The past 4 days have been a rollercoaster and I am not exactly sure where to start so I will start from the beginning. On Monday morning we went in to the hospital to get started at 7am. By 8am they had the drip of pitosin in and Tianna was well on her way to having a baby. By 10:30 we were getting close and the doctor was called and at 11:14 Benson came into the world. Doctor Leavitt was super cool and let me dress up and deliver the baby. I have to be honest was really nervous during the moment but it was a really cool experience. Benson was healthy and passed all of the regular tests that they do to the newborns............. except one. They heard a heart murmur but were not alarmed because all newborns have heart mumurs; however, Benson’s was a little louder than most. On Tuesday morning at 10:30 the doctors decided to do an echogram on his heart, it just happened that that same day the regional director of infant cardiology from Primary Childrens hospital was visiting the Idaho Falls hospital (this happens one day every month) and read the echogram, she immediately ordered a lifeflight to Primary Childrens and the madness of the past 3 days began.
The diagnosis was a coarctation of the aortic arch and a bicuspid valve. They immediately started him on a medication to keep a temporary artery open that all infants are born with that was helping with his blood circulation. They needed to get him to Primary Childrens to get the help he needed. Benson and I headed to the airport and Pat (Tianna's mom) Tianna and Joshua headed home to quickly pack some bags and head to Salt Lake. We went from planning to take our new son home in a couple of hours to wondering if he was going to live, the highest of highs to the lowest of lows.
The flight was quick and we were at primary childrens before we knew it. The medical staff went right to work getting a better diagnosis and prognosis. They confirmed what the staff in Idaho had found. He has a bicuspid valve, which the tests show is not an issue and he will be fine with the valve the way that it is. The other thing that they did confirm is the coarctation of the aortic arch, which in simple words is a narrowing of the artery that constricts blood flow to the lower half of his body. They have him on medication to keep him stable but the medication makes him feel like he has flu and it is hard to see him in pain. They keep him drugged up most of the time so he is usually pretty comfortable which is good. In order to fix the problem they are going to have to go in and cut out the narrow part and sew the 2 ends back together. The good news is that the success rate of the surgery is 95%+ but there is a 25% chance that the scar tissue from the healing will cause problems in the future. He will be able to have a completely normal life, play sports, run and have no physical restrictions but he will have to have regular echo grams to track the spot of the repair and make sure that the scar tissue is not becoming a problem.
The Surgery
Since Benson is stable on the medication the doctors have him scheduled for open-heart surgery next week. There was a cancelation for tomorrow and they were going to take Benson in but an emergency case came in and took the spot so we are still planning on next week some time. We will know about 24 hrs in advance of the surgery. The surgery will take 2-3 hrs and will leave him with a small scar beneath his armpit and a heart that will function the rest of his life. Our emotions are on the surface to say the least and we are really concerned and nervous to have our son have heart surgery but the staff here is amazing and helped us understand his condition, the procedure and the possible outcomes, which has helped us to deal with the situation better. Knowledge is power in this case and we know so much more than we did 48 hrs ago.
Things We have Learned
Last night Tianna and I had a chance to sit and talk before we went to bed and reflect on the blur of the past 3 days. We both feel like we have learned more about love, empathy, family, priesthood power and the love of God than we have ever learned in our lives. In no circumstance would we ever wish this situation on anyone but we are so grateful for the blessings that have come from it. Never in our lives have we felt such love and support from family and friends. We have always counted our family and friends as some of the most cherished blessings in our lives but these past couple of days have taught us how truly blessed we are. It has also taught us a love that we didn’t understand before. Thank you for the prayers, thought and support for our son. We have faith and hope that he will recover and everything will be ok. He is doing great right now and stable. We are preparing ourselves for the surgery next week and enjoying the time we get to spend with him.
This family blog will be where we (Tianna) will update and show pictures of Benson’s progress and status. If anyone has questions about his condition or progress you can leave a comment and Tianna will answer it in the next blogpost.
