We had some great news yesterday at the St. Louis Fetal Care Institute - Charlie weighed in at 5lbs 5oz which officially makes him a candidate for the first surgery (Norwood)! And his echo (heart ultrasound) showed that he continues to have good blood flow in utero and is currently showing no signs of heart failure or fetal distress. We still have lots of hoops to jump through between now and his arrival including weekly biophysical profiles and non-stress tests, not to mention a safe delivery.
Assuming we make it to 39 weeks without complications, I'll be induced then. The average time between delivery and the Norwood procedure is about 5 days. Mortality rate for the Norwood is around 15% which is pretty remarkable considering the surgery is only about 25 years old. But one of the key factors predicting success is weighing over 5lbs....so we can check that off the list! The next goal is to get to 37 weeks which is when most doctors agree that fetal lungs are developed enough to function on their own. Since Charlie will spend 6-7 hours on a heart/lung bypass machine during that first surgery, we want to make sure the lungs are functioning as well as can be when the machine is turned off and the responsibility falls back on his little body.
Thank you all for your prayers, well wishes and financial support as we continue on this long journey of raising a heart baby!
Charlie's Birth Heart
Charlie's Heart after the Norwood Procedure
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