Oliver Marleaux Sweet Ollie

We welcomed Oliver Finn into this world on March 6th, 2016. As first time parents who lived in the world of infertility for a year, we were (and still are) in awe of what our love created. In every way, he was more perfect that we could have imagined.


We ventured home and embarked on the journey of parenthood. We learned the hard way to cover the canon during diaper changes. We began to explore tummy time and reading books. We enjoyed lots and lots of cuddles and he ate like a little champion. Ollie gained weight at a fast pace and at every doctor visit, they praised him for being strong and healthy.


As he approached four weeks at the beginning of April, we noticed a change in Ollie. His voracious appetite and ease with nursing was replaced with great frustration as he struggled to coordinate his eating and breathing. Every feeding became a work out. Though he had been an incredibly laid back baby, he became more lethargic and his loud cry changed to a more silent cry, almost a whimper. Something was not right with our little man.


We headed to our pediatricians office hoping they would give us some tips on helping his feeding and maybe the diagnosis of a virus. Our nurse practitioner and doctor noticed his labored breathing and suggested we go to the hospital just to be on the safe side. We arrived at Presbyterian main optimistic that we would rule out all the big stuff and be home that evening for bath time and cuddles and another sleepless night but with some answers about Ollie. We got answers but they were answers we never dreamed nor wished to hear.


Ollie didn't have a virus or flu, but his heart was enlarged and his left ventricle was functioning at around 15% (ideal 50-75%). We were transported by ambulance to the Levine children's hospital where Ollie was placed in intensive care and we began the journey of healing Ollie's big heart.