Sept 30th, 2009

LOOK WHO'S GOING HOME!!!!!

Sept 25th 2009

Today is a big day! We'll be attempting to have Alexandria feed today. There are just a few more hurdles to get past and she is approaching a point very soon when she can come home. The first is withdrawing from her meds. This will help her heart rate go down as well as her breathing. Her temperature also needs to be a bit lower. Secondly is her feeding. The sooner she starts doing that and digesting her food better, we will be one step closer. She has lost some weight from her initial and needs to start gaining a portion of that back. Currently she's at 9 pounds 10 ounces. WAY TO GO ALEXANDRIA! everyone continue to pray that she progresses positvely and safely so we can have her come home!

Sept 24th, 2009

Can you beleive it?

They were able to transport Alexandria back to Millers at Long BEach Memorial last night around 10:30 pm. This is great news, not only does that mean she is getting so much better but she is also closer to home and one step closer to coming home! During the transport, her heartrate went up and she spiked a temperature but all the lab work came back okay and she isnt fighting an infection. She may be withdrawling from some of the sedation medication and the paralitics, so they will watch her and make sure she remains comfortable. She is no longer on the nasal canula and is doing fine. At the rate that she is going, she will be home before we know it. How fantastic is that??

Here's a photo of Delana, can you see the uncanny resemblance to Baby A? Thought some of you would get a kick out of it! Thanks for letting me post Dee!

Sept 22nd 2009

Yay!! they took out the breathing tubes and she is doing ok. She is breathing kind of fast but it is common with PPHN babies. Here are some new pictures of Alexandria with her Proud mommy and daddy!

Prayers for tomorrow please!

I am just in awe at the shear determination and will to live that Baby Alexandria has shown in the first week of her life. She is currently off of all meds and they are hopeful to perform an extubation tomorrow. That is the removal of her breathing tube. In most cases of PPHN, the normal ventilation period is 2 weeks. In this short amount of time, just one week! we have seen her make unprecedented strides. Lets keep our hearts and minds positve that tomorrow is succesful. This would mean such a giant leap in her recovery for her own body to function on its own accord. She is truely one amazing little girl!

Sept 20th 2009

Getting her hair done!

Oh Happy Day, Happy Day! After speaking to the doctors yesterday, they have assured us that she has definitely turned the corner and is expected to make a full recovery!

We could not have done it without the prayers and support of so many people. Her recovery is still one day at a time but in the right direction. Lets keep our prayers coming and know that this is truely miraculous how well she is doing. There is definitely a higher power holding her in his arms.

Lets have a fun Poll...Who do you think Baby Alex looks like??

Regarding Posting Comments

I totally apologize to any of you who were unable to leave a comment, I have since fixed the problem and it should be easy peasy now! If anyone has any other difficulties, please feel free to let me know! hanh_gonzalez@msn.com So go ahead..leave a comment or two!

Make it a Good Day =0)

Happy 1 Week Birthday!!!!!!

Look who opened her eyes! =0)

Can you believe that Baby Alex is already a week old?? Happy 1 Week Birthday Sweetness!

Baby Alex is doing well right now and is still making progress. Hopefully within the next few days she will be able to get off the vent. The Dr's are making alot of changes with getting her off the medications. She has turned the corner and We think she is on the road to Recovery!

Please feel free to leave Susie and Tony a comment, I'm sure they would love to hear from all of you and know that they are not alone in this journey.

xoxo!

Sept 19th, 2009

Baby steps.....
Alexandria had a small bump in the road last night. She had an issue with her heart rate being a little low so they performed an EKG. The results of that turned out to be normal which is fantastic. They have lowered her o2 to 60% and are continuing to drop her blood pressure meds again. Slowly but surely she is progressing and we couldnt be happier and hopeful. Everyday is a blessing!

More progress!

