Sunday, November 28, 2010
More Pics... We love seeing her!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Still holdin'...
Not a lot of new things to report. Kiya continues to progress. Today, she weighted in at 3 lbs 9 oz. (Yeah!!! Five ounces over her original birth weight!) Assuming things continue to go well, the nurses say that she can gain up to an ounce a day. We've been told that a lot of what she is going through right now is typical for a preemie baby. She continues to tolerate her feedings well.
The A's & B's (having to do with breathing) are still giving her a hard time. She went from 40 bpm to 200 bpm yesterday. Typically, though, her heart rate has been in the 150's, which is where they want it to be. The hope is, in time it will work itself out.
Kris and Matt get a chance almost daily to hold Kiya for an hour or so. Payoff moments for parents.
Thank you again for your positive thoughts and prayers.
We love you Kiya
The A's & B's (having to do with breathing) are still giving her a hard time. She went from 40 bpm to 200 bpm yesterday. Typically, though, her heart rate has been in the 150's, which is where they want it to be. The hope is, in time it will work itself out.
Kris and Matt get a chance almost daily to hold Kiya for an hour or so. Payoff moments for parents.
Thank you again for your positive thoughts and prayers.
We love you Kiya
Thursday, November 25, 2010
More Cute Pictures of Kiya
She is growing like a weed! Apparently she is has gained weight and is about 3 pounds 7 ounces now! The ultrasound performed on her heart determined her heart also looks good. We are just counting our blessings and hoping all continues to go well for her.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Kiya Enjoying A Bath
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Some Positives!
Today was a good day for little Kiya. Positive things that are happening in her life:
1. The nutritive I.V. fluid has been removed. Kiya now has one less pic line. This is great as there can be negative side-effects from this kind of diet.
2. No more daily pokes to her foot to draw blood, to make sure she is getting the right nutrition from the I.V.
3. They are continuing to increase Kiya's "food" intake.
4. Kiya has gone two days without having a "tap".
5. Kiya's brain ultrasound showed "no change". We consider that a positive.
6. The amount of oxygen flowing through her cannula has been decreased.
We still haven't heard from the specialist concerning Kiya's heart. She continues to have little lapses in breathing. Apparently this is not uncommon in preemies, and Kiya continues to "fix" the situation.
Sorry we haven't put any new pictures on the blog. Kiya currently has a blanket covering her little isolate making it too dark to take a good picture. Take our word for it, she's just as beautiful as ever. We'll provide proof of that as soon as we can.
We all know that Kiya is a miracle. It was brought home to us again today when Kristen met with Dr. Aagard, her OB/GYN. Dr. Aagard was the attending physician when Kiya was born. Dr. Aagard told Kristen that he had never seen a baby live before where resuscitation procedures had been administered for so long.
Three days after Kiya was born, Dr. Aagard called UVMC to check on Kiya's condition. He was told by the staff at UVMC, that they didn't think Kiya would make it. On Saturday, Kiya will be four weeks old.
To each and every one of you, that has offered prayers on behalf of Kiya, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You have our sincerest gratitude.
We love you Kiya.
1. The nutritive I.V. fluid has been removed. Kiya now has one less pic line. This is great as there can be negative side-effects from this kind of diet.
2. No more daily pokes to her foot to draw blood, to make sure she is getting the right nutrition from the I.V.
3. They are continuing to increase Kiya's "food" intake.
4. Kiya has gone two days without having a "tap".
5. Kiya's brain ultrasound showed "no change". We consider that a positive.
6. The amount of oxygen flowing through her cannula has been decreased.
We still haven't heard from the specialist concerning Kiya's heart. She continues to have little lapses in breathing. Apparently this is not uncommon in preemies, and Kiya continues to "fix" the situation.
Sorry we haven't put any new pictures on the blog. Kiya currently has a blanket covering her little isolate making it too dark to take a good picture. Take our word for it, she's just as beautiful as ever. We'll provide proof of that as soon as we can.
