Teddi Mellencamp Says 5-Month-Old Daughter Dove's Neurosurgery Was a Success: 'Forever Grateful'
Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave is feeling grateful following her 5-month-old daughter's neurosurgery.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 39, gave fans an update on Dove's medical procedure in an Instagram Story on Thursday, writing, "Thank you for all your prayers. Baby Dove had a successful surgery."
"So much gratitude to her amazing surgeons Dr. Danielpour and Dr. Urata and all the loving nurses that will continue to help us care for her as she recovers," Mellencamp Arroyave continued. "We are forever grateful."
Earlier this month, the mom revealed in a lengthy Instagram post that her youngest child was diagnosed with lambdoid craniosynostosis, which Mellencamp Arroyave said is "a very rare type of non-syndromic craniosynostosis and occurs when one of the lambdoid sutures at the back of the head fuses before birth."
"Dealing with anxiety, especially when in the 'public eye,' isn't easy; and going into July it's at an all-time high," she wrote at the time. "I was torn as to whether I should share this information, but as someone who tries to be as transparent as possible, and knowing I have a platform to reach others in similar situations, I would like to update you all."
Mellencamp Arroyave first learned that her baby may have a health issue at Dove's 2-month checkup, where her pediatrician said she might have torticollis, which the Bravo star and husband Edwin Arroyave's son Cruz, now 5?, had. (The two also share daughter Slate, 7?.)
Dove was diagnosed with lambdoid craniosynostosis following a CT scan and was recommended for neurosurgery.
During a July 12 episode of her Teddi Tea Pod podcast, Mellencamp Arroyave said that Dove will spend "two days in the NICU after the surgery and then it's four to five days in the hospital and there's just so many unknowns."
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"We both have our faith and we know that it's gonna be okay, but it's a struggle right now," she explained. "They're saying her face is gonna be really swollen after the surgery and she's not gonna know what happened. So it's definitely one of those trying times, where you're just one foot in front of the other."
Mellencamp Arroyave broke down in tears on Wednesday's episode of her podcast while speaking to one of Dove's surgeons, revealing that, as a mom, she feels a lot of "guilt" after learning about her daughter's diagnosis.
"We do carry around a lot of guilt, because we just want what's best for our kids," she said, tearing up. "I'm just getting scared."
"I'm so looking forward to this being not an unknown anymore, and just knowing 100 percent that she's feeling good," Mellencamp Arroyave added. "I know in my heart and I have faith that it's going to happen."
