After my heart surgery things became a little more of “high alert” status. Not just with me, but with my mom’s future pregnancies. Monitoring while she was pregnant with my brother and with my sister; it was a concern for the future children I would bear too, and if I could for that matter. If you have no idea you can catch up on the whole back story here.
A few years ago, I learned this news and we were a little more concerned on the heart surgery part, then we learned a little more of the concern of the birthing process which I will be telling you more about on Thursday. I talked about the concerns the OB thought I might have in this post.
Ever since I had A, I’ve been looking toward the next heart check up of mine. I’ve never had a concern, the gut feeling, that anything was wrong with A just like I mentioned before and the pediatrician at the hospital said she couldn’t even hear a murmur which is fantastic news since most babies are born with one that goes away. Our pediatrician hasn’t been able to hear one either. Such relief to hear them both say that, but their listening only goes so far to soothe a mama-with-a-very-rare-heart-condition’s heart. So, I’ve been waiting for this appointment, to hear my cardiologist say that he was confident in her heart being fine, allowing myself to dismiss the tiniest bit of worry that may still be clinging on.
That appointment was on last Thursday. We arrived at the appointment and went back to our room and waited for the doctor. Soon, the Physicians Assistant came in and told me she would be doing the appointment today because Dr. F was over at the hospital putting in a heart catheter but that she has been assisting him for the last 13 years and knew my case. We went over my EKG and nothing has changed, she listened to my heart and told me all is well, then I asked her to listen to A since Dr. F said he would when I came in at this appointment. Of course, she said she would be more than happy to.
There I put A up on the table where she laid like such a big girl and she let her listen to her heart. “She sounds great! I don’t hear any problems.”
Thankful, but disappointed I got ready to leave until she let me know that if I wanted to wait for Dr. F I could but that really I was free to go and to schedule my next appointment in 6 months. I decided I would wait just a bit for him to come back, if he wasn’t back in a reasonable amount of time I would leave but if by chance he would be back in a reasonable time I would feel best seeing him and waiting. Plus, I was spending the amount I was to see the cardiologist not his assistant, bratty I know, but still.
So, we waited a little bit longer and soon I hear another person in the office greet him and then the door opened. He went through the EKG and I asked if he wouldn’t mind just taking a listen to A. He, of course, said he absolutely would and so he did. A few moment later he, too, told me that she sounded great and that he has no concerns about her heart. He told me that I needed to schedule my next appointment for two years, or whenever I next get pregnant, whichever comes first.
Two Years.
Never has he told me to come back in two years, it’s always six months.
Great, great news.
He’ll continue to listen to A’s heart whenever my next appointment ends up being – two years or if we are blessed with another babe sooner – just as precaution but this mama and her sweet baby girl are blessed with two healthy hearts!