The Journey Begins...

Tomorrow is the big day.  Erin and I are scheduled to arrive at the University of Utah Medical Center at 9:30 AM (MTN).  Shortly thereafter the induction process will start. The labor is expected to be normal, but as soon as Baby Akins is delivered, there will be a very large team in the room checking the health of the baby.

The hospital staff will administer medications and perform an echo-cardiogram to check that the PDA and ASD are open and to get a better look at the anatomy.  One of the medications, Prostaglandin E1, will help to keep the PDA and ASD/PFO open to maintain blood flow between the left and right side of the heart.  Without this blood flow, the heart will go into arrest.  If all looks good, mom and dad should get 1-2 minutes to hold the baby.  If there are any issues, the baby may need to be rushed to the catheter lab for an interventional procedure to open up the ASD and/or PDA.  


After the health evaluation, the baby will be carted over to Primary Children's Medical Center (which is connected to the UofUMC) and monitored at the PICU.  At the PICU, the baby will be connected to lots  of equipment to monitor the baby's health until surgery.

Surgery should take place on Wednesday or Thursday, depending on how the baby is doing.  Before surgery, the baby can be held by family and friends.  The baby will be vulnerable to viruses, so contact with children will be restricted. The baby's big sisters will be able to visit, but only for shorter periods of time 5-10 minutes. 


We have scheduled a baptism with our Pastor, Monsignor Moore, for Tuesday at 2:00 in the hospital.
Erin and I want to thank everyone for there support over the last few months as we have been preparing for this journey.  Erin and I will be posting here as often as we can to keep everyone updated.  Please keep Baby Akins and his family in your prayers tomorrow.