The news

The doctor sat Steve and I down and told us that Hunter did have a bicuspid aortic valve, like Corben's, but his had severe/critical stenosis, meaning it was extremely narrowed and hardly any blood was getting through.  He would need to be transferred to to Phoenix Children's Hospital's NICU that night and on Monday, a plan would need to be made.

Hunter's first car ride

I was able to ride with him in the ambulance and Steve followed behind.  We got settled at the hospital.  There was a room I could stay in for the night (I slept about 45 minutes...In fact during Hunter's first 4 days of life, I slept a total of about 4 hours)

 He had jaundice so under the tanning lamp he went

 Off of oxygen!

 My big eater no longer needed a feeding tube

 Giving your newborn his first bath in the middle of a pod in the NICU is so unnatural

My guy

Monday morning we met with the cardiologist and interventionalist.  They decided that Hunter would need a balloon valvuplasty catheter procedure. A catheter would be inserted through the vein in his groin area.  It would be led up into his heart and to the aortic valve.  They would then blow up the balloon, tearing the leaflets of the valve and allowing blood to flow.  They had him scheduled for first case on Wednesday morning, July 18.  Hunter would be 6 days old.  

In the meantime, I had a room at the Ronald McDonald house in Phoenix.  I couldn't sleep in the NICU but did not want to be that far from the hospital.  I also couldn't handle the thought of being home and sleeping in my bed without my whole family there.  I would come home when Hunter did.... period.... end of story.  

I enjoyed a couple of quiet days holding and enjoying my son and prepared for one of the more difficult days of my life....