The whole time I was pregnant with Dillon I had a feeling something would be wrong. Even though I had all the routine tests done and everything came out ok I could not shake the bad feelings. I had no morning sickness with him and the pregnancy went by very smoothly with only one scare at 24 weeks.
Dillon was born on November 30th by induction. They were afraid he would get too big for me to deliver since I had gestational diabetes. He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz. He looked like a normal new born and was so beautiful. He was a pro at nursing and he loved for me to hold him. The doctor let me take him home the day after he was born even though she said his breathing wasn't normal and that his oxygen levels were really low. She said it was because he was born so fast.
When Dillon was 4 days old he got jaundice really bad. I took him to the doctor who did his newborn assessment after he was born. She said to take him to the hospital to get a blood test and then take him home and put him in the window to get some sunlight. I did and immediately he started to look better.
I had Dillon set up in a little bassinet beside my bed but I just couldn't sleep without him so I put him in bed with me. That night he woke up but he wouldn't nurse or take a bottle so we went back to bed. Two hours later he woke up again. This time he couldn't breathe or cry. He was very cold and turning blue and purple. I tried to take his temperature but it was so low that it wouldn't register on any thermometer I tried. My fears were confirmed. There was something seriously wrong with my baby. I called the emergency room.
I took Dillon to the emergency room at the hospital I gave birth to him at. They were trying to treat him for various infections. Nothing they were doing was working so they contacted Children's Hospital in Oklahoma City and they sent a helicopter to get him. My mom and I arrived a couple hours later and Dillon was in the ER there. A doctor caught us and took us to a conference room. She told me, "You have a very sick baby and we don't know what's wrong". I have never been so scared in my life.
I finally got to see Dillon in the isolette. He was under the lights and had all kinds of iv's, tubes and wires hooked to him. I was only allowed to talk to him and hold his hand. A few hours later they transferred him to the PICU and ran more tests. We finally had a diagnosis. Dillon was born with Congenital Heart Disease. He had 4 different defects: Transposition of the Great Arteries, Ventricular Septal Defect, Pulmonary Stenosis and Interrupted Aortic Arch. He would need open heart surgery to save his life.
Dillon had the surgery when he was 8 days old. He went into heart failure. The surgery that was suppose to take about 5 to 6 hours ended up taking 13. I was in a state of shock the whole time. After he came out of heart failure he started to swell. I didn't get to hold Dillon for 2 weeks. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks and my mom and I stayed with him the whole time. During that time we had to reteach Dillon how to eat and suck. He could only take a few cc's before throwing up so we had to put the rest in a feeding tube. We got to bring him home the day after Christmas.
Dillon had another surgery when he was a year old. He was in the hospital 1 week that time. He had his last surgery in June of 2001 and was home 3 days later. He has also had 2 heart caths, one failed balloon valvuloplasty and a surgery to remove broken sternal wires. He is on a one year cardiology schedule now and we are looking at a total valve replacement surgery in the future. Overall Dillon is happy, healthy and thriving!
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the doctors, nurses, medi-flight nurses and surgeons who have helped in taking care of Dillon. Without each and every one of you our baby wouldn't be here with us today.
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