Just when we thought we knew where we were heading…
We learned today that Julie will need surgery again. It is major surgery but relatively common among preemies.
Her condition is called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) which is a failure of the body to close a blood vessel used by the baby before birth. This blood vessel usually closes on its own after birth, but preemies sometimes need surgery. I happened to stumble on an article about this on the internet while researching other preemie problems a couple weeks ago, so I knew right away what it was.
We’re confident that Julie will do fine and that this will fix a major problem, but we can’t help but be concerned and frustrated. After the pediatrician first broke the news to Sarah, he gave her a chance to compose herself. She was holding Julie at the time. When he came back into the room, Sarah looked up and said, “You’re making the tears flow!” And he replied, “My day isn’t complete if I haven’t made five women cry.” After that they both were able to relax and he answered Sarah’s questions.
We are to be at the hospital by 11 am tomorrow (April 6th) for the new round of festivities. In the mean time, we’re heading to the hospital tonight to spend some time with Julie. Supposedly, I’ll be able to hold her this time. We won’t be able to hold her for a few days after the surgery.
I’ll try to get an update sent out tomorrow.
Andy and Sarah Horn
PS. Baby Michael Allen was born yesterday without incident. He is on a CPAP machine, but his mom says he looks good and she doesn’t expect any brain damage. Please continue to pray for Michael, his mom and his entire family!
Holding Julie involves quite a bit of preparation. First, Julie’s skin can’t handle rough fabrics, so Sarah and I have to wear something that buttons up the front (or take off our top) when we hold her. Second, the receiving parent sits on a recliner located in Julie’s room. This sometimes means moving furniture around the room and pulling the curtains. Sometimes, we have to hunt for a recliner in another room. And, sometimes we have to rearrange all the furniture in the room. Third, we need help to move Julie from the baby box to the parent’s chest. We have to rerun monitoring wires, feeding and breathing tubes, plus any other else in the way. These wires get tangled frequently so moving Julie usually means disconnecting and reconnecting everything. It works best with one person moving Julie and another moving her cabling.
Despite all the work, the results are worth it. It’s the only human contact Julie has had since delivery.