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Great River Road, 1 pound, 2.8 oz Micropreemie
RiojasFamilyFive - 10:04pm Jul 15, 2012 EST
Hello! My name is Kara Riojas and this is our story.
We knew that our youngest child was a fighter from the beginning of this pregnancy. I was told at 10 weeks that my progesterone levels were low and the pregnancy was not expected to last. We held our breath until 15 weeks only to receive the news that my blood test results were returned high risk for trisomy. My husband and I decided to proceed with an amniocentesis so we could prepare ourselves as much as possible; we already loved our baby immensely. We waited an agonizing two weeks to learn our baby had no chromosomal issues and it was a boy!
On June 26th at 5am, I felt a strange gush of fluid. I was only 27 weeks pregnant so I knew it couldn’t be a good thing. My fears grew when I saw it was blood. My husband rushed me to the ER where I heard our baby’s heartbeat and was immediately checked for placenta previa or abruption, both negative. The doctors never determined why I was bleeding; this amazing random sign that sent me to the hospital quite possibly saved our baby’s life.
The following day, we learned that there was backflow occurring from the umbilical chord, our baby was growth restricted due to this. Then his heart rate began to drop down into the 60’s. River Ryan was born at 2:53 PM on June 27th via emergency c-section, he was 1 pound, 2.8 ounces.
This would be our second journey into the NICU world. Our 3 year old twins were also born early at 31 weeks, Reese was 3 pounds, 16 oz and Riley was 3 pounds, 7 ounces. They were home in 4 weeks. River, though much smaller than his brother and sister, has shown incredible strength.
The neonatologists and nurses have almost all commented that he has no idea how small he is because he is acting like a giant! He is breathing on his own but does still have a nasal cannula because it’s important to preserve his stamina and not push him too hard. He is up to 6 ML’s of breast milk every 3 hours and has maintained excellent blood gases, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. The major yet common (for preemies) issue he is experiencing now is apnea/bradycardia, he forgets to take good breaths while sleeping and his heart rate drops. Sometimes he needs a little stimulation and sometimes he comes back up on his own. He is up to 1 pound, 6 ounces now and is doing amazing.
Though the NICU is a rollercoaster of emotions, it’s important to stay positive and keep the faith. We call our journey Great River Road and our boy is sprinting down it!
If you would like to follow River's journey "living in the NICU", you may visit www.facebook.com/riverryanriojas
Thank you and God Bless you and your families!
Hello! My name is Kara Riojas and this is our story.
We knew that our youngest child was a fighter from the beginning of this pregnancy. I was told at 10 weeks that my progesterone levels were low and the pregnancy was not expected to last. We held our breath until 15 weeks only to receive the news that my blood test results were returned high risk for trisomy. My husband and I decided to proceed with an amniocentesis so we could prepare ourselves as much as possible; we already loved our baby immensely. We waited an agonizing two weeks to learn our baby had no chromosomal issues and it was a boy!
On June 26th at 5am, I felt a strange gush of fluid. I was only 27 weeks pregnant so I knew it couldn’t be a good thing. My fears grew when I saw it was blood. My husband rushed me to the ER where I heard our baby’s heartbeat and was immediately checked for placenta previa or abruption, both negative. The doctors never determined why I was bleeding; this amazing random sign that sent me to the hospital quite possibly saved our baby’s life.
The following day, we learned that there was backflow occurring from the umbilical chord, our baby was growth restricted due to this. Then his heart rate began to drop down into the 60’s. River Ryan was born at 2:53 PM on June 27th via emergency c-section, he was 1 pound, 2.8 ounces.
This would be our second journey into the NICU world. Our 3 year old twins were also born early at 31 weeks, Reese was 3 pounds, 16 oz and Riley was 3 pounds, 7 ounces. They were home in 4 weeks. River, though much smaller than his brother and sister, has shown incredible strength.
The neonatologists and nurses have almost all commented that he has no idea how small he is because he is acting like a giant! He is breathing on his own but does still have a nasal cannula because it’s important to preserve his stamina and not push him too hard. He is up to 6 ML’s of breast milk every 3 hours and has maintained excellent blood gases, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc. The major yet common (for preemies) issue he is experiencing now is apnea/bradycardia, he forgets to take good breaths while sleeping and his heart rate drops. Sometimes he needs a little stimulation and sometimes he comes back up on his own. He is up to 1 pound, 6 ounces now and is doing amazing.
Though the NICU is a rollercoaster of emotions, it’s important to stay positive and keep the faith. We call our journey Great River Road and our boy is sprinting down it!
If you would like to follow River's journey "living in the NICU", you may visit www.facebook.com/riverryanriojas
Thank you and God Bless you and your families!
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