`PEPSI BABY' GOES HOME SHE WAS BORN THE SIZE OF A COLA CAN.Byline: Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer WEST HILLS - When she was born four months ago, baby Alexandra came out the size of a soda can -- 10 inches long, weighing 12 ounces. Nurses called her ``Baby Pepsi.'' Doctors delivered her by Caesarean section caesarean section: see cesarean section. at 26 weeks -- 14 weeks early -- because her mother suffered from toxemia toxemia (tŏksē`mēə), disease state caused by the presence in the blood of bacterial toxins or other harmful substances. The effects of the bacterial toxins known as endotoxins are relatively uniform, regardless of which bacterial , a condition in which poisonous substances spread throughout the body. Her chances for survival were slim. ``When she came out, she was so tiny, like a little bird,'' said Dr. Lauren Hyman, the mother's ob/gyn. ``This baby has a lot of inner spirit, a lot of fight.'' Doctors and nurses at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center have cared for Alexandra -- her real name -- around the clock since she was born Jan. 3. On Wednesday, the tiny baby they fell in love with left the hospital and headed home wearing a pink outfit with bunny shoes, weighing a plump 4 pounds, 8 ounces. ``She's our miracle baby,'' said Alexandra's mother, Julie Freeman, 29, of Chatsworth. ``If it didn't happen to me, I wouldn't believe it.'' Alexandra is the smallest baby born in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County in the past six years and the third-smallest born in California over that period, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a registry produced by the University of Iowa's Department of Pediatrics. ``She survived the odds,'' said Dr. Bahman Mehdizadeh, director of the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Noun 1. neonatal intensive care unit - an intensive care unit designed with special equipment to care for premature or seriously ill newborn NICU ICU, intensive care unit - a hospital unit staffed and equipped to provide intensive care . He said Alexandra is doing ``extremely well'' and shows no neurological neurological, neurologic pertaