Designed for babies ages 0-6 months that are not teething

Heart Warrior Stories Lauren Y.

Our son was born 3 days after our state shut down due to COVID-19. He was 5 days old when we took him to his newborn appointment, expecting to hear he was a happy healthy boy. That’s when our pediatrician hears a murmur. We immediately went to our local children’s hospital and learned our son had a complete AV canal defect. We were watched closely for 4 months, dealing with failure to thrive, breathing difficulties, lethargy, and all the other symptoms of heart failure. At 4 months old, we learned our son also had coarctation of the aorta. He had his first open-heart surgery at this time. This was followed by a 15 day ICU stay and a paralyzed vocal cord. We went back for a post-op checkup, once again expecting good news. Unfortunately, we learned his mitral valve was severely leaky. So we made the tough choice to pack up and go 1400 miles away for a second opinion. We had to leave our sweet girl behind because of the regulations in place due to the pandemic. He had a second open-heart surgery at 8 months old. Now he is a healthy 10-month-old. While he will need checkups for the rest of his life and we will always be waiting for the next surgery, his prognosis in life is so good.

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