On April 15th 2016, Danny and I were blessed to find out that the little baby we had longed for, for almost a year, was finally in my belly. We were filled with joy knowing that we would finally be parents to a sweet little child. Life was good. Then, at my 14-week doctors appointment, our world came crashing down. During Viviana's ultrasound, not only did we find out that we were having a sweet baby girl, but we also got the devastating news that our little angel, who we had dreamed about for so long, was very sick.
At first, we were told that Viviana most likely had a chromosomal abnormality, and that we needed to do genetic testing and a full anatomy scan. The genetic testing came back negative, but, unfortunately, her anatomy scan showed some abnormalities. Even with these findings, the doctors were still unsure about what Viviana's diagnosis was and what her future looked like. We just knew she was very sick, and that more testing, as she grew bigger, would be necessary to fully understand what was going on in her tiny body.
The doctors gave Viviana a 5% survival rate and told us to prepare for the worst. Of course, we were given the option to terminate the pregnancy, but that was not an option for us. Viviana deserved to write her own story and deserved to live her life, in my belly, where she was safe and warm for as long as she was able to.
After months and months of testing, multiple fatal diagnoses (that turned out to be negative), fetal MRIs, fetal echocardiograms, and endless doctors appointments, we had all of the information we were going to get. There were no other tests to be done, no more specialists to see, and, aside from twice-weekly hospital monitoring, we just had to wait and see what the future would hold for our little girl.
What we did know, was that Viviana was very behind on her growth, she had abnormalities in her brain, and a possible heart defect. The months went by, and Viviana was thankfully still snuggled in my tummy. Everyday was joyous because she was still with us, but, at the same time, so painful knowing that it could change at any moment.
Finally, on November 21st 2016 at 11:48am, our sweet, beautiful, little angel was born at 35 weeks old. After delivering her, they quickly whisked her away to the NICU before we could even see her. No cutting of the cord for Danny, no snuggles with Mommy. We weren't even able to see her face before she was taken. It would be an hour before a doctor came to speak with us about her condition. It was the longest hour of our lives.
We were finally told that Viviana had gone five minutes without oxygen after birth, due to problems with intubation, which was put in place because she was not breathing on her own. Due to this, she developed a Grade-2 bleed in her brain and was not doing well. This was all on top of her already-diagnosed abnormalities, so the doctors were very concerned for her well being. After much anticipation, we were finally able to see our baby girl in the NICU. We were so excited to finally meet her, but, at the same time, so terrified to see our daughter in such poor condition. She was a beautiful little angel, a gift sent from God. We immediately fell in love with her. She had Daddy's adorable curls, and Mommy's hands.
Viviana has a very long road ahead of her, and has a lot to recover from. We are with her at the Georgetown Medical Center NICU, day in and day out, praying and hoping that she pulls through. Our sweet Viviana is the strongest person I know. She has been fighting since the beginning and has never given up. We are so proud of her and so thankful that she fought this hard so that we could be her parents. These have been the darkest days of our lives, but seeing her beautiful little face every day somehow makes it easier.
We wanted to share Viviana's story because we are asking for continuous prayers from our family and friends. Thank you, to our loved ones who have supported us these past 6 months. We could not have done it without you.
We intend to keep this page updated with Viviana's progress, for those who wish to stay up to date. Thank you for visiting our little girls prayer page, and thank you In advance for your prayers.
With Love,
Angela and Danny
Angela and Danny