We all know that Kiya is a miracle. It was brought home to us again today when Kristen met with Dr. Aagard, her OB/GYN. Dr. Aagard was the attending physician when Kiya was born. Dr. Aagard told Kristen that he had never seen a baby live before where resuscitation procedures had been administered for so long.
Three days after Kiya was born, Dr. Aagard called UVMC to check on Kiya's condition. He was told by the staff at UVMC, that they didn't think Kiya would make it. On Saturday, Kiya will be four weeks old.
To each and every one of you, that has offered prayers on behalf of Kiya, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You have our sincerest gratitude.
We love you Kiya.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Our little angel baby
Little Kiya is almost three pounds! They have increased her feedings to 19 ml. every three hours. She seems to be tolerating her feedings well. Kiya had a very small feeding tube in her mouth but the nurses had to remove it. Apparently Kiya kept moving her tongue around and managed to dislodge the tube four different times. Looks like Kiya is already starting to call the shots!
Today they did a test/scan on her heart--(sorry-not to up on the medical terms). The "tech" said he thought everything looked OK. We are waiting for the official reading from one of the doctors--then we can cheer!
Tomorrow Kiya will have an ultrasound on her head. They will use the results from this test to determine the amount of fluid drawn and number of taps Kiya will continue to need. Taps are currently being performed daily. Hopefully Kiya has improved enough to get to skip a day between taps. She doesn't like having taps done.
Occasionally Kiya still has to be reminded to breathe, her symptoms are similar to sleep apnia. When she stops, she is gently touched and talked to and then she is up and running again. Once she can breathe regularly on her own, they can remove the breathing tube from her nose.
Kiya is such a little fighter. She endures all of the tests and tubes and just keeps giving her very best. The doctors have told Kris and Matt that she will not be going home before January.
We wish to thank each of you again for your support, your concern and your prayers. Kiya is truly our heaven sent gift. She has a sweet, pure spirit that can be felt when you are near her.
We love you Kiya
Grandma S
Today they did a test/scan on her heart--(sorry-not to up on the medical terms). The "tech" said he thought everything looked OK. We are waiting for the official reading from one of the doctors--then we can cheer!
Tomorrow Kiya will have an ultrasound on her head. They will use the results from this test to determine the amount of fluid drawn and number of taps Kiya will continue to need. Taps are currently being performed daily. Hopefully Kiya has improved enough to get to skip a day between taps. She doesn't like having taps done.
Occasionally Kiya still has to be reminded to breathe, her symptoms are similar to sleep apnia. When she stops, she is gently touched and talked to and then she is up and running again. Once she can breathe regularly on her own, they can remove the breathing tube from her nose.
Kiya is such a little fighter. She endures all of the tests and tubes and just keeps giving her very best. The doctors have told Kris and Matt that she will not be going home before January.
We wish to thank each of you again for your support, your concern and your prayers. Kiya is truly our heaven sent gift. She has a sweet, pure spirit that can be felt when you are near her.
We love you Kiya
Grandma S
Friday, November 12, 2010
Successful surgery!
The "resevoir" surgery performed on Monday went well. We will have to wait and see how much Kiya will heal on her own. If she isn't able to drain the fluid on her own, a shunt will be inserted when she gets bigger/older.
On a positive note, Kiya is tolerating her feedings. She receives nourishment through two little tiny tubes in her mouth. They are in the process of trying to increase the amount they feed her every three hours. Kiya currently weighs 2 lbs 9 ounces.
On Wednesday, the large breathing tube was removed, and Kiya is now back to the small breathing tubes in her nostrils. It's bittersweet to be able to hear her tiny cries again.
Kiya's is a real trooper. She continues to endure all of her treatments and also continues to progress.
We love you Kiya!
On a positive note, Kiya is tolerating her feedings. She receives nourishment through two little tiny tubes in her mouth. They are in the process of trying to increase the amount they feed her every three hours. Kiya currently weighs 2 lbs 9 ounces.
On Wednesday, the large breathing tube was removed, and Kiya is now back to the small breathing tubes in her nostrils. It's bittersweet to be able to hear her tiny cries again.
Kiya's is a real trooper. She continues to endure all of her treatments and also continues to progress.
