That morning Kim asked Tom and I if we wanted to go out on the boat and watch them ski. We declined the invitation to get a few more minutes of sleep, so we thought. I had some back pain but I just figured it was from sleeping on a bunk bed and not my pillow-top mattress. Haha was I wrong. I started to get cramping in my abdominals. This may be too much information, but I thought I had some gas and was constipated. Wrong again. I went to the bathroom. It all came rushing down. Amniotic fluid. Everywhere. I knew I was not peeing my pants. I yelled for Tom. He came in and looked scared. I told him to get Aunt Lynn. She came to the bathroom. I showed her the fluid and then my mucous plug broke. I'm pretty sure she said "that's not good." Soon after, I began to freak out. Tom called the OB-GYN who was on call. Grandma Baum and Aunt Lori gave me some towels to help absorb the fluid. I ate a chocolate donut while waiting for the doctor to call back. Since we were almost 2 hours away from the hospital, he advised that we leave as soon as possible. We packed our bags, Aunt Lynn gave Tom some coffee and me some more donut holes, and we were on our way to Carmel.
It was the longest car ride of my life. I was crying the entire time. Tom kept telling me to wipe my face but the tears would not stop. I knew it was too early. I saw babies in the NICU before and I did not want my baby to be a "NICU baby." Tom called the moms and they both were on their way to the hospital. I, being obsessed with work, texted my supervisor so she would know I was not going to be at work the next day. Tom kept track of my contractions. They were getting strong very quickly. Looking back, I wish we would have stopped at McDonald's for some food. I was pretty hungry but was too worried to think about eating until we got to the hospital.
We walked in the hospital and went to the maternity ward. We went straight to triage. When the nurse saw my amniotic fluid leaking through a hand towel AND my shorts, she said we could just skip triage and go to a room because this baby was coming. We got into my room. They hooked me up to everything and told me to relax. An echo was completed. Dr. Dupler said AJ was in the right position and looked well. He said to plan for a long labor. He guessed that AJ would not come until the next day. Was he wrong!
I was eating my ice chips, trying to take a nap, and trying to get through the contractions as best as I could. Tom was letting everyone know what was going on. The moms finally arrived. They took turns at my bedside. My contractions were getting to the point of complete pain. I was having a lot of back pain and could not get comfortable. Everyone was rubbing my back but nothing helped. My nurse, Amy, came in. I told her that I think I needed some pain medication soon. She said she would get them. I began crying again, almost hysterically. It felt as though I was being stabbed in the back. Amy said that is not a good sign. She looked at AJ's and my monitors. The next thing I know, there are about 15 people running into my room. I can barely breathe at this point. Amy put some oxygen on me. The nurses were talking about AJ's heart rate dropping rapidly. Then they called the on-call hospital OB-GYN over the speaker system. He comes running into my room. I remember him because his glasses looked like coke bottles. He looks at the monitors and says that I need to have an emergency cesarean section. Amy tells Tom that he cannot come with me because there's not enough time for him to scrub in. I can only imagine how he felt at that time.
The OR was very bright but it was hard to see because of the tears in my eyes. The anesthesiologist asked my weight and asked the doctor if there was time for an epidural. He said there was no time. Next thing I know, I'm in recovery. I still wasn't able to grasp what had happen and what the future was going to be. The nurses said they would take me passed AJ in the NICU on the way to my room. I was so drugged up, I barely remember seeing him. I couldn't even touch his hand. My worst nightmare had become my reality.
After 30 long, emotional, and stressful days in the NICU, AJ was finally able to come home with us. It was not what we anticipated at all. Every day was a challenge to get AJ to eat. We had doctor appointments every week. Eventually, AJ stopped eating and continued turning more blue. He had his first heart surgery on August 31, 2010. His second heart surgery was September 13, 2010. We finally left the hospital on October 5, 2010. AJ came home with a NG tube in his nose and was fed only from that. On December 13, 2010, AJ had surgery to place a Mic-key button via G-tube in his stomach. December 31, 2010, AJ's G-tube was clogged by his medications. He had to get a new button inserted. January 3, 2011, AJ had a heart catheterization. February 4, 2010, AJ had another open heart surgery at the University of Michigan. I would define that as a crazy year.
AJ is almost 13 months old now. He still has the G-tube and will for awhile. He eats more food orally but we are still cautious because he still has aspiration issues. He is crawling all over the place. He cruises on the furniture and will hopefully be taking his first steps in the next few months. Thankfully, we have some of the most amazing and dedicated therapists, which have helped AJ reach the majority of his developmental milestones. Everyone says that if they didn't see AJ's scar on his chest, they would have no idea that such a happy baby could have experienced what he has. He truly is our miracle baby. We've made it this far, so we can make it through anything. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, supported us, and helped us in any way. We could not have done it without all of you! Love and peace always :)
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