Everlee’s Fight As A Micro Preemie
Donation protected
All about Everlee Mae!
On January 31, 2020 our lives decided to take a roller coaster ride. Everlee was born at 25 weeks weighing 1 pound. Two weeks prior to Everlee's birth I had been diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). This means that Everlee was not growing and that the blood flow from the placenta to Everlee was failing. She had stopped growing at 20 weeks and I was being monitored very closely by having 2-3 appointments weekly. At my last ultrasound appointment the doctor came into the room and said that we needed to get to the hospital right away because the blood flow had reversed and was not giving Everlee the nutrients she needed to survive. Upon arriving to the hospital I was given steroid injections to help develop her lungs faster than the normal rate. I was an inpatient for two days before the doctors rushed me into an emergency c section because Everlee's heart rate had kept dropping. Everlee was intubated and put on life support the moment she entered this world. The first 2 weeks of her life were the scariest times of our lives. On day 14 of life Everlee had been maxed out on support and we had been told that they did everything they could and we should prepare for the worst. Within the next few days she had miraculously started to improve by bringing her oxygen requirement down. From there Everlee was changed from the oscillator vent and changed over to the more commonly used conventional vent. She then started to improve her oxygen requirement and started gaining weight and I was finally able to hold her for the first time after 35 days. Everlee was given a dose of steroids and after 45 days of being intubated she was extubated and placed on NIPPV which is non invasive positive pressure ventilation. That means that she was breathing on her own while being given various amounts of pressure. Sadly, 27 hours later she started to go into distress and needed to be reintubated. She had now taken 3 steps back in her progress and needed to start the weaning process over again. After many weeks and many failed attempts to wean her ventilator pressures the doctors decided that she would benefit from another dose of steroids. On April 23, 2020 she was extubated and placed on high setting of CPAP which is continuous positive airway pressure. She had skipped the NIPPV step all together and was doing so well. When the steroid medication had stopped her oxygen requirements had stated to creep back up. On May 18, 2020 we have spoken with the nurses and doctors and decided that the only option would be to get a tracheostomy to be able to bring Everlee home in a timely manner and get her to be with the people she loves and to grow adequately. This will take a big toll on all of us but we all need to do what is best for Everlee and the tracheostomy will give her the best chance at a wonderful life. We are asking for donations for her medical necessities and because we will need to invest in larger and more dependable vehicles to be able to travel with her medical equipment and oxygen tanks back and forth from medical appointments near and far. We will also need to hire a full time nurse because Everlee will need 24 hour care and supervision. We will also not be able to work for a while due to being her primary care givers. She will not be able to ever attend daycare so I will have to be a stay at home mom to be able to care for her. We have a long road ahead of us but Everlee is the strongest little girl and has gone through more in her short 3 and a half months of life than most people do in a life time. We are #EVERLEESTRONG!
On January 31, 2020 our lives decided to take a roller coaster ride. Everlee was born at 25 weeks weighing 1 pound. Two weeks prior to Everlee's birth I had been diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). This means that Everlee was not growing and that the blood flow from the placenta to Everlee was failing. She had stopped growing at 20 weeks and I was being monitored very closely by having 2-3 appointments weekly. At my last ultrasound appointment the doctor came into the room and said that we needed to get to the hospital right away because the blood flow had reversed and was not giving Everlee the nutrients she needed to survive. Upon arriving to the hospital I was given steroid injections to help develop her lungs faster than the normal rate. I was an inpatient for two days before the doctors rushed me into an emergency c section because Everlee's heart rate had kept dropping. Everlee was intubated and put on life support the moment she entered this world. The first 2 weeks of her life were the scariest times of our lives. On day 14 of life Everlee had been maxed out on support and we had been told that they did everything they could and we should prepare for the worst. Within the next few days she had miraculously started to improve by bringing her oxygen requirement down. From there Everlee was changed from the oscillator vent and changed over to the more commonly used conventional vent. She then started to improve her oxygen requirement and started gaining weight and I was finally able to hold her for the first time after 35 days. Everlee was given a dose of steroids and after 45 days of being intubated she was extubated and placed on NIPPV which is non invasive positive pressure ventilation. That means that she was breathing on her own while being given various amounts of pressure. Sadly, 27 hours later she started to go into distress and needed to be reintubated. She had now taken 3 steps back in her progress and needed to start the weaning process over again. After many weeks and many failed attempts to wean her ventilator pressures the doctors decided that she would benefit from another dose of steroids. On April 23, 2020 she was extubated and placed on high setting of CPAP which is continuous positive airway pressure. She had skipped the NIPPV step all together and was doing so well. When the steroid medication had stopped her oxygen requirements had stated to creep back up. On May 18, 2020 we have spoken with the nurses and doctors and decided that the only option would be to get a tracheostomy to be able to bring Everlee home in a timely manner and get her to be with the people she loves and to grow adequately. This will take a big toll on all of us but we all need to do what is best for Everlee and the tracheostomy will give her the best chance at a wonderful life. We are asking for donations for her medical necessities and because we will need to invest in larger and more dependable vehicles to be able to travel with her medical equipment and oxygen tanks back and forth from medical appointments near and far. We will also need to hire a full time nurse because Everlee will need 24 hour care and supervision. We will also not be able to work for a while due to being her primary care givers. She will not be able to ever attend daycare so I will have to be a stay at home mom to be able to care for her. We have a long road ahead of us but Everlee is the strongest little girl and has gone through more in her short 3 and a half months of life than most people do in a life time. We are #EVERLEESTRONG!
Organizer
Kaylee Vieira
Organizer
New Bedford, MA