Baby health

Today I was again reminded of the health issues all of my sweet children have had when they were babies. Ammon had pyloric stenosis and a false positive for cystic fibrosis. (Click the links to find out exactly what these conditions are). When he was 10 days old he started puking all of his food, every feeding. Finally after loosing a pound and a half, the doctor had him admitted to the NICU. After a week at Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg, ID with no improvement, our doctor determined he needed to be transported to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, UT. At one month old - the day after Thanksgiving 2004, he had stomach surgery, but because he lost so much weight before the solution was found it took him a long time to start gaining weight after the surgery. He was at PCMC for 9 days. He had a genetic test done to determine if he had the DNA markers for CF. The test results came back in January, which were negative. We did treat him for CF in those two months though, just to make sure he was getting meds if he needed them. It was ironic that he didn't start gaining weight after his surgery until we started giving him digestive enzymes as part of the CF treatment.

When Zenock was three weeks old he had to be hospitalized because his jaundice wasn't going away. He had to be under bili lights for 3 days in the NICU, and when he was discharged we took home a bili blanket for a week.

At three weeks old, Gideon had an enlarged testicle, called a hydrocele. Basically it's a pocket of fluid left over from fetal development. At the time it seemed he was swollen to the max that his skin would stretch. He has been monitored by our pediatrician and a urologist. It has gone down significantly, but there are still occasional mild flareups.

Ayla was born with a small degree of ankyloglossia - tongue tied. The skin where her tongue connects to her lower jaw inside her mouth was extended further than most people's. Some people's skin goes all the way to the tip of the tongue. This condition is known to create speech impediments since the tongue can't be fully used and extended when forming words. Today she went to an ENT to have it clipped so the skin would loosen and her tongue would be released to normal capacity. She screamed, not so much from the actual procedure but from being restrained on the head and arms while having a tongue depressor shoved in her mouth so the Dr. could snip the skin. The whole procedure took about 3 minutes.

I am so very thankful this is all the health troubles our family has had. I know it could be so much more complex. I love my children so much, and as a mother, it breakes my heart when they are sick. Especially when there is nothing I can do to help them. I am so thankful for access to modern medicine. I am so thankful for capable doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who have taken care of all of us over the years.