When "Open Heart Surgery" Oddly Makes You Feel Happy

 I meant to write about this last week, but then there was the weekend, and then there was all the time I have spent going down the registry rabbit hole(s). [Have I yet to pick a high chair? Absolutely not. Even something like a crib mattress seems complicated.]

We went to the hospital in Madison for the first time last week. Our appointments began at 8:30AM on New Years' Eve. Luckily, NYE has never been all that big of a deal for me, and also, who was having a party in 2020? (OK, lots of people, but not people I know.) Thanks to the WONDERFUL friends and neighbors we have, Holly was well taken care of, so we could drive down the night before and have a super exciting night in Madison.

Note #1: Holly was actually upset when we came home, because other people--and their kids--are infinitely better than we are. This seems like some sort of lesson about parenting, perhaps.

Note #2: "Super exciting" meant restaurant takeout, a very brief walk up to the Capitol for the requisite selfie, and finally finishing Schitt's Creek.

We knew that I would be having another fetal echocardiogram and detailed/targeted anatomy scan, and didn't expect (thankfully/hopefully) too many surprises. We were (somewhat wrong).

My first surprise was how wonderfully amiable the nurse who did the scans was--the women who have done my echos here in town have been nearly silent, which either causes stress or lulls you into sleep. Anyways, she was phenomenal and made the whole process go by quickly. 

My second surprise was that Baby got very stubborn (OK, that was not a surprise, but usually Baby will move with a little encouragement) and refused to move hand from face. Camera shy, I guess? This was my first experience having to get up, walk around, trying to get Baby to move. I think it was the Caramel Creme candy I had stashed in my purse that did it.

The final surprise was the best: instead of the words "severe aortic stenosis" we heard "mild stenosis" and coarctation of the aorta. We went from spending the past month or so believing our baby would likely spend its first three years in an out of the hospital having multiple reconstructive heart surgeries, to the strong strong hope that there would be just one, during the first week of life, to fix the coarctation and any other minor repairs found once Baby is born. 

It feels weird to say that open heart surgery was a relief. Or that I felt hopeful and buoyant after hearing that we are still looking at perhaps a month (plus) in Madison, as we prepare for delivery and Baby recovers. But it WAS a relief. The doctor was so clear and straightforward in describing what would/could happen, and we have a patient care coordinator nurse who is SO on top of things (she even took notes for us) that I know we are going to be so well taken care of. 

In many ways, being able to mentally prepare for the NICU, not coming home right away, likely having some strong breastfeeding challenges (and not being able to right away) is also a relief. So many of my friends who have experienced the NICU did NOT know that was going to happen, and had a lot more to grapple with immediately. Obviously, nothing ever goes according to plan, but even the awareness of possibilities, building up my mental fortitude, being able to prepare for who will take care of the dog while we are way...all of that does contribute to piece of mind.

In other good news: Baby is growing very well, moving around a LOT, is super cute, and I love him/her/them so much already :)