We love you Kiya!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Little Fighter
I had the opportunity this weekend to spend time with my brand new (adorable!) niece. I honestly could never have imagined the sense of strength and courage that I could feel eminating from such a tiny child. Kristen remarked that Kiya has taught her to "fight even when you shouldn't have to." I couldn't agree more. She continues to teach us each and every minute how precious life really is.
Monday was Kiya's first surgery. The Doctors at Primary Children's hospital put in a reservoir to drain the excess cerebrospinal fluid from her brain. The surgery went well and she will continue to recover at Primary Children's for the next few weeks.
We will continue to pray and hope for the entire Banzhaf family. Matt & Kris are incredible and have so much optimism for Kiya. One of the staff at PCMC commented that she knew Kiya would have a great life based on the amount of parental support Matt and Kristen have shown. They are an amazing example of faith and love!
Thank you all so much for your compassion and love. It is deeply appreciated!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Our roller coaster ride
Thursday morning, Kiya was transferred to Primary Children's hospital. UVMC has an incredible NICU, but they do not have neurosurgeons and neurologists on staff. Kiya had fluid accumulating around her brain, and they felt that surgery would be necessary to drain the fluid surrounding her brain. She had developed a blood clot, and they weren't sure if the blood clot was the cause of the blockage, or if the "flap" in the brain was not functioning correctly.
Today, (Friday), Matt was able to meet with the neurosurgeon. The doctor said they are going to wait to operate and see if Kiya can drain the fluid on her own. They will do another ultrasound on Monday and check her status. This was the first good news Matt and Kris have had since Wednesday night.
Kiya has been one miracle after another. As mentioned earlier Kiya is the first baby they have had live with a hemoglobin count of 1. This is incredible, as the neonatalogist at UVMC has personally treated over 27,000 babies during his 30+ year career.
Kiya has made incredible progress on breathing. She has gone from a big tube in her mouth, to a C-pap machine, and is now down to a little breathing tube in both of her nostrils. Having surgery in itself is heartbreaking, but the thought of Kiya having to go through all the tubes again was additionally devastating.
Although Kiya has/is being treated by world-renowned physicians and the absolute best medical care available, none of us think for a minute that any of this progress is short of miraculous. We strongly feel that all of your prayers and faith are helping little Kiya progress each and every day. We can't thank you enough for all that you have done. Our prayers are being heard and answered.
Thank you, and we love you Kiya!
(Grandma Slatter)
Today, (Friday), Matt was able to meet with the neurosurgeon. The doctor said they are going to wait to operate and see if Kiya can drain the fluid on her own. They will do another ultrasound on Monday and check her status. This was the first good news Matt and Kris have had since Wednesday night.
Kiya has been one miracle after another. As mentioned earlier Kiya is the first baby they have had live with a hemoglobin count of 1. This is incredible, as the neonatalogist at UVMC has personally treated over 27,000 babies during his 30+ year career.
Kiya has made incredible progress on breathing. She has gone from a big tube in her mouth, to a C-pap machine, and is now down to a little breathing tube in both of her nostrils. Having surgery in itself is heartbreaking, but the thought of Kiya having to go through all the tubes again was additionally devastating.
Although Kiya has/is being treated by world-renowned physicians and the absolute best medical care available, none of us think for a minute that any of this progress is short of miraculous. We strongly feel that all of your prayers and faith are helping little Kiya progress each and every day. We can't thank you enough for all that you have done. Our prayers are being heard and answered.
Thank you, and we love you Kiya!
(Grandma Slatter)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Up and Down
Sighs... Kiya's doctors told Matt and Kris that her health and recovery would be a roller coaster ride. Unfortunately, Kiya is back on a downhill side of the roller coaster right now. Although she has made considerable strides with her respiration, other areas of her little body are not functioning quite as well. We will post more when Matt and Kris are more comfortable disclosing it... In the meantime, please continue to hope and pray for our little Kiya. We love her so much and greatly appreciate having her special little spirit with us...
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
More Pictures
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| Matt and big brother Lex checking on Kiya... |
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| Kristen is so beautiful and such a good mother... |
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