Update on Liza

This is all out of order in my blog book timeline... but I wanted to due an update on Liza as of late. I will fill in the gaps as far as fall fun, Halloween,  Liza's birthday, and all the fun stuff in between at a later time.

The reason I decided to do this is because we have had so, so many people reach out to us, pray for us, send us things in the hospital, text, call, ect. It has put me in awe. I have avoided facebook because it is not my favorite outlet for personal matters, but I did feel like I owed all of my prayer warriors an update as they have dedicated so much time to praying for my sweet angel. Joey and I have been blown away with support.

On Saturday, November 15th, at 2 weeks old, Liza had some changes that made me think she needed to be seen by her doctor. I took her in that day, and was released with what everyone thought was reflux. We had her normal check-up that following Monday the 17th, and she woke up with some new symptoms that she didn't have before. I had that gut feeling something was wrong, and the pediatrician agreed. She was put in the hospital at FGH because that was the fastest way to get all the tests done that they thought she needed. However, they were still hopeful we were just dealing with reflux type symptoms.

This is when the worst day of my life began. After an ultrasound of her head, I was informed that Liza had a ventricular bleed (a hemorrhage in her head). This was the worst possible scenario that I had imagined this could be. Being a nurse, I knew this was what they were looking for and I also knew that would we worst case scenario. I do not want to get into the emotional details of that day... but we were transferred via ambulance to Blair E. Batson that evening to be admitted into pediatric ICU.

The past week is a blur. We spent 3 nights in ICU, 3 nights in step-down ICU, and a night on the neuro floor. I am soooo happy to report that we were released yesterday and are at home.

Liza had a stage 4 right ventricular bleed, that included the left ventricle and other parts of the brain. After a battery of tests, they found no source of the bleed. Her neurosurgeon said this type of hemorrhage is rare in a term infant, and in 25% of them we never know the source. That is what we are looking at. That is hard, but we were reassured that there was nothing we could have done to prevent it. It is also great news that we did not find out it was some type of clotting disorder or heart defect that would have to be treated as well. All of the doctors have told us time and time again that they look at her xrays which look so terrible, but then they look at her and she looks so great. They  said they doctor on patients, not xrays, so no surgery has been required so far. She has held her on. She has clinically been the same over a week with no increases in head circumference and no new neurological changes. We  had one setback with some high fevers that required another battery of tests, but they ruled out anything serious and think it an unrelated virus.

We do not know what the future holds for Liza. The awesome news is that babies can come back from so much more than you and I could. Her brain has not fully developed, so it can make pathways around the areas that were damaged with the bleed. There is always a chance over the next several months that she could require surgery if some things change, but we have seen no sign of that so far. Being she is only 3 weeks old, it is hard to tell how she was affected. We will know more as milestones pass (sitting up, walking, talking). All that I pray for this baby is that she can experience happiness and love. We can handle the rest. I know one thing... she is one tough cookie. I can't even yet put into words what all she has been through the past week.

Thank you to EVERYONE who has reached out. Please do not hesitate to call or text if you want to check on her. I will try to do an update from time to time. I will probably be in "mama hen" mode for a while, so if you visit I cannot tell you what to expect :) Joey and I are doing our best to hold it together, and have most certainly felt the prayers. PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING! To God be the Glory!