Syed Brian’s first week in this world was a little eventful, to say the least. It all started on January 18, 2009, when I went into labor. At the time, Syed was at work and my mom was visiting for the day to help me finish getting ready for the baby (laundry, organization, etc). By the time my mom arrived, I wasn’t feeling great but I wasn’t convinced I was in labor. There was a little denial of labor on my part because having the baby on that day did not really work with my schedule (parenting lesson: children will dictate your schedule). After about 3 hours, there was no denying that I needed to go to the hospital so my mom drove me while Syed left work to meet me at the hospital. On the way to the hospital, mom was pulled over for speeding and the excuse that the passenger was in labor was 100% accurate. Fortunately no tickets were issued and I arrived at the hospital courtesy of an ambulance. Shortly after arrival, it was decided that a c-section was necessary given a few other concerns with the baby. So at 7:04 pm on January 18, Syed Brian Mahmood Azhar made his entry into the world and that was just the beginning. One of the reasons for the delivery was that there was a question of whether or not the Syed would be born with hydrocephalus associated with a possible genetic syndrome. An MRI was done on the baby on Monday and it showed that there was no hydrocephalus and that the genetic syndrome we were concerned about is extremely unlikely based upon the structure of the brain. While this was a relief, the MRI did reveal that Syed had experienced 1-2 strokes that most likely occurred while in utero. So he ended up being transferred to Children’s Memorial Hospital a couple days after he was born. Neurologically, his exam is completely normal and if you see him, he appears to be a very normal, healthy baby. He has undergone extensive workup to determine why the strokes occurred. After four days at Children’s, we do not have a reason that the strokes occurred but he will have some follow up long term with specialists to better determine if he might have a clotting disorder. In the meantime, he is very stable and doing well. We are cautiously optimistic that he will not have deficits long term but only time will tell. The brain is extremely plastic at this age and is still developing networks so there is a very good possibility that the brain will compensate for the areas that have been damaged by the strokes. If there are deficits, it is likely that they will be related to vision based on the location of the strokes. However, he looks around and is fascinated by lights and his new surroundings which is reassuring to us as parents. Additionally, he is being screened for a syndrome that likely affects his father. The impact of the syndrome is most likely going to be cosmetic and he has demonstrated this by being an overachiever in growing not 10 but 12 toes. Yes, he was born with an extra toe on each foot that will eventually be surgically removed. By the time Syed was discharged from the hospital, he had undergone the following tests: 2 MRI’s, 1 MRV, 1 Echocardiogram, 1 genetic screening, 1 full skeletal survey, and 1 arterial stick for genetic testing. It was a very long week for mom, dad, and baby! After all of this, we are thrilled that he is home and doing all the things that newborns should do: eating, sleeping, and pooping. He is doing wonderfully: gaining weight, gaining strength and muscle tone, and becoming more and more alert every day. If it weren't for the MRI, we would have absolutely no indication that there was a possibility of anything being wrong. We are so grateful for all the well wishes that have been sent our way and thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We're enjoying getting to be a family and getting to know our son; we are extremely thankful for this time. We’ll keep you all posted!
