Kenzie has been diagnosed with PPHN - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn. After much researching on the Internet (I am not doing this anymore because there is some scary stuff out there...) and discussions with her doctors, I have learned that this is a very serious disease. When a baby is in the womb, their lungs are not needed. So the arteries in the lungs are bypassed and the heart circulates oxygenated blood that is received through the placenta. When the baby is born, a "switch" is flipped to divert un-oxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs. Basically, Kenzie's "switch" did not work correctly. Therefore, her heart cannot push the blood into the lungs to pick up oxygen to move through her body.
The neonatologist came to my room to deliver the news. She said my baby was in critical condition. The nurse gave me a small pink blanket shaped like a doll, called a Dandle Doll. It was for me to sleep with next to my skin and then to leave with Kenize. It was a sweet idea, but it was also very sad.
It was New Year's Eve. Kevin and I had our "Celebration" dinner in my room and hoped 2009 would bring better news.
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