Four weeks and one day old:
Cardiologist appointment today. Sam weighed in at 10 lb 8 oz. Way to go Sam! Looks like last weeks slow growth was a leveling off period and adjustment to the Lasix.

Three weeks old:
Pediatrician appointment today. Sam weighed in at 9 lb 7 oz. (only 5 ounces in a week, probably slower since he's pumped with Lasix.)

Two weeks and two days old:
Sam gave us quite a scare today. Sue took him to the pediatrician's office for a well-baby visit (it's all relative, isn't it?). She examined Sam and said he needed to go to the ER because of suspected Congestive Heart Failure. (CHF). Blood/fluid is building up in the lungs due to lower pressure in that part of the system as a result of the VSD. I got the phone call from Sue at 1230 while at work-- didn't get many details, expecting a call in an hour or so. Four long hours later, Sue called back with more info-- that Sam had been given a shot of Lasix in his leg and would be coming home tonight. They went to Johns Hopkins ER.

Two weeks old:
Just got home from the Pediatric Cardiologist with Sam. He gained weight at an incredible rate and is now at 9 lb 2 oz, beating his objective of getting back to birthweight within two weeks from birth (which is tomorrow). Sam gained 14 oz in 7 days. (was 8 lb 4 oz last Tuesday). Expected weight gain is 0.75 oz per day, so Sam is a little over-acheiver. His breathing is still much faster than it should be and Sue mentioned some unusual heartbeats that last maybe 5-10 seconds. Sam got a prescription for Lasix to remove any built-up fluids (possible weight interaction) and got a Holter monitor that will track his heart for 24 hours, then get mailed back for analysis. Next visit in 2 weeks where we expect to see more VSD symptoms evident. Sam with his Holter monitor.

Sam is baptised on his 9th day:
Sam was baptised today at St. Louis Church at 1200 by Father Martin Burnham. Sam was an amazing baby-- he slept through most of the ceremony and didn't even cry the when pouring water over his head. Afterwards, we returned home and had a great party for about 3-4 hours in Sam's honor. The weather was a fantastic sunny 65 degrees with perfect blue skies.

Seven days old now:
We scheduled a baptism for this Saturday at 1200 in the St. Louis Church chapel. Baptisms usually take place Sundays after the last mass, but this is a special case. Looks like Father Martin will perform the Sacriment. Mark and Lisa have stepped forward as Godparents.

Six days old: Sam has a heart defect "VSD" -- Ventricular Septal Defect
Sam had a pediatric cardiologist doctor appointment this morning at University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore. Got an Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) and then an echocardiogram (Doppler-type ultrasound of heart). Based on the echo test and measurements, we met with Dr. Salim who explained that there is an 8 mm opening between the left and right ventricals up near the valves. This is large and will not close on its own, so open heart surgery will be necessary in a few months. Right now, we need to work on getting Sam bigger and keeping him healthy. If weight gain is slow, we may need to put in a feeding tube (nasal gastric), but pray that is not the case and that he can feed and grow normally until surgery. The effect of VSD is that oxygen-rich blood is getting circulated back to the lungs as well as to the body. This is inefficient and causes him to work harder at breathing and eating. 8 in 1000 births has a heart defect. 4 out of 5 of those will heal/seal up on their own in a few years. Sam is one of the approximate 1 in 1000 who needs surgery.

After that bad news, we hurried off to meet his pediatrician Dr. Christine Reilly.Today, Sam weighed 8 lb, 4 oz, up from 8 lb, 1 oz last Friday at hospital discharge.

Sam is 5 days old:
Here's a picture of Sam napping today:

Sam is two days old now:
it's still touch-n-go with Sam. They're not ready to release him yet since he still has a heart murmur caused by one of the valves. EKG this morning was sent over to University of Maryland for analysis. Sue said all the bloodwork came back ok.