I was spending some time editing and updating the site today. I was reading over the diagnosis page and was glad to remove the following text:
One of the first hurdles will be directly after birth. The switch from her mother’s body doing all the work to Savannah’s own body doing the work will be the first test of survival. Because of this, delivery will be taking place at University of Cincinnati Hospital with Savannah’s cardiology team from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital available the minute she’s born.
Immediately after birth, the doctors can give her medications to help keep her blood pumping and essentially keep her heart working the way it is now in the womb. They will also put ports in her belly button in place of her umbilical cord to deliver antibiotics and other needed medications. Once she is stabilized in the NICU at University of Cincinnati Hospital, she’ll be moved by ambulance just up the street to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. This will happen just hours after delivery. There she’ll be placed in their Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. This will help them monitor her heart, evaluate the need for stints or shunts in her heart, and watch her oxygen levels and lung function.
As I look back to just last month, that was spot on with how it happened. There were over 20 people in that delivery room. Just after Savannah was born, there were close to 10 people (doctors, medical students, etc.) standing around Savannah. Savannah was only here a few minutes before we made the trip down the hall to NICU. I remember talking with Dr. Van Hook, Maternal Fetal Medicine Doctor, about how great the process went on our way to the NICU.
It was only another 20 or 30 minutes that the transport team from Cincinnati Children’s showed up in the NICU. It was something else seeing these folks walk into the room. They were wearing jump suits like race car drivers would wear. Then the transporter they put her in was quite intimidating.
All in all, it was amazing to see our little miracle quite literally begin her life. It was two weeks to the day that we were able to take Savannah home from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. We are still utilizing a home health nurse, weekly checks with her cardiologist, and a daily monitoring regiment. Even so, I’d much rather be home together as a family!