Baby Cruiz & her NICU Journey

Our sweet angelic granddaughter, Cruiz Marie Green came into this world on 10/31/22 at 8:55 pm, weighing in at 3 lbs 14 oz. Cruiz was born early, at 33 weeks and three days. Her due date was December 16th, but god had other plans for her. Thankfully, our son Caleb and his fiancee Felicia live in Buffalo, which has excellent facilities and care resources. For that, we feel blessed. Cruiz is currently in the NICU at John R. Oishei Children's Hospital. It was no secret that Cruiz would have a rough start and would have to spend some time in the NICU after birth. Felicia was diagnosed early in her pregnancy with a high-risk condition called Vasa Previa. She would need to be admitted to the hospital at 32 weeks pregnant with a plan to deliver at week 34 if it was safe to wait that long. Throughout the pregnancy, she was seen by multiple doctors and specialists as Cruiz seemed small and was measuring two weeks behind in her growth. They were concerned enough to do weekly appointments and many ultrasounds to monitor her. Once Cruiz arrived, she was sent to the NICU to be assessed. It was discovered that she had a TEF, a tracheoesophageal fistula which prevented a feeding tube from being inserted. She would need surgery to fix this and find out exactly what type we were dealing with. As new parents, this was unexpected, and they were unprepared for it. Cruiz had her surgery on 11/2/22. Our sweet, frail baby was in surgery for almost 7 hours. We were told they had to be extra meticulous with things because she was so little. Thankfully, mom and dad were given updates on how things were going every 2 hours, but it was the longest day of not knowing what was ahead. They found a small hole in her esophagus and that her esophagus was attached to her trachea instead of her stomach (type D, which is the rarest), which they had to stretch and reroute. It was challenging, but our little fighter made it (God is good). She has a long road ahead of her still. They plan on going back in to stretch her esophagus in the next month, give or take a little. Over the next week following surgery, we had a lot of scares, tears, hugs, and smiles. It's been an emotional rollercoaster. Thankfully this NICU allowed four visitors to help mom and dad get little breaks. They chose Darrin and me and her mom and dad, Phil and Carmarie, to be there. As much as Caleb and Fe didn't want to leave, we stepped up the best we could to give them moments to refresh, shower, and eat. Cruiz had to get a PICC line in to get her lipids and vitamins as she could not eat just yet. She also needed blood transfusions; they also found she was jaundiced, so she spent a lot of time under the lamps (she was not a fan), and she seemed to have moments of apnea which completely scared us all. Cruiz was able to start bottle feeding on 11/09, which was one week after surgery. She began at 3mls and has made it up to 18mls. Last night was rough, and she didn't have a good night tolerating the feeds and went back down to 12mls today. Mom and Dad can finally hold her as they removed the chest tube on 11/11. I am sure I have left out things, but my mind is all over the place right now. They are telling us to plan on her being in the NICU for at least a couple of months. We are praying to have her healthy and home by Christmas.

Caleb and Fe have so much running through their minds daily with caring for Cruiz. The doctor bills are starting to come in; some are $1,000+ out of pocket for each specialist visit and the many tests run during pregnancy. These bills do not include anything since Cruiz was born. The everyday bills are still there, and now we have added things like paying to park each day, unplanned food expenses, gas to commute daily to the hospital, etc. Felicia is a very kind, loving school teacher. She has a heart of gold and is very giving. She is currently out of work on medical leave but is spending it at the hospital to see her baby instead of being able to bond at home like a lot of moms do with their newborns. Caleb has been amazing staying by her side and is so loving to his daughter. It is the most beautiful thing I have seen. Unfortunately, Caleb's recent job went under, and at this time, he has no income coming in. He has savings set aside, but due to so many unexpected circumstances, he is going through it fast. He was assigned to start a new employment opportunity on 11/02, but due to everything going on, he had to give it up to be there for Felicia and Cruiz. Having a limited income with a new baby is not the ideal situation.

Neither Caleb nor Felicia would ever ask for anything to help them through this tough time. Still, I remember going through Darrin's leukemia in 2016-2017 and how everyone stepped up to help us and gave me the time to be there with him without worrying about the bills and how to pay them. I am asking for the same support for these new parents. They tried to plan and save for this new addition to their family, but sometimes things come unexpectedly, and that's when we as a community, step up and help. Please consider giving a little something, and if you financially cannot, please keep our sweet baby Cruiz in your prayers. I will post updates on our sweet girl as soon as possible, and I want to thank you for all the love and support!

Vasa Previa: A condition in which blood vessels within the placenta or the umbilical cord are trapped between the fetus and the opening to the birth canal, a situation that carries a high risk the fetus may die from hemorrhage due to a blood vessel tearing at the time the fetal membranes rupture or during labor and delivery.

Tracheoesophageal fistula

Type D: In this rarest form of TEF, a tracheoesophageal fistula connects both the upper and lower portions of your esophagus to your trachea. Less than 1% of babies born with TEF have this type.