A Great Big WOO HOO!

In Brennan's first few days of life, an EKG and echocardiogram were performed as part of the protocol for babies with Down syndrome. I remember the doctors telling us that they saw a couple of defects, but nothing that needed immediate attention. They said these defects may correct on their own, but should be watched over time. So, when he was about 2 months old, we went for a follow-up EKG and echocardiogram and found that the two defects were still present. I admit to being a bad mom and not taking notes or even remembering the terminology or details of the nice little picture the cardiologist drew of Brennan's heart to explain the defects. I heard the words "nothing to worry about right now - come back when he's a year old" and that was it.

So, yesterday was the one year follow-up appointment. This appointment has been in the back (and sometimes the front) of my mind for the past 10 months. I often wondered if these defects were getting worse instead of better. I wondered if he would end up needing surgery. I wondered if these heart issues were contributing to his slow weight gain.

With a healthy dose of anxiety, we arrive at Boston Children's Hospital for an EKG and sedated echocardiogram. The doctor came in and explained (again - since I hadn't paid attention the first time) what defects were initially detected....a VSD and a PDA. She then took a good long listen to Brennan's heart, looked at me with a bit of surprise and said that she didn't hear ANY murmurs (or whatever else she was listening for). From this, she concluded that the echocardiogram would probably not be necessary. She called in the chief of pediatric cardiology who also had a good long listen to Brennan's heart and said "It sounds PERFECT." Could more beautiful words have ever been spoken??? It was the best news possible. Brennan was pretty happy with the news, too and smiled at every doctor, nurse and assistant that came into his room. What a perfect day!