Making a Four-Chambered Heart

Hard to believe in just a few days it's only been (and at the same time, already been) four months since Quinn was born.

We went to her doctor today for the customary stuff. For some reason, I constantly catch myself saying that I took Quinn to the "vet" rather than the pediatrician.

Granted, she did get a round of shots, and the doctor made all sorts of sounds that definitely weren't part of the vernacular, and she is shedding her head of hair about as rapidly as any distressed cat . . . so I guess there is some room for confusion in my head.

Perhaps I can't help but feel I'm taking her to the vet rather than a human doctor because she is such a different and ever-evolving creature than us plain and mundane adults (although I barely qualify as a "real" adult with so much growing up yet to do).

Being the life-long learner (aka pathological dork) that he is, my Dad has been spending what free time he can scratch up to master the anatomy and functions of the heart. It's been some time since I used those synapses, so it's been stimulating to hear an aspect revisited now and then.

What was never taught in any biology class I had was that prior to birth, a fetus' heart shares blood between the chambers of the heart. Within moments of birth (premie or full-term), the separation of the left and right ventricles has to be intact. Not only that, but an axillary valve that in utero recycled blood into the heart (rather than to the lungs), has to be disengaged.

And that's just the heart! It's nothing short of miraculous what the human body can perform, let alone a body that was virtually just conceived.

As it looks today, this little human is progressing just fine. Quinn was just under the double digits, weighing in at 9lbs 13oz, but she had gained some good length to make up for the slightly slow weight gain. Her smiles and giggles, and attempts to mimic me sticking out my tongue, are all healthy meters for her measured growth.

Having nothing to fret about, it was a rather pleasant visit, until -- of course -- she got another round of shots. Once we got home, she settled down on her Grandpa's chest, where she eventually fell asleep listening to his heart beat out a cadence for her own to eventually follow.

A heartfelt hello to everyone from,
JMama & the Maturing Madeline Quinn