In the NICU at CHOP

Our little angel, Maria Isabella, is 2 days old today! She’s absolutely gorgeous and as for most of the general concerns with pre-term babies 35-week old babies, she’s doing surprisingly well! She is no longer on oxygen and her blood sugar levels have been, for the most part, stabilized.

The orthopedic surgeon came to examen her feet and have found both of then to be slightly clubbed, something that should be simple to correct (with a few weeks of leg casting in the first few months of her life).

As for her legs and toes, they are moving! Our job is to help encourage movement and stretching by doing simple physical therapy each time we change her diaper.

Another issue that most children with Spina Bifida have is bowel and bladder incontinence. So far, she seems to have good control over the emptying of her bladder, and they are still examining her bowels and the muscles that help her control the relief of her bowels. Please keep this in your prayers, as she may well need some help with this.

The doctors will continue monitoring the fluids in her brain ventricles…they were somewhat high in the last few weeks of pregnancy….something that is a concern…but they will be looking for symptoms that need treatment. In a best case scenario, the fluids won’t cause any problems to her brain function and will not need to be shunted. If necessary in the future, the doctors can place a permanent shunt that will help remove the excess fluids from her brain and in to her abdomen.

She is doing so well! God is so good for granting us this beautiful gift, our little Maria Isabella!

Although she is doing so well, she still needs your prayers!

Here is a picture of her urgent baptism with Fr Michael Mannion:

Here she is with her two aunties, Karissa and Daisy:

With her abuela

And grandma and grandpa

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