My birth story – Part 2. My boy had TAPVD.

I received a phone call from my husband saying that our baby need to go through a surgery for his heart. I thought it was all a joke because isn’t just the lungs that they were concern about?

Shortly after I hanged up on my husband, my pd called me and explain about our baby’s condition. He is diagnosed with TAPVD.

What is the TAPVD : Total anomalous pulmonary venous return is a congenital anomaly in which there is no connection between the pulmonary veins and the left atrium; the pulmonary veins instead connect directly into the right atrium or to a systemic vein (Innominate, superior vena cava (SVC), Azygus, inferior vena cava ( IVC) , hepatic vein or portal vein) by an alternative pathway (vertical vein). Because all venous blood returns to the right atrium, the survival of baby depends upon the obligatory connection between the left and right atria.

For this condition, the only way to repair is through an open heart surgery. I was shaking and crying after my conversation with my pd as I was in shock. The husband and I then dash to the hospital to find out what’s the next step we should do for our baby.

We are specially thankful to one of the nurses in tmc’s nicu, sister Susan because she is very concern about baby’s conditions and is very assuring about the outcome of the surgery. She told us the doctor who is going to do the surgery is the best in Singapore and we should have 100% faith in him.

We met Dr Shankar the very same day and he explained to us the condition, how the surgery is gonna be and also the risk of it. I felt like the most helpless mother because all I could do is cry and cry…

Dr Shankar gave us the option to have the surgery done at NUH or Gleneagles. He suggested NUH because he knew the surgical fee at Gleneagles is gonna cost a bomb. But NUH doesn’t have a bed that night so we decided to just go ahead with Gleneagles. Surgery was supposed to be scheduled on the very same night but Dr Shankar thinks that doing it the next morning will be a better option.

Baby was transferred to Gleneagles very quickly and we were brief by the doctors of what’s gonna happen from now on. The husband and I wanted to stay in the ICU with baby until the next morning but the doctor suggest that I go home get some rest and come back the next day…

How can I sleep that night? I was wide awake thinking of the sweet face of my baby and my heart break into a million pieces knowing that he will have to go through a big surgery at just 5 day old. I wish it was me who will be going thru the pain instead of him. I would give up everything to just take away the pain he is gonna go thru…

The next morning we went back to Gleneagles at 5am. I broken down again and again seeing all the tubes hooked onto him. I was still feeling the pain from the episiotomy but I told myself, what’s my little pain compared to my baby’s suffering?

We were told that the operation will take about 6 hours and so we stayed behind and wait for it to be over. But to our surprise we received a phone call from Dr Shankar that the surgery is over after 3+ hours.

The first moment I saw my baby lying in ICU feels like a knife continously stabbing at my heart. He look so small, frail, pale and all hooked up with tubes. I thought I was dying from heartache.

Doctors told us the next few hours is critical. They left his chest open to make sure everything is okie before closing it up. We just sat next to him, staring at the monitor, not knowing what is what. But each time when any alarm sounds, we got worried.

On the 21st of November, baby is one week old. The doctor closed his chest up, gradually reduced the medications and removed some of the tubes. I’m amazed by how strong my boy is. He made his Mummy very proud by braving thru sucha huge surgery.

Few days later, the doctors wanted to show us how his chest is healing but I didn’t have the courage to see his scar…

On the 5th day after the surgery, he was transfered from the ICU to NICU. Doctors were very happy with his progress and he was finally discharged on the 28th of November. Baby was 2 weeks old. 🙂

Today, I still tear everytime I look at my baby because I’m very thankful God didn’t take away what was given to me. If he wasn’t diagnosed for tapvd on time, he won’t live past 3 months. He came out early to fight for a chance to stay alive.

Our special boy was born in Thomson medical but reborn in Gleneagles. Very thankful to all the doctors and nurses who are involved in making our boy healthy again! No words can describe our gratefulness towards each and everyone of them.

I am very thankful towards my parents, sister and brother in law for being there for me all the time. I don’t know how I will pull thru without them.

And to friends who know about what we have went thru, thanks for listening and giving me moral support when I needed them most!

Last but not least to the most loving husband and the greatest dad to our baby,  thanks for being my pillar of strength. Our marriage has never been stronger because of your constant love and support. Thank you for loving me!

All I ask for in 2014 is baby Noah to be healthy and happy. 🙂

Thanks for going through 2013 with me! See you all in 2014!