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GOD OF MIRACLES
Psalm 77:14 | You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.
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WEEK 17-18: Day 113 - Day 126 | July 27 - Aug 9 | Week 1 & Week 2 Corrected Age
Victoria just passed her original due date last week. The countdown is on and she is trying to make it home, but she’s being held back because of a few issues. Victoria’s scheduled discharge got pushed back twice and now she is supposed to come home with us on this upcoming Saturday. We are excited and nervous at the same time! Obviously excited about lil one being by our side just about all the time, but nervous because we won’t have all the medical equipment and more importantly medical professionals by her side 24/7. Truly speaking, we are ready for the Big D!
Overall Victoria is fine, but the issue that is holding her back is reflux. Most babies have some reflux or better yet they spit up their food to some degree. The problem with Victoria is that the reflux is causing mild respiratory & cardio problems at times and it seems to be burning her esophagus and causing her to cry.
How this all started is a bit of a mystery; however she did have diet changes that may have impacted this problem. The medical team tried two types of formulas on Victoria within the past two weeks. One was geared towards bone health but they discontinued that formula when her reflux got worse. The current one is specifically made to address reflux. After a few days on the new formula we could tell Victoria was doing better and feeling better. There was much less spitting up, less Brady’s (heart rate drop), and less crying. Now that she is feeling better, she just needs to go a week without a ‘Brady’ and then we can chunk deuce!
I previously mentioned formula for bone health. Regarding this topic, after a routine examination the doctors found that her ‘Alkaline-Phosphate’ level was high. This caused the docs to do further testing on other nutrient levels and for the most part the 'deeper examination’ came back with test in the normal range. The concern was if she had rickets diseases. They ruled that out; Thank God. Even with them ruling out a few negative conditions, the doctors were still concerned about Victoria’s bone health, vitamin D level, and calcium level. (Somehow the substances I listed are related and impact bone health.... don't ask me how.) To address this concern, they tried the special formula I mentioned but we discontinued, because a bigger problem needed to be confronted, the reflux and Brady problem. Gladly, the bone health issue did not seem like a huge concern for the doctors but we will still have to keep an eye on it.
In other news Victoria now weighs a whopping 7lbs 10oz, she had another favorable ultrasound on her brain, her eye health is great, she continues physical therapy on her limbs, and she is just one pretty little girl!... Oh and her Grandma Tomasa in the Dominican Republic was just granted a visitor visa to come visit her for the first time. Exciting news and expectation.
As we prepare to go home, one of the thoughts constantly running through our minds is whether or not we should get a heart rate and breathing monitor. Many would think it’s a no brainer and they’d get the monitor, that’s what I thought at first, but a few factors are influencing this decision (which is only partially up to us.) Pray for us to make a good decision and be comfortable with that decision.
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WEEK 19-20: Day 127 - Day 140 | Aug 10 - Aug 23 | Week 3 & Week 4 Corrected Age
LOOK AT GOD! For a complete week, Victoria had no Brady’s and no major medical issues that required constant medical attention. Therefore, on August 13th 2016, after 130 days, Victoria was discharged from Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital! The doctor called me late Saturday morning and said in paraphrase, “You can take her home, but we are going to miss her.” ‘Twas so great to hear those words. As we were leaving the hospital filled with joy and smiles, I was still nervous! Every few minutes, I’d bend over and get close to Vicky making sure she was still breathing, because she no longer had monitors hooked up to her. My mother told me calm down and that Victoria is fine. Leyda, my father, my mother, and I all took turns pushing little one out the hospital. It was a fun and memorable moment. Leyda dolled-up Victoria and she looked so precious. The little fighter came home with us and we had an enjoyable first evening together with family.
The first few nights were very rough. She did not want to sleep but she did want to CRY! We got a rude awakening to the home life of parenting newborns. After two days she calmed down a tad. This could have been due to her just getting acclimated to a new environment.
Just under a week after discharge we went to our scheduled appointment with the pediatrician and the eye doctor. The pediatrician and nurse examined Victoria for about 15minutes combined and said she is doing just fine. She gave us some suggestions to combat constipation and gas but otherwise she gave us a thumbs up. The eye doctor’s report was even greater. The eye doctors said, “This baby has no problems, she will not need to return any more.” I was unclear if I heard her correctly so I asked the doctor to clarify her conclusion and she said, “Victoria’s eyes no longer have any issues that would require us to continue checking her. She can see an eye doctor on a routine child checkup when she is 4 or 5 years old.” WOW! Another battle won. Bless the Lord Oh my soul!
The physical therapist will see Victoria once a week indefinitely. She performs stretching-like exercises with Victoria for about 2hours each visit. This helps to ensure Vicky’s limbs and ligaments etc grow and function properly.
Words cannot fully describe the feeling of gratefulness that we have in our hearts. Victoria is a testament of God’s mercy, grace, and miraculous power.
*She was conceived through In-Vitro Fertilization because both of her parents have reproductive problems.
*She survived 3-1/2 weeks without water in the amniotic sac.
*She was born breathing with eyes open in the fifth month of pregnancy; 23.5 weeks gestation to be exact.
*She was born weighing 1lb 3oz.
*She survived a collapsed lung. (Pneumothorax)
*She got off the ventilator after six weeks; she got off all breathing equipment after 3-1/2 months.
*She shook off a skin illness scare.
*She shook off the ROP eye disease within a few weeks.
*She got NOT ONE infection while in NICU though the expectation was that she’d get many.
*She has full functionality in all of her limbs, fingers, and toes. (And she is strong and feisty!)
*She has no known abnormalities of the heart or brain. Thank the Lord!
*She is BEAUTIFUL!
The first few chapters of this precious life and story is complete and we have the Victory with Victoria. We continue to march forward to nurture this blessed creature of God and solicit your prayers as we march on. I’ll give you monthly updates on Vicky.
#EverSoGrateful
#ThankYouLord
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