Kit's Birthday (Update 6 -FINAL UPDATE - 8:20 pm 7/16/13)

Kit was born this morning at ~8:43 am this morning (7/14/13). She weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 20 in long. However, it was immediate that something was not right. Turns out she has a couple of heart defects. You can read about them, in full confidence, here:

http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/heart-conditions/transposition-of-the-great-arteries.html

http://www.chop.edu/service/cardiac-center/heart-conditions/ventricular-septal-defect-vsd.html

They have taken her to Louisville to use a catheter in conjunction with the VSD to allow more of the oxygenated blood into the veins going to her lungs. Once this takes place the doctors will decide what to do next, but surgery is surely coming the only question is how soon. I will post more information on her condition and her prospective treatment as it develops and my time permits. 

Update 1 - 6:45 pm 

The catheter procedure went well. Kit's O2 levels have improved as has her blood pressure. So much so that they have taken her off of one of the medicines they were using to stabilize her blood pressure. While she has improved she is not yet where she needs to be for the bigger surgery. The first plans for that will be discussed early tomorrow morning. I think we will get to see her soon. 

Update 2 - 8:35 pm

We got to sit with Kit for a little. They have 24 visiting hours for parents and everyone is really nice and really helpful. She is still in a ventilator. So they are still breathing for her. But her O2 levels were at 85% which is really good. We are going to go home and try to get some rest so we can be back bright and early at 6:45 an for rounds and we can get a clearer idea of where this is all going. After everything we've heard I imagine the surgery will happen before weeks end. 

Update 3: 7:50 am 7/15/13

Got to see Kit again. She is doing well. Her hands are free and she will hold your finger. The doctors came by for rounds. It all seemed quite positive. They are going to try to take her off the ventilator soon - maybe even late today - as she is doing most of the work of breathing on her own. They want to explore her low blood pressure issue more but the Dr said, while this is a major operation, we had every reason to feel optimistic about the eventual outcome. 

Update 5 - 5:00 pm 7/15/13

Kit is now off the ventilator and breathing under her own power. She is opening her eyes and moving around even though she is sore. The surgery will either be Wednesday or Thursday morning early. It will take at least 4 to 6 hours. While rare in a general sense, KOSAIR does this procedure regularly and have a +90% success rate. They expect her to stay at the hospital for a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks afterward. All things considered, things are about as good as they can be. 

Update 5 - 12:00 pm 7/16/13

Kit has been moved to the pediatric icu rather than the neonatal icu. They tried to change her over from the larger IV used during the first procedure in favor of a smaller and more standard iv line but were unsuccessful. This is no real setback save us getting to hold her. As you can see below she has taken to sucking on a pacifier. She is surrounded by family at present. Thank you to all for your thoughts, well-wishes, and prayers. 

Update 6 - 8:20 pm 7/16/13

After Beth and I both got to hold Kit a luxuriously long time, we spoke with Dr. Austin, who will be doing the procedure tomorrow. They are already taking steps to get her read tonight. She will be taken to the 8th floor around 7:00 to 7:15 am tomorrow morning. Beth and I will stay in a private room during the operation so they can update us every hour. As such this will be the last update I will make in this particular blog post. I will put any new info in a new post tomorrow. Dr. Austin also said he puts the chance for success tomorrow at above 95% and the chance of any serious complication (such as the need for a permanent pacemaker) at less than 2% - nothing short of miraculous.