4 and 5 months

I forgot to do a post when Laken was 4 months old so I will add a few 4 month pics and some 5 month pics! Things are still going great! Last time we went to the cardiologist the ASD and PFO (2 small holes in her heart) had gotten smaller, the blood leak had gotten and little better (probably due to the 2 holes getting smaller), and the pressure rate between the right atrium and right ventricle (just a number they have been watching) was better than the last time! So in all, it was a GREAT visit! She got her 4 month shots and did pretty good, she was little fussy and slept a lot. About 3 weeks ago at her dr appt she weighed 11 lbs 12 oz. Shes taking about 4-5 bottles a day, she eats cereal in the morning and at night, and also has a fruit or vegetable during the day. She has a breakfast lunch and dinner. :) She eats GREAT from a spoon. Her pediatrician says she is catching up fast! She is just doing so good. She smiles and laughs all the time! She LOVES Mallorie more than anyone! lol She is getting to where she likes to play with stuff and chew on everything, especially her hands. Shes reaching for things and can even hold her bottle when its not too full. God just keeps reminding us daily how great He is! Laken is definately a little miracle!



4 months..

3 months old..

Laken Mia was 3 months old yesterday.. where has the time gone? We've been home for about 7 weeks now. Its hard to believe we've been home the same amount of time we were in Dallas. She's been doing really good! We saw the cardiologist about 2 weeks ago and no changes! yay! We don't go back for another 2 months. So as long as her heart doesn't change and the back flow of blood doesn't get worse, nothing will be done. She is such a strong little girl! "They say" it won't get better, but we know the power of prayer and how big Gods plan is so we'll just wait and see what He has in store for her. She is now sleeping all night, about 9 hours. She is off the high callorie formula on to regular formula and takes 4 oz every 3-4 hours. And of course Mallorie is still such a great big sister and a great helper! God has definitely blessed us with a strong little fighter! Please continue to pray for our sweet baby!

Laken is 2 months old!

I can't believe it! Our little angel is 2 months old already! She is still doing great! We went to the cardiologist last week and had an echo done and he said everything still looks the same. No changes are good! She weighed 7 lbs 6 oz but we also upped her formula to about 2 1/2 oz so I bet she will be over 8 lbs when we go back! She still LOVES to eat! She's such a good baby. She's sleeping well, 4-5 hours at a time during the night! We no longer have to wake her up every 3 hours to eat! Mallorie just loves her so much! She's such a great big sister and a HUGE helper!!

We're home!!

It's been awhile since I have updated, but Laken was discharged Monday July 5! Her heart hasn't changed, her sats are great, and they felt comfortable sending us home! She sees a cardiologist in Odessa once a week until he feels like he can stretch it. She's on all bottle feeds and LOVES to eat! She eats about 2 oz every 3 hours. Her strong little body is tolerating her bad heart, so now its just waiting and letting her grow to see how she tolerates it as she gets bigger! She's doing great at home and of course we are all loving it too! I think sister is spoiling her more than anyone!! We can't thank you all enough for all the prayers, we know thats what has got her to where she is now! Please continue to pray for Laken and we will keep updating as we see the cardiologist!

Laken turns 1 month old!

Wow where has the time gone? Our little Laken was a month old yesterday! We had a long hard couple of weeks at first but Laken is doing much better! Doctors are amazed at how well our little girl is doing compared to her first few weeks. She is now taking 5 out of 8 feeds in a 24 hr period through bottle and the other 3 still through her NG tube. They are slowly working her up trying to get her on full bottle feeds. She has done really good taking to a bottle! As of yesterday she weighed 5 lbs 8 oz. She's gaining weight! She got moved about a week ago from cardiac ICU to neonatal ICU because they say her heart function is stable and not changing much so now it's time to work on bottle feeds and gaining weight! She gets an echo every week to make sure nothings changing. Wednesday the pressure in the right side was up a little but they aren't doing anything but monitoring right now. We can finally dress our baby girl and hold her any time we want!! She's out of her little "box" and in just a regular little bassinet like in the nurserys. Those of you that read the Andrews newspaper, Laken is not on the list for a transplant right now. It is not something that is completely out of the picture in the future but as of now she is not. Prayers are being answered everyday and we can't thank you all enough for helping us out so much! Please continue praying for our baby!


