Wyatt James: …Welcome to the World, Little Guy...

On Tuesday, December 8th, Wyatt and I were scheduled for an echocardiogram to keep an eye on his heart and to help prepare us for his arrival. Prior to this appointment, Wyatt had been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart defect. Because of this, he would need to be born with an entire team tracking him, including the NICU team. After that appointment, I had another appointment with fetal monitoring to keep an eye on my contractions and Wyatt's heart rate, as those were important pieces following the previous suspicion of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). IUGR is when babies in utero are struggling to grow or are growing at a slower rate than expected.

That afternoon, the cardiologist expressed some concerns about some minor changes in Wyatt's heart. He was concerned about his right ventricle and he was unable to confirm the TOF diagnosis, but explained that it is incredibly difficult to get a good image of a baby at 35 weeks as they are wiggly little things and their bones have calcified, making ultrasound difficult. He spoke with my high risk OB about his concerns. At that point, the OB and cardiologist determined that given the IUGR, my high blood pressure, and the right ventricle change, it would be best to allow Wyatt the opportunity to grow on the outside, as his growth in the womb was challenged.

I was set to be induced that evening. After a whirlwind of phone calls, conversations with doctors, and a quick last supper, I was sent to Labor & Delivery. Brian ran home to take care of the dogs and to grab a few last minute items that we did not have with us (oops! We were warned to have our hospital bags packed…) while I was registered and admitted.

After a bit, the induction process began. It involved a lot of medical terms and procedures that I won't detail here… just know that it was painful and uncomfortable. A few hours later, I was checked and there was little to no progress. This continued for some time, through the night hours, and into the morning. It was a lot of hurry up and wait. Wyatt was doing okay on the monitors, but wasn't really loving the induction and I was placed on one side, with an oxygen mask to keep his levels even.

Mid morning, my OB came in to check to see how things were progressing and was unhappy with the progress. It was decided then that they would break my water to see if that would help Wyatt to progress a little more. Because his heart rate was a little uneven throughout the process, the team decided this procedure should take place in the OR in case an emergency were to arise. If he tolerated it well, I would be moved back to labor and delivery and would attempt to deliver him vaginally. If he didn't do so well, a c-section would be required. Brian suited up and waited with my mom (playing SORRY! in my room…) while I was taken to the OR.

My body wasn't really responsive to them breaking my water and the decision was made to take Wyatt via c-section.

At 1:23 pm on 12/9/15, Wyatt James Kane was welcomed into this world! He was 4 pounds, 4 ounces & 17 inches long. Wyatt shares a birthday with his great uncle Dave.