Alexandria keeps proving to us that she's a fighter! They have taken her off one of her sedation medications and off of the paralyzing meds. In order to keep her comfortable, they have decided to stop the antibiotics and also lowered the blood pressure meds just a bit. Her o2 intake is now down to 70% which is remarkable progress in such little time. We have to pray that she keeps this improvement up. We are all standing behind Susie and Tony until we see Alexandria through this difficult journey. Thank you to all of you that are praying and continue to pray for Baby Alex and her family!

The Boys!!

awwwwww! Let's not forget about Alexandria's big brothers! Look at them on the way to school! They can"t wait for their baby sister to get better and come home!

Austin, Cesar, and Lil' Tony PEACE!

Sept 18th 2009

Alexandria is continuing to make progress throught the night which is fantastic news! They were able to drop her o2 intake from 100 to 80. They had to go back to 85 but that is ok, it is still an improvement! They have also come down on blood pressure medication and as long as she can tolerate it, we are ok. The plan of attack today is to ween her off of one of the sedation medications and Let's hope for the best!!

Sept 17th 2009

Hello Everyone~
Alexandria had a much better day today. They were able to ween her off of the oscillator to a regular ventilator which is good progress. She seems to be tolerating and adjusting to that pretty well. She has however developed a touch of jaundice. They are still working to stabilize her blood pressure by adjusting her meds. The best news of the day is that instead of having to be on 100% oxygen, they have been able to reduce that to 95%. If she is able to tolerate that well, they will continue to adjust that accordingly. Over all we are seeing slow but continued progress which is very hopeful!

Here is some info on PPHN:
Persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) occurs when a newborn's circulation system does not adapt to breathing outside the womb. While a fetus is in the womb, it gets its oxygen from its mother's placenta through the umbilical cords, so the lungs need little blood supply. There is high blood pressure in the lungs, so blood in the pulmonary artery is sent away from the lungs to the other organs through a fetal blood vessel, called the ductus arteriosus.

When a baby is born and takes its first breaths, the blood pressure in their lungs falls and there is an increased blood flow to the lungs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. The blood is then returned to the heart and pumped back out to the body. The ductus arteriosus constricts and permanently closes in the first day of life. However, in babies with PPHN, the pressure in the lungs remains high and the ductus arterious remains open, allowing blood to be directed away from the lungs.

In a baby with PPHN, however, the fetal circulatory system doesn't "switch over." The ductus arteriosus remains open, and the baby's blood flow continues to bypass the lungs. Even though the baby is breathing, oxygen in the breathed air will not reach the bloodstream. Because the blood returning from the body is unable to enter the lungs properly - and instead flows through the still-open ductus arteriosus - it returns to the heart in an oxygen-poor state. This condition is known as persistent fetal circulation, or PFC.

Although all of this sounds very scary, as some of you may know Little Tony had the same condition and is now a thriving healthy boy! Lets continue to hope for Alexandria's full and speedy recovery!

Good News!!

Just got Good News! Baby Alex's blood pressure has started to stabilize and her o2 and co2 have also started to stabilize as well! She is still critical but is slightly stable. She's a fighter and is heading in the right direction! Thanks for thinking positive and keep the prayers coming! I will post updates as soon as I get them.

I'm hoping that when things settle down a bit Susie or Tony can give you all the updates themselves but until then I'll try to be as prompt and accurate as I can, we all love them and are pulling for Baby Alex's speedy recovery!

Hano

September 15th, 2009
Alexandria has been diagonosed with PPHN which is persistant pulminary hypertension in a newborn. She was transfered to Long Beach Memorial hospital, and now has been moved to UCLA medical center. They have all the equipment available that will ensure that Alex receives the best possible care. Please keep her and the family in your prayers and keep postive thoughts!

Welcome Alexandria Marie Liceaga

Hello Everyone and Welcome to Alexandria's Blog!

On September 14th 2009, Tony and Susie welcome their beautiful baby girl into the world, along with big brothers Ceaser, Austin and Lil' Tony. 11 pounds and 1 ounce of pure joy!