New pictures will be posted tomrrow! :)

Newest update...

Laken is now out of surgery. She did great and is stable. She has the drain out of her abdomen finally. Thanks for all the support and prayers. Keep 'em coming!!

Recent Pictures

Daddy and miss Mallorie loving on Laken...

Mommy and miss Mallorie loving on Laken...

Oh no!! She likes her finger!!

Again... she has the finger in her mouth. LOL

Isn't she just precious?!?

Mallorie loves her baby sister!!

Mami and Mallorie loving on precious Laken Mia

3 weeks old today!!

WOW!! Laken is 3 weeks old today. Doesn't even seem like it!! Well.... no news is good news right?!? LOL. Laken is staying pretty stable right now. As of 6/14/10 she weighed 4 lbs 13 oz. She has gained a little bit which is good. Tomorrow, 6/16/10 they are going to try to schedule to take out the drain that has been in her abdomen. It is a small surgical procedure to remove this. We just keep on praying that she continues to progress as she has been over the last 3 weeks. Please keep sweet Laken in your prayers.

more good news!

Laken was extubated on the 9th and is doing very well! She went from the vent to the nasal tubes. She started on 6L of room air and is now down to 4L. They will ween her down slowly and she should be off the nasal tubes in a couple of days. They are increasing her feeds every 6 hours hours trying to get to 9cc an hour and she is at 6 right now. Once she gets to 9cc they will start increasing her calories and she should start gaining some weight. She had an echo this morning and the function of her left ventricle is still normal (thank goodness!) and the right side still has the same issues that its always had. So what this means is, that if she keeps going at this rate, they will continue to let her grow. They don't necessarily have an ideal weight they want her to be at, but the bigger she is, the better she'll do in surgery. So as of right now, we don't have any idea when the surgery will be. Please continue to pray that she gets stronger and healthier before surgery is needed!

Good news...

Laken had an echo today.... GOOD NEWS!! The left ventricle is completely back to normal and the PDA is closed... AND she is tolerating it well!! Whoohoo!! We have to give a million thanks for all the prayers. We can definately see God working here. No word or decisions on surgery yet. They are planning on feeding her, letting her grow, and slowly weening her off the vent, with hopes that she tolerates everything. Please continue to pray for my precious neice and the family. Thanks again for all the support and prayers!!
Lots of love..... Chandra

Update on June 5

Laken has had several echos done in the last couple of days and they are now showing that her left ventricle is not functioning right. The doctors can't figure out what is causing it because up until 3 days ago it was really good. They are thinking it could possibly be an external issue, so they are no longer trying to get her off the vent. They are running tests and doing labs and will do another echo on Monday. Lots of prayers for our baby girl!

Mallorie hanging out at the Ronald McDonald house waiting to meet her little sister.


Mallorie loves her baby sister!! She finally got to meet her yesterday. She even got to color her a picture.

New news on Laken....

Today they inserted a PICC line, took out her umbilical artery line, and inserted a feeding tube. The doctors said she tolerated it well. Her heart rate and other vital signs stayed stable throughout the procedure. She's a strong little girl!! Not much else going on right now. Keep on praying...

Recent Pictures of sweet Laken and Mallorie

As of June 1, 2010

Sweet little Laken has continued to improve. Yesterday she was starting every breath on her own. They are considering taking her off the ventilator. They have even noticed that there is some blood flowing through the right side of the heart. They initially thought the right side didn't work at all. So this is GREAT news!! They are still monitoring Laken. No definate decisions on surgery yet. Keep on praying... Chandra

Our little fighter...

