Christopher Patrick was born on February 16, 2006. He was welcomed into our family as a healthy baby boy, weighing 5 1/2 pounds and measuring 19 1/2 inches in length. That evening, during a routine check, a nurse heard what sounded like a heart murmur. As a precaution, our pediatrician asked that a pediatric cardiologist listen to Christopher to determine if the sound was anything serious. We were informed that many babies are born with these...
Family Testimonials
During my pregnancy, I went for a routine 19-week check-up and had an ultrasound performed to determine the baby’s sex. I was sent immediately to my OB, and he explained that there was a problem with the baby’s heart. He made a call and got me into the Maternal Fetal Medicine that afternoon. After doing another ultrasound they diagnosed my unborn son, Dylan, with AV Canal Defect, two septal defects and a 30-40% chance of having Downs Syndrome. What a shock in one day! So confused, I went to the...
Our sweet Emma Kate was born on November 13, 2007. She was born into a room filled with many doctors and nurses, and lots of love, of course. We knew early on that we were going to be parents to a very unique and special child.
At my 20 week ultrasound, we were very excited to learn that we were having a baby girl. We also learned that day, that our baby had Kidney Pyelectasis, or an enlargement of part of the kidney. Two weeks later, I was sent to Maternal Fetal...
Our daughter, Greta was born on May 3, 2002 weighing 6 lbs, 7oz. I had a very normal pregnancy and birth. Everything seemed fine, and we were so happy to take her home to meet her big sister, Macy. Just one month prior to Greta's birth, my sister's 5 month old son died of spina bifida. It was such an awful time for her and our family. We were all so relieved that Greta was born healthy. She was a wonderful baby. She was alert, happy and thriving. She went for her routine check...
After a perfect pregnancy, two perfect ultrasounds, and a perfect delivery, Hannah was born on July 12, 2006 in Baton Rouge. After five months of being a happy, perfectly healthy baby girl, we noticed that her appetite suddenly decreased dramatically. We could not get her to eat. I immediately took her to the pediatrician to find out what was wrong on December 15, 2006. That was the date that our lives were changed forever. Expecting to find out that she had her first ear infection, I was shocked to learn that her heart was racing at 212 beats per minute. Dr. Wood thought that she probably...
We went for our 20 week ultrasound in December 2004. The position of the baby made it difficult to view all four quadrants of the heart, so we rescheduled for January 2005. Since I have a history of Coarctation of the Aorta (COA), our visit would be with a pediatric cardiologist … just in case. January 10th is a day we will never forget. The pediatric cardiologist diagnosed and explained the condition Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS). We were devastated.
We began researching the disease, treatment options, facilities, and more. We...
Harrison was born on Wednesday, July 27, 2005, in Baton Rouge, LA, as what we thought to be a perfectly healthy child. On Friday, we were set to go home. The doctor had to release Harrison first. While examining him, she noticed that his fingernail beds were a bit cynotic(blue). She ordered a chest x-ray and checked his oxygen saturation, which should have been 100. Everything was fine, and she informed us that the room was very cold, and that was probably the...
Jayden was born September 20th 2004. At the time of his birth, we had no idea he had a heart condition. He was born blue and had difficulty breathing. Dr. Michael Brumund was able to diagnose Jayden with Transposition of the Great Arteries. In other words blue blood was going to his body and red blood was going to his lungs, his pulmonary artery and his Aorta were backwards. He was also born without a hole in his heart that would have allowed his blood to mix. The situation...
Imagine being 25 weeks pregnant and hearing the words, "Your baby boy has a rare congenital heart defect and will die soon after birth." Those are the words my husband and I heard after going in for a routine sonogram, having had till then a healthy pregnancy. The date was July 28, 2003. As we tried to absorb the words we had just heard, we tearfully looked at each other and we both went numb. The doctor continued to talk, no doubt, but we didn’t really hear much beyond, "We're setting up an appointment with some specialists..."
Over the next 6 weeks, we met with 4...
At twenty three weeks pregnant, my wife and I were told that our baby had a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a complex cardiac defect that occurs in approximately two out of every 10,000 babies. My wife and I immediately felt terrified, confused and alone.
The expertise of both Woman’s Hospital and The Pediatric Cardiology Associates was our guiding force. Because of the early diagnosis, my wife and I were able to prepare for both his...
