Baby Makes

After much consternation over whether Cam’s Case of the Minor Heart Murmur was in fact referred back to Cardiology, we finally got an appointment for March 22 at 1:30pm. The instructions we got for Cam’s preparation for this appointment was worrisome: no breastfeeding after 9:30am so that Cam’s stomach would be empty for the sedation pill the hospital would administer at 1:30pm. The sedation was “necessary” in order to keep Cam stationary so that the doctors would have an easier time looking at his heart. I had many issues with this. As we were told that Cam’s heart murmur was mild and that often babies grow out of them, I was fearful that the cardiologist would jump straight into the invasive check-up without listening to see if Cam had grown out of the murmur yet. I was also very unenthusiastic about, first of all, starving my child, and secondly, pumping him full of chemicals to keep him in a state of unnatural sleep all in order to make things easier on the doctors. I called the nurse a day before the appointment to express these concerns and was assured that the sedation wouldn’t be given unless the murmur was still there and therefore would need further investigation. So, the morning of March 22nd I dutifully, though unhappily, stopped breastfeeding at 9:30am just in case we would have to sedate my boy. At 12:30pm Arras and I walked to the CHEO for a healthy dose of fresh air and exercise, my stomach in knots over what might be coming next. Cam of course fell asleep during the walk, and our nurse, who was aware of my feelings about the sedation checked in with the cardiologist about whether we could skip the drugs altogether. The decision was as long as Cam could stay settled, we could skip the chemicals. So we waited patiently in the exam room talking quietly so as not to stir Cam too much, but knowing if he got too hungry we could feed him and keep him settled. Finally we were escorted to the cardio exam room where, despite being in a strange location and despite being hungry, my good little boy lay on the exam bed happily looking around and accommodating the technician’s needs perfectly. The first exam involved taking an ultrasound of his heart and took about 10 minutes. Arras sang to Cam during the exam and this helped Cam stay quiet and still. After the ultrasound I fed Cameron and then the nurse came in to do an Electrocardiogram which involved sticking some electrodes on Cam’s chest, arms and legs and wiring him up to a machine. Again, Cam stayed perfectly still as though he knew exactly what to do and the test took barely three minutes. Not a peep out of Cam as the nurse pulled off the electrode stickers (ouch!) and we had a second feed. Cam was?Ǭ† perfect angel and I was so pleased the hospital was open to finding alternatives to the harsh chemicals and invasive methods. We feel very strongly about not pumping our baby full of nasty stuff (this includes the infamous innoculations which are full of things like mercury and formaldehyde, among other poisonous chemicals) and I encourage parents out there everywhere to speak up if you feel uncomfortable with something or if you have questions. It can only serve to better a situation. You are your baby’s strongest advocate.

The outcome of the exams is this: Cam’s heart murmur is gone, but they did find a tiny hole in the wall between the upper two chambers of his heart. This presents no concern as the hole may close up on its own, or continue to exist as Cam grows bigger, seeming smaller relative to the gradually increasing size of Cam’s heart. The size of the hole is 3mm, 1 mm bigger than a PFO (patent foreman ovale, which ranges in size from 0-2mm) and 1mm smaller than a septal defect (a hole ranging from 4mm and bigger). So the hole is neither a PFO nor an SD, and will be re-examined when Cam is three years old.

The nicest part of this exam was that the ultrasound technician knew Cam from his days in the NICU. She had done his first Echo and was pleased to see him again and to see how big and healthy he is. It’s comforting to meet people in the hospital who remember Cam; we feel well-taken care of?Ǭ† and that the staff has a vested interest in our family rather than the typical anonymity we encountered in Toronto during our first few prenatal appointments.

Later, an update on what else has been going on and an introduction to Cam’s first thunder storm!

This entry was posted on Monday, March 26th, 2007 at 10:57 am and is filed under Baby. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.