Max is Having a Heart Time: Max & Momma Update and More Pictures

Max continues to do really well. He is sleeping a ton and eating a lot and has not needed any medicine at all. His heart rate continues to hang out in the upper 50's to mid 70's...unless you tick him off. If you try changing his diaper or taking off his onesie, his heart rate shoots up in the mid 90's and he turns a bright shade of red. Amy is doing great as well and continues to feel better and better every day. We expect to be discharged at some point today and will stay in a hotel near the hospital until we can take Max home.

We spoke with the cardiologist again yesterday and they want to keep Max through Monday. They have scheduled an EKG for Saturday and Monday and have saved Max a slot in the OR for Monday afternoon. At this point, we fully expect Max to get a pacemaker. Although his heart looks pretty good all around, the cardiologist is concerned with the length of time it takes for the heart beat to travel from the top chamber to the bottom chamber and then for the heart to re-set. Unless those numbers improve by Monday, we expect Max to be paced. It will be a single chamber pacemaker, which is smaller and less invasive and will only regulate the lower chamber to ensure the ventricular rate doesn't fall below 80 beats per minute. If Max does get a pacemaker and all goes well, he should be home with us by Wednesday. Isn't that incredible? Heart surgery on a 6 day old baby on Monday and he gets to go home 2 days later...wow.

It's important for Amy and I to reiterate that we will not be disappointed if Max gets paced on Monday. We have all been praying for a miracle and we got one. Max is here. And he is a completely healthy baby boy....with his momma's good looks. And the doctor's feel very comfortable that he is big and strong enough to do really well with a pacemaker right now. Considering where we were just a few weeks ago, those are all miracles. And although we hate to think that Max is going to have surgery, we will honestly be relieved to know that his heart rate will be much stronger once he is paced. It will give us peace of mind and we think it will make Max feel better all around and grow bigger and stronger.

So, thanks again for all your prayers and we will continue to keep you updated as we know more. I would also request that you pray for the other babies in the NICU as well as the doctors and nurses. There are a lot of babies in the NICU that are much sicker than Max and will be there much longer him. And these doctors and nurses are absolutely incredible and give so much of themselves to help get these babies healthy, so please keep them in your prayers as well.

And now for more pictures....

Amy's dad (he'll go by Pal) holding Max.