Small Surgery

Last night, the nurse practitioner told us that Jordan may have to undergo a surgery in the morning. They said that his PDA was large and they were going to decide whether to operate or not in the morning. Below I will post part of an article from kidshealth.org to explain exactly what a PDA is.

Patent Ductus Arteriosus

"The ductus arteriosus is a short blood vessel that connects the main blood vessel supplying the lungs to the aorta, the main blood vessel that leaves the heart. Its function in the unborn baby is to allow blood to bypass the lungs, because oxygen for the blood comes from the mother and not from breathing air. In full-term babies, the ductus arteriosus closes shortly after birth, but it frequently stays open in premature babies. When this happens, excess blood flows into the lungs and can cause breathing difficulties and sometimes heart failure. Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is often treated with a medication called indomethacin or ibuprofen, which is successful in closing the ductus arteriosus in more than 80% of infants requiring these medications. However, if medical therapy fails, then surgery may be required to close the ductus."

Jordan had to have the surgery done this morning. This is a very common procedure, but it was still scary to see our little boy have to undergo the procedure at such a young age. About 30 minutes after they started the procedure, the doctor called and said everything went well. 

Jaxon has a PDA as well, but his is much smaller. He may be able to use the medicine described above to cure the issue. He will be examined again on Sunday and doctors will decide what to do then. Please continue to pray for our boys and those looking after them.

Just to close the evening, we found out Jordan and Jaxon's measurements. Jordan was born at 33 cm or 13 inches, while Jaxon was 36 cm or 14 inches. They are very long.