Pictures From The Past 4 Days
Getting Ready to Catch Benson
Benson w/ Tianna Right After Birth
Benson in IF Hospital (before problems)
Grandma Anderson, Joshua, Benson and Tianna in IF hospital
Just the Boys
Benson's First Day in the NICU at Primary Children's
Day 2 First Time Holding Benson in the NICU
Day 3 Catching Some z's
17 comments:
You guys and sweet little benson are in my thoughts and prayers! Hope your hangin in ok..let me know if u need anything!!
Oh poor little Benson. He is so sweet and very very cute! Congrats and good luck, you are all in our prayers. we will be thinking of you and hope you can make it through, you are strong and I am sure you will. you have lots of family and friends and lots and lots of thoughts and prayers that everything will work out. keep your head up and think positive. I cant imagine going through that. good luck :)
Beau you did a great job writing your 2nd blog entry. Tianna will have to make you write more. :) Benson is so beautiful and so lucky to have you guys as his loving parents. We are glad you are in the best care. You are all in our thoughts and prayers constantly and hope you continue to feel how much you are all loved. We love you guys!!! Michon & Matt
Beau and t this made me cry! Because I know exactly how it is to not come home with your baby! If you don't have anywhere to stay we live on the border of salt lake. It took like 40 min for us to get there if you would like too.the staff at primarys are excellant! When I was home I called every 2 hours! Hope things get better- thinking of you
You've got a beautiful baby, we wish you nothing but the best outcome possible. You're in our thoughts and prayers.
Oh my goodness! You all are in our prayers! I'm pretty sure my aunt used to work at primary children's, I was going to have her check up on you because she works in the NICU, but she works somewhere else now. But you are in good hands! If there is anything we can do for you, please let us know! He's such a cutie!
You guys are in our prayers. Primary Childrens is one of the BEST hospitals in the country. Good luck with everything.
You are all in our thought and prayers. We will be thinking of you this next week, and hope all goes well.
-nikki davis {jeppson}
Oh Tianna, my heart goes out to you!! I am so glad that little Benson is going to be okay! You will be in my prayers for sure. I love you...HUGS!!
I love that you updated us - I've been going crazy not knowing what is going on & too afraid to call.
Beau - thank you for writing this. It's one thing for us to journal our highs & lows but it is extra special when the husband does it in my opinion. Plus your friends need to know so we can help you!
Special love to Tianna! I can only imagine how hard it is to recover in your situation & not to be in the comfort of your home with your little ones.
Love to you all & let me know what you need the minute you have something I can do.
We love you guys and pray for you to be comforted at this rough time. At least your little benson will be ok and is getting the help he needs now. Heavenly Father in mindful of you and you have many many friends and family members praying for you. Benson is just a sweet little miracle and so adorable! Congrats you guys and Tianna I hope you can get some rest and recovery soon. We are also more than willing to do anything we can to help so let us know. Thanks for the update and we love you guys! Hang in there
Benson is such a beautiful baby! We will keep you in our prayers!
Beau,
Baby Benson is Adorable. Oh my heavens....he is perfect!!! And way to go on the blog post....what a good husband and dad you are. Travis called yesterday and told me and I have checked your blog multiple times hoping for a post. We will be praying for you and your cute little family...good luck with everything! Chani
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family! Benson is the cutest little bundle of joy and you are so blessed to have him. We hope for the best outcome and are here if you need anything!
What a roller coaster indeed! Prayers are continually being sent your way. What a champ he is and he couldn't be in better hands (both yours and the docs)!
I just came across your blog and saw this! You will for sure be in our thoughts and prayers. He is a beautiful baby! I hope the surgery and everything will go just fine and the stress of it all can calm down for you guys. You are so lucky to be surrounded by such great family and friends who care so much. Stay positive!
Hi guys...I'm Ashlynn and Coby's friend Kim. We've met before and I was anxious to hear about your baby...My husband had a coart as an infant, was cared for at Primary Children's and grew up to play every sport known to man and is as healthy as can be. I hope it gives you some comfort to know it. Benson is completely precious and we wish you the best.
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