A Hole in the Heart Doesn't Mean Less Love!
It's a very special week - but not in the way you might think
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Did you know that February 7-14 is Congenital Heart Awareness Week? Neither did we - until a few days ago!
A congenital heart defect, or CHD, is present from birth and can affect the heart’s structure and functionality. It’s the most common kind of heart defect, found in 1% of infants. And our Mr. Noah is one of them!
Noah was born with TWO holes in his heart: an ASD (atrial septal defect - a hole between the two upper chambers) and a VSD (ventricular septal defect - a hole between the two lower chambers).
His VSD is so small that it’s inconsequential and will likely either close on its own, or have no effect on his heart’s functionality throughout his life.
His ASD, however, is large enough to require surgery. In actuality, it would take decades to see any negative effects from it, but his cardiologists recommend surgery young because children can bounce back from open heart surgery much more quickly than adults.
The good news is that in his most recent cardiology appointment last week, everything appeared to be progressing just fine!
The right chamber of his heart is slightly larger than the left, but that’s to be expected with the way the hole affects the flow of blood. Once he has surgery, both chambers will continue to grow at a normal rate and the left chamber will catch up to the right.
Now that he’s one, the doctors say that he can undergo surgery at any time between now and 4-5 years of age. So now, we just have to decide when to have it done. Although the surgery is fairly routine, it’s still a scary thought and will take a lot of prayer and discussion for us.
In addition to this, Noah is doing great! We’ve had a good start to the year. He’s laughing and smiling and giggling and experimenting with all kinds of new sounds, volumes, and faces.
He loves spending time with his nanny, Liv, who has been a Godsend to our family, especially in the doldrums of winter when there are only so many ways to entertain a toddler indoors (or even outdoors, when it’s warm enough!)
It feels like all of his teeth are coming in at once - he now has four!
He’s working hard in physical therapy, getting closer to crawling every day. In the last few days, he’s started pushing himself up from his stomach into a sitting position without any help at all.
And he’s eating well and loves meal times. This morning, as is our Valentine’s Day tradition, we enjoyed breakfast out as a family. It was our second or third time with Noah at a restaurant, and he loved it! The servers loved his smiles and waving, too.
Spotlight on: Congenital Heart Defects
CHD is the most common kind of heart defect in infants. While surgery is often needed, it’s sometimes not - estimates say that around 2 million people live with CHD in the United States. There are many different types - the Mayo Clinic lists as many as 26!
Interestingly, CHD is actually very common in individuals with Down Syndrome. About half of all babies born with Trisomy 21 have some kind of heart condition.
There’s no good way to prevent CHD, and treatment can vary wildly, depending on the defect and its severity. Thankfully, advances in medicine and surgery have vastly improved the longevity and quality of life for children born with CHD. We are grateful Noah will be among them!
Prayers and Praises
Praises
That Noah’s heart is looking great and he’s old enough to have the surgery
That he’s pushing himself up into sitting on his own
All the relationships he’s building with his providers and caregivers
Prayers
Wisdom for us as we decide when to have Noah’s surgery
That his new Early Intervention sessions - Occupational Therapy and Special Instruction - can start soon
Between cold and flu season and cutting teeth, Noah has spent a lot of time congested, sick, and not sleeping well. Pray for healing and that he will start sleeping through the night soon!