Audrey has been going to routine pediatrician appointments just like any other baby and isn't expected to go back until her next round of vaccines at 4 months! She has been receiving the regular vaccines but has also been receiving an additional shot that she qualifies for due to her heart disease. The shot is called Synagis and contains an antibody that helps prevent her from getting RSV infections, which are more frequent this time of the year. She receives this shot every 28 days from October through April. She's not a fan of the shots as they sting quite a bit, but she does great at each appointment and we are happy to take this additional preventative measure to keep her as healthy as possible!
Although each baby develops on their own timeline, we are pleased to see that Audrey is developing on track for the most part (which is especially pleasing as sometimes Tet (Tetralogy of Fallot) patients can lag behind in development and milestones early on before they have their total repair surgery at 6 months). It is so incredibly rewarding to see her develop new behaviors and make discoveries each and every day! She had her first real laugh/giggle last weekend while we were playing with her outside on the grass! She is 'talking' like crazy now, and pretty much makes big gummy smiles at any funny face, noise or toy! We just can't get enough of her smiles and coos, and now we try for real laughs every chance we get.
Audrey has had three follow up appointments with her cardiologist so far and has another one next week. Our original cardiologist, who initially diagnosed Audrey, is back from maternity leave so we are very excited to be seeing her again (although all of the cardiologists we have met with since Audrey's diagnosis have been great). Audrey's shunt, which she had put in at 7 days old, is functioning as planned so far. The blood flow through her shunt is doing great, which should help Audrey get to 6 months before her next surgery. She will gradually outgrow her shunt, but it shouldn't cause any problems before her next surgery if all goes as planned. We are monitoring her blood oxygenation levels twice a day with a painless pulse ox probe. Her levels are where they need to be, however they are gradually declining due to her growth. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind one bit!
Audrey has been having physical therapy sessions once a week since she has come home from the NICU. In addition to some foot stretches that are necessary due to the way she was positioned in utero, we have been learning various stretches and exercises to help with her positional torticollis. She has a very mild case and just a very small flat spot on the back of her head, so we don't anticipate that she'll need a helmet since we have been working to correct this issue since she was just two weeks old. (Torticollis is basically a tightening of the neck muscle that connects the ear to the collarbone on one side, and as a result the opposite side of the neck is favored by the baby (and thus leads to flat spots on the head). It also causes the ribs, spine, and jaw to be pulled toward the side that is tight.) Luckily, Audrey is loosening up and her spine, jaw, head and ribs are all expected to go back in place. In fact, we can already see physical changes from when she was born. We are pleased to see that she is now looking to the left on her own, holding up her head very well, and pushing up really well during tummy time! She also draws her knees up under her and consequently "scoots" across her activity mat- too cute! It took a lot of work (both for us and her) to get to this point so it is very rewarding to see her get stronger on her less favored side and in general!
We had an amazing first Christmas with Audrey and her immediate family last month, but are sad she didn't get to spend it with her entire family as we are still keeping Audrey away from large gatherings to prevent her from getting any type of illness. We especially can't wait until she gets to meet her older cousin Grace. In fact, by the time Audrey is fully recovered from her 2nd surgery, it will be time to meet her younger boy cousin also who is due in May!
Audrey has had three follow up appointments with her cardiologist so far and has another one next week. Our original cardiologist, who initially diagnosed Audrey, is back from maternity leave so we are very excited to be seeing her again (although all of the cardiologists we have met with since Audrey's diagnosis have been great). Audrey's shunt, which she had put in at 7 days old, is functioning as planned so far. The blood flow through her shunt is doing great, which should help Audrey get to 6 months before her next surgery. She will gradually outgrow her shunt, but it shouldn't cause any problems before her next surgery if all goes as planned. We are monitoring her blood oxygenation levels twice a day with a painless pulse ox probe. Her levels are where they need to be, however they are gradually declining due to her growth. Luckily, she doesn't seem to mind one bit!
Audrey has been having physical therapy sessions once a week since she has come home from the NICU. In addition to some foot stretches that are necessary due to the way she was positioned in utero, we have been learning various stretches and exercises to help with her positional torticollis. She has a very mild case and just a very small flat spot on the back of her head, so we don't anticipate that she'll need a helmet since we have been working to correct this issue since she was just two weeks old. (Torticollis is basically a tightening of the neck muscle that connects the ear to the collarbone on one side, and as a result the opposite side of the neck is favored by the baby (and thus leads to flat spots on the head). It also causes the ribs, spine, and jaw to be pulled toward the side that is tight.) Luckily, Audrey is loosening up and her spine, jaw, head and ribs are all expected to go back in place. In fact, we can already see physical changes from when she was born. We are pleased to see that she is now looking to the left on her own, holding up her head very well, and pushing up really well during tummy time! She also draws her knees up under her and consequently "scoots" across her activity mat- too cute! It took a lot of work (both for us and her) to get to this point so it is very rewarding to see her get stronger on her less favored side and in general!
We had an amazing first Christmas with Audrey and her immediate family last month, but are sad she didn't get to spend it with her entire family as we are still keeping Audrey away from large gatherings to prevent her from getting any type of illness. We especially can't wait until she gets to meet her older cousin Grace. In fact, by the time Audrey is fully recovered from her 2nd surgery, it will be time to meet her younger boy cousin also who is due in May!
Christie started back to work last week and we are so blessed to have a loving and *clean* daycare lined up for her- Christie's parents' house! Traditional daycare wasn't really an option in order to keep her as healthy as possible, so this is the perfect solution for the time being.
Right now some of Audrey's favorite things are bath time, holding her head up, pushing up, sucking on all 5 fingers at once, watching her mobile and toys, being a night owl like her parents, giving big heart melting smiles, "talking", laughing and going outside! Our favorite thing is being around Audrey :)
Right now some of Audrey's favorite things are bath time, holding her head up, pushing up, sucking on all 5 fingers at once, watching her mobile and toys, being a night owl like her parents, giving big heart melting smiles, "talking", laughing and going outside! Our favorite thing is being around Audrey :)
Hopefully we'll have another positive update to share in another month or so. We are so thankful for everyone who has been checking in on her progress and praying for her continued good health. We can't even describe how excited we are just thinking about the day when we get to show her off to everyone after her next surgery! She is the most precious gift to us and she continues to amaze us each and every day. God sure is great!
We often find her in this 'thinker' pose.
Audrey with her best friend Allie, whom she now smiles at :)
Christmas Eve
Christmas morning before unwrapping presents
Soothies calm her down too :)
We never have anywhere to go, but sometimes we just have to dress her up! Even if it's only for play time in the backyard!
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