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On Halloween Day, weighing in at 5 lb 13 oz, our beautiful Lena Claire was born! Little Lena experienced damage to her brain which is thought to be caused by knot in her umbilical cord 1-2 days prior to her birth and was required to be delivered via cesarean section. Once she arrived the medical team was immediately concerned due to her lack of crying and she had a significant amount of meconium in her airway. They brought her directly to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for monitoring where, shortly after she arrived, she had 2 seizures. She was given medication to stop these seizures and prevent any from happening in future and this medication also caused her to be very sleepy. She was intubated and placed on a respirator until they could determine why the seizures were happening and have her airway cleared up.
During the night baby Lena did not have any movement nor crying and they did an MRI of her brain. This showed significant damage to all parts of her brain and an EEG showed very little brain activity. This news was obviously devastating for Chris and Deryn and the rest of the family, with so many uncertainties about Lena's recovery and what the future was to hold.
With these two tests completed the medical team diagnosed Lena with Severe HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy). Because HIE is a spectrum disorder/injury the outcomes can vary significantly with each person. The neurologists have said that she could recover and become fully functioning with some small challenges such as difficulty with small motor skills or trouble running, or in the worst-case scenario being severely disabled where she would be not be able to hear, see, talk or feed herself and would be in a wheel chair for life. Or she could be anywhere in that spectrum in between. Each day since her birth Lena has shown us what a tough little trooper she is. Since her birth she has shown some movement to her arms and legs and moves her head well when sitting with mom & dad. She also has an occasional suck reflex but will require tube feedings through her GT tube until this becomes more constant and her gag and swallow reflexes also follow.
Facebook friends and family, you may or may not know her parents, but while they are focused on their little girl, each other and their older two daughters they need your prayers and help. They want to bring as much love and light to Lena as possible and welcome everyone to pray for their little girl and to send as much, love, light and positivity as you can. Your prayers and positive energy are much appreciated.
The funds from this campaign have been used to support the family with parking while at St. Boniface hospital, gas to travel from La Salle and back numerous times a day to be with Lena and pick up the other girls from school and will be used in the future for items that Lena may require to function in her everyday life. These items may include modified strollers with feeding attachments, wheel chairs if required and equipment that may not be covered under the province as both Chris and Deryn are members of the Canadian Forces. All your generous support is very much appreciated.
Do feel free to share your love, support and encouragement here in the form of a comment and they can read them as they are able.
During the night baby Lena did not have any movement nor crying and they did an MRI of her brain. This showed significant damage to all parts of her brain and an EEG showed very little brain activity. This news was obviously devastating for Chris and Deryn and the rest of the family, with so many uncertainties about Lena's recovery and what the future was to hold.
With these two tests completed the medical team diagnosed Lena with Severe HIE (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy). Because HIE is a spectrum disorder/injury the outcomes can vary significantly with each person. The neurologists have said that she could recover and become fully functioning with some small challenges such as difficulty with small motor skills or trouble running, or in the worst-case scenario being severely disabled where she would be not be able to hear, see, talk or feed herself and would be in a wheel chair for life. Or she could be anywhere in that spectrum in between. Each day since her birth Lena has shown us what a tough little trooper she is. Since her birth she has shown some movement to her arms and legs and moves her head well when sitting with mom & dad. She also has an occasional suck reflex but will require tube feedings through her GT tube until this becomes more constant and her gag and swallow reflexes also follow.
Facebook friends and family, you may or may not know her parents, but while they are focused on their little girl, each other and their older two daughters they need your prayers and help. They want to bring as much love and light to Lena as possible and welcome everyone to pray for their little girl and to send as much, love, light and positivity as you can. Your prayers and positive energy are much appreciated.
The funds from this campaign have been used to support the family with parking while at St. Boniface hospital, gas to travel from La Salle and back numerous times a day to be with Lena and pick up the other girls from school and will be used in the future for items that Lena may require to function in her everyday life. These items may include modified strollers with feeding attachments, wheel chairs if required and equipment that may not be covered under the province as both Chris and Deryn are members of the Canadian Forces. All your generous support is very much appreciated.
Do feel free to share your love, support and encouragement here in the form of a comment and they can read them as they are able.