Laken is continuing to improve. Her platelet count is increasing. Her kidney function is continuing to improve... AND she finally pooped!! Hahaha!! She is making small steps in the right direction everyday. Continue to pray for our sweet baby.

The prayer bracelets are finally here!! We will get a picture posted soon. They are bright pink with lime green lettering and say "Pray for Laken Mia". They are $5 each. Those in Andrews can stop by Dixie Electric to get one. Those in Midland or Odessa can contact Chandra. Thanks for all the love, support, and prayers.

Friday's Pictures

Holding steady...

Laken is holding steady today... She is still critical but the doctors are pleased with the progress so far. The fluid is still draining. She isn't near as puffy today as two days ago. Just keep up the prayers...

Update for May 27

Laken stayed pretty stable throughout the day. She is continuing to drain fluid. Her lactate levels are continuing to drop which is great. Nikki and Caleb are able to take blankets, socks, and stuffed animals in with Laken. Nikki is being discharged today (5/28/10) from Baylor and is finally able to go see Laken. She is pretty excited!! Nikki is recovering extremely well. We all be at Children's with Laken from now on. Mallorie LOVES Laken's hospital!! More updates later on... Keep on praying... Chandra

Still no surgery at this time. They really want to hold off as long as they can. The doctors would like for her to stabilize more and grow some. They are still monitoring and taking it step by step... day by day. Keep on praying!! Bracelets are on their way. They should be in by the end of the week. Contact me if you would like to buy one. Lots of love... Chandra.

Laken had a procedure today... They placed a drain in her abdomen so the fluid could come out faster. She has been improving... The doctor is pleased with her lab work today. One of her labs was pretty high throughout the night... BUT, today it has dropped by half and is continuing to decrease. Please coninue to pray...

Pictures

Nikki is doing great after the c/section. Laken is at Children's in the cardiac intensive care. Right now they are monitoring her and trying to determine the best plan of care for her. She is absolutely precious!! She has her own little room where her daddy can spend the night and stay with her as much as he wants. She even has her own private nurse. We will continue to update... Please continue to pray for Laken Mia... God Bless!!

Update....

Laken is being transported to Children's in Dallas for surgery. It's more severe than they originally thought. Laken needs heart surgery right away and they may possibly put her on the list for a heart transplant. Please continue to pray!! We will update soon... Lots of love... Chandra.

Baby Laken's Birthday

Hello all... This is Chandra. Nikki and my family are in Dallas and Baylor University Medical Center. We have a baby girl!! Laken Mia Subia was born at 1:26 pm today. They are working fast and furious on her... Laken's heart was starting to fail so they decided it was time for her to be born. Please continue to pray for Laken and the Subia's. We will update as soon as we can. God Bless!!

Our first visit to Dallas

The pediatric cardiologist in Dallas diagnosed Laken with Ebstein’s anomaly, which is a very rare condition. This is where the tricuspid valve in the heart didn’t form correctly between the right atrium and ventricle. Since the valve is not properly formed, blood leaks back into the right atrium. This makes the right atrium larger than it should be. The good news is that the right ventricle is adequately formed and a decent size. However, Laken will most likely require heart surgery at some point. They aren’t certain if it will be immediately after she’s born or if it will be weeks or months later. They are concerned about the amount of blood flow she will be getting to the lungs once she is born. NICU doctors will be present for the delivery to start an IV line in her umbilical cord. They will also start some medication to maximize the blood flow to her lungs and vital organs. The plan of care for little Laken will be developed in more detail once she is born and they monitor her condition.

We have to move to Dallas once I'm 36 weeks to stay until Laken is born. As of right now, we are planning on moving June 5th weekend. We don't know how long Laken will be in the hospital and how long we will need to be in Dallas. Everyone has been so supportive and willing to help our family in any way possible. We greatly appreciate everything!!