Murmur Update

We took Owen to the doctor this week and they said he did not have a heart murmur! Yeah!! He does have a murmur though. It's called a Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and here is a little description I found about it from the American Heart Association:

Every baby is born with a ductus arteriosus. This is an open passageway between the two major blood vessels (the pulmonary artery and the aorta). The pulmonary artery carries venous blood from the heart's right side to the lungs. Then it picks up a fresh supply of oxygen. The aorta carries the oxygen-rich blood from the heart's left side to the rest of the body. Normally, the passageway (ductus arteriosus) between these two arteries closes within a few hours after birth. If it doesn't, some blood that should have gone through the aorta and on to nourish the body goes back to the lungs. Failure of the ductus to close is quite common in premature infants but fairly rare in full-term babies. If the ductus arteriosus is large, a child may tire quickly, grow slowly, catch pneumonia easily and breathe rapidly. In some children, symptoms may not occur until after the first weeks or months of life. If the ductus arteriosus is small, the child seems well.
If surgery is needed, the surgeon doesn't have to open the heart to correct this abnormal circulation. The ductus arteriosus can be closed by tying it. If there's no other defect, this restores the circulation to normal.

So, it's kinda weird that he has it since he wasn't a premie, and the doctor said that it is a medium sized hole. And, the doctor said that it will probably have to have help to close it up. So as long as he doesn't start showing symptoms before he is 6 months then the procedure is a lot less evasive, but if they have to do anything before 6 months then that will mean surgery :(

Here's a picture of a heart with PDA (its circled):

So, please keep praying for our little guy over these next few months and we will keep you updated. We are also taking him next week to another cardiologist for a second opinion.