Your help can change Riley’s life

My sister Inna and her husband Kuya RJ have waited so long to have a child of their own. After having been a couple for more than 14 years, the good news finally came in April 2017 when they found out they were pregnant. That in itself was a miracle, as my sister has been struggling with three medical conditions, each of which are known to lead to possible infertility or high risks of miscarriage -- polycystic ovaries, myoma uteri (Inna had 3 myomas in her uterus), and hypothyroidism.

Throughout the first trimester, Ate Inna had several episodes of spotting, which prompted doctor's orders for her to go on bed rest. Then after just one month back at work, she suffered an episode of painful contractions at just 21 weeks of pregnancy. She was then ordered to be on complete bed rest until delivery. During this period of bed rest, she continued to have episodes of spotting and bleeding, and it was found out during one of her ultrasound and check-up sessions that she has cervical funneling, and that there was only 0.77cm left of her cervix that was closed, which has a 50% risk of preterm birth. This was at just 25 weeks gestation. According to the doctor, the funneling happened in relation to cervical incompetence, which is a medical condition that can cause premature birth or miscarriage. A cervical cerclage was then performed to help her cervix stay closed as it was still too early in the pregnancy.

The cerclage worked at first, with the functioning cervix reaching up to 2.93cm. They thought all was well, little Riley was very active inside the womb and also had good heart rates. Little did they know that the situation was about to change.

On October 18th, my sister went for another routine ultrasound and check-up session. During the ultrasound, the doctor noticed that the placenta looked older than it should be. There were also calcifications in the placenta, something which usually happens at around 36 weeks, but she was only at 30 weeks pregnant at that time. The doctor also noticed that little Riley only gained around 100 grams in a span of around 2 weeks, when it should have been around 200 grams. These pointed to utero-placental insufficiency, which means that the placenta was not working as it should be, and was unable to deliver to the baby the right amount of nutrients and oxygen. Also, there was new cervical funneling (despite the cerclage), and the length of the functioning cervix was then only at 0.6cm and the cervix was pretty much open already, if it weren't for the cerclage. As a result of these findings, my sister was admitted on October 18th.

The following day, after performing an internal examination, the doctor found out that the cervix was already 1cm dilated, and the cerclage would not keep the cervix closed anymore. The doctor then decided to go for an emergency caesarian section delivery to be performed later that day (at around 30 weeks gestation mark).

Amari Soleil "Riley" Palad came out at 7:49pm on October 19, 2017, weighing 3 pounds and measuring 40cm. She gave out loud cries and brought tears of joy to her parents' eyes. Her parents saw her briefly before she was whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Riley had to be placed inside an incubator and had to be hooked to a ventilator right away to help her with her breathing. She was exerting a lot of effort to breathe, and her ventilator had to be adjusted every now and then as her oxygen saturation levels kept on fluctuating and would not hold at a stable level. I work as a nurse, and it broke my heart to see all those tubes and machines around her. She also had to be given antibiotic medication for pneumonia at her first day of life.

Riley’s neonatal pediatrician told her parents that she may have to stay in the NICU for a period of 3-4 weeks. Her parents want to have Riley to have the best medical care in order to give her the best chances of survival and recovery, however they need financial assistance in order to be able to do this. It's only 3 full days since Riley was born, and her medical bill is already at around Php 196,000 (around US$3,800 or £2,900)... she has to stay there for 3-4 weeks, which means that during the first few weeks of her life, her medical expenses could easily end up at around Php 1M (around US$19,500 or £14,700) or more.

We would like to reach out to your kind hearts and ask if you can help our little warrior in whatever way you can. Riley has already endured and survived through so much ever since she was conceived... This perfect little angel deserves the best medical care so she can get well the soonest and be able to come home with her loving family, as a perfectly healthy and happy little baby.

For those who would like to donate, you can donate through this GoFundMe page, or you can also opt for any of the other means listed below. All donations will go directly to Riley's medical expenses. Updates on Riley's condition will also be posted by her mom through this Facebook page (www.facebook.com/WarriorPrincessRiley).

Via Bank of the Philippine Islands
Account name: INNA B PALAD
Account Number: 1599-1075-48
Branch: Alabang Town Center

Via Banco de Oro
Account Name: INNA B PALAD
Account Number: 7220113894
Branch: Alabang-Madrigal Avenue

Via remittance
- Please send me or my sister a private message so we can provide you with details needed (ex. address, contact number, etc)g my niece in whatever way you can.

For any questions or concerns, please reach out to Riley's parents' Facebook accounts - Inna Banadera Palad or RJ Palad. Thank you!