Wow we have made it all of our family, friends and prayer warriors. Look at where we were a year ago, many of you didn't even know us or know the trials that we would be facing this year and many of you had probably never heard of CDH and didn't know how grim the outcome really was supposed to be. Weston has shown the medical community that with God all things are possible and when you have millions of prayer warriors nothing can stop you.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone who was there a year ago in the morning waiting with our family in the waiting room while Weston was being born. For those who came up to the hospital to see us, those who prayed with us before Weston's hernia repair surgery. We love you all, and we praise God that we have you in our lives and especially Weston's.
I am so excited emotions are mounting. I can't believe the journey we have been on since last year and today marks the big day. I praise God every day that Weston has made it and has come so far.
Thinking back to that morning going in for the scheduled c-section not knowing what to expect, since I had never had major surgery before plus not knowing how Weston would be. I remember the frustration of my doctor because neonatology hadn't gotten down there at 7:30 and didn't make it down there until 8, he was so upset, he kept saying "do they not realize how sick this baby is." I remember them pulling Weston out and him making little noises but no cry and my doctor kept telling me "Jenny, you don't want to hear him, you don't want him to hurt his lungs." I don't think I'll ever forgot that. I remember getting a call at 5 the next morning telling us that they were putting Weston on ECMO and our worst fear. Seeing Weston for the first time with the ECMO cannulas in his neck it was so hard. His doctor performing his hernia repair surgery three days after he was born. Saved his life, they could not believe how much of his diaphragm wasn't there, he only had 10%. His left lung only a nub at 20%.
Being on ECMO for 10 days, there were a couple days there I was wondering if he would ever come off. They would turn the ECMO down to 0 and then his CO2 levels would climb back up and his stats would drop. But Weston did it, praise God. Placed on the oscillating ventilator for 20 days and then placed back on the conventiona
Working on eating, worrying about another surgery for his PDA since he was still shunting. Got his PDA ligation and it worked. Worrying about if his doctors will let him go home on a NG tube or if we have to do an G tube. I praise God every day that his surgeon didn't want to reopen him unless we begged him to do it.
Coming home after three months, going home on a NG tube but hey I could handle that my baby was coming home. He caught pneumonia after being home only a month, so he had to go back on oxygen. So blessed with his pediatricia
He has over come so many hurdles and we are having a huge birthday celebration.
God bless you all and thank you for sharing in our journey this first year, I know many more are to come and I pray that they might be more uneventful than this year has been for our family.
The majority of CDHs occur on the left side. The hole allows the contents of the abdomen (stomach, intestine, liver, spleen, and kidneys) to go up into the fetal chest. The herniation of these abdominal organs into the chest occupies that space and prevents the lungs from growing to normal size. The growth of both lungs can be affected. This is called pulmonary hypoplasia. 
Happy Birthday Weston! You are truly an inspiration to others and are a Warrior!
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