4 Months to 6 Months!!!!

Playing in her Bouncy chair!!

Playing with her toys!!!

Brookie before her button was removed!!

After Brooklyn's heart was fixed it was like we took a completely different baby home. In the hospital the doctors repeated her swallow study and said that they felt that she could start feeding by mouth some. We had to thicken her formula quite a bit though. She had so much more energy and loved to play. It was amazing to see her looking so much healthier!!! We did have lots of ear infections and upper respiratory infections and were on antibiotics so frequently that some of them became ineffective. By the time we reached 6 months Brooklyn was pretty much taking all of her feeds by mouth and the only time the button was used was when she was given medication (because she left the hospitial on 6 different medications). After working hard to convince the doctors that she did not need the button any more they finally removed it!! The doctor told us that there was no need to close it that it would more than likely close on its own.

Fixing her broken heart!!!

3 days after surgery and still very swollen

Right out of 8 hour surgery (very swollen due to being on bypass)

At almost 4 months old Brook's cardiologist told us that she was now big enough, and that it was time to fix her heart. Her heart diagnosis was tetrology of fallot (VSD, Pulmonary valve stenosis), right sided aortic arch, and possible vascular ring. The cardiovascular surgeon explained to us that if there was a salvageable valve that this would be her only surgery, but if it was unusable they would just have to cut it out.

On October 21, 2008 she under went an 8 hour surgery to repair her heart. During our consultation with the surgeon right after the surgery we were told that there was no vascular ring as previously thought, but they were unable to save the valve so they will have to do another surgery to replace the valve later in life(because there was nothing that they could put it that would grow with her).

Seeing our baby girl after surgery was very shocking and scary!! Absolutly nothing can prepare you to see your child like that. On the up side my normally dusky blue baby was the most beautiful shade of pink!!!!!!! Her O2 sats were 99% when we first saw her(big difference from usually being in the low 70's)!!!

Her cardiovascular surgon Dr. tam was so amazing to be able to partially fix such a tiny little heart inside a little bitty baby girl!!! We are so thankful for the great team of cardiologist, cardiovasular surgeons, every one in the OR, and all of the great doctors and nurses that cared for our sweet little angel while at cooks children's hospital!!!