Pray For Victoria: WK13-WK16 (Machine Support Gone)

*Please do not post this page or any pics on Facebook or any social media; however, feel free to share via email or text.

*Contact Leyda and Brian at: BrianAndLeyda@yahoo.com   |   Para español, haga clic aquí.
================================================

GOD GIVES PEACE
Philippians 4:6-7 | Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Video of Victoria's first three months prepared by Grandma Jennifer Cooper: Click Here.

WEEK 13-14: Day 85 - Day 98 | June 29 - July 12 | 35.5 -37.5 weeks gestation
Note: Prayer Request Below!

It’s been a fantastic two weeks! By the way, I’ll be updating every other week… aka I’m too lazy to keep this blog going with updates every week! Victoria is 3 months old now and she has been smooth sailing. In the past two weeks she has gained just under one pound and she now weighs 5lb 7oz! She increased her feeds from 40cc to 50cc per feeding and she's experiencing less problems breathing while eating.  Because of this, she is now drinking about 80-90% of her feeds through the bottle. Additionally, she is only on 21% oxygen, which is what we healthy beings breathe. The nurses only need to bump her oxygen to 25% through the nasal cannula when she has a minor issue every now and then. Also on the good news side, Victoria is maintaining her temperature around 98.0 F and she continues to digest her food just fine.

Her arms still have a significant amount of shake in it when she moves.  The physical therapist continue to work with her in the morning by stretching her limbs and helping her do exercises. They tell us she is progressing in this area, so that's comforting.

Lil girl’s eyes are ok. In one eye the doctor did not recognize ROP. Praise God! In the other eye she listed her findings as stage 2 Zone 2 ROP (Not bad).

Victoria looks more and more alert each week. At the same time she cries much more than what she did in the previous weeks. The doctor and the nurses say it’s just a sign that she is close to the full term stage. Her cry is very loud now. I heard it loud and clear way down the hallway one day which was at least 30 steps away. On the good side, I’m told that with a cry that loud, her lungs must be maturing well because babies need lung strength to audibly cry with force as she is doing. On the other hand, we know crying is normal for babies, but with Vicky being our first born child, it’s uneasy to her cry that loud. She calms down significantly after being fed and almost all the time her cries are due to her hunger. Feed me is the cry!

PRAYER REQUEST: The doctors found a skin condition on Victoria, but with what I’ve researched and with what the doctors informed us, we are not going to worry. Are hopes is that the issue will go away without treatment, which is the case for the vast majority of people and babies who get this condition. Be in prayer for Victoria on this issue.

We had a couple of baby showers and diaper parties this past weekend and it was fantastic. We must thank my parents Rudy & Jennifer and my brother and sister-in-law, RJ & Natalie for their efforts in making it a great occasion. A big thank you to my sister Debra for being the main planner for the first party and another big thank you to Kristin and Lissette and the many helpers at Faith Assembly Church who helped make the second shower/party very pleasant. It was fantastic to celebrate Victoria with family and friends. We love you guys.

While I am thanking folks, I must include Grandpa Leonte and Grandma Tomasa and Tio David and Tia Raquel. They’ve led a legion of folks praying for Victoria in the beautiful Caribbean country of the Dominican Republic. I’d also like to thank The FORT church and St. Monica’s Catholic Church for their continuous support. I’ll write more on appreciation another day because there are PLENTY more people and ministries to thank for helping us on our journey through this trial. We are grateful for the support and prayers and even more grateful to God. #FeelingBlessed!

==================================================================

WEEK 15-16: Day 99 - Day 112 | July 13 - July 26 | 37.5 -39.5 weeks gestation
Victoria’s ‘look’ keeps changing. Every week we are trying to determine who she looks like in the family and the conclusion changes. Some say Leyda, some say me, some say Grandma Jennifer. Either way, she looks good!

Two more good weeks have passed. The doctors took Victoria off caffeine and she responded well. As a reminder the caffeine is used to help babies to remember to breathe. Two of the biggest milestones met in these weeks is that she no longer has a feeding tube inserted into her mouth and she is off the cannula! No more machine feeding support and no more machine breathing support! There was a swift climb this past week to no machine support especially on the breathing side. She was on 1 liter of oxygen flow from the nasal cannula for about 4 weeks and then within one week she went to ½ liter, then to ¼ liter, then to 1/8 liter and then she was off. She did have few Brady’s and desatts while off the tubes and on low flow oxygen. Most were minor and didn’t last long so we are very hopeful. But she did have a couple of breathing episodes that made the doctors and nurses say she needs to stay here a tad longer. She recovered on her own without major intervention. Most of her issue is reflux related after eating. Do PRAY for her in this area of reflux. As of now, it's the prime reason holding her back from being discharged. Above all, it’s such a blessing to see her tube free. God is Good!

The eye doctor visited again and said Victoria is ROP free. That was a Woohoo moment when we got the report. She will still need to follow up with the eye doctor frequently to make sure the eyes are developing well, but Victoria is on the right track. Supposedly her doctor is world renown so we are in good hands. In related news, she no longer has the skin condition that was a concern a few weeks ago. The previous test were probably a false positive.

Weight gain is going well. She gained 1lb completely and in two weeks and she now weighs 6lbs-7oz. She looks like a typical newborn. Praise God!

In other news, the medical team checked for a bone disease and it came back negative; Great.   Also, they started giving Victoria a special mixture of milk and formula to ensure she gets food intake that gives her the best nutrition.

Leyda’s good friend Josie hosted a third baby shower along with her sisters and JC Salon customers. Thanks to all for pouring into Victoria’s life. We just about got the house ready for the little one. (Yes we are behind!)

Well the doctors and nurses are telling us the discharge date is now in hand’s reach. We may be out of here in one more week. Bless The Lord Oh My Soul!

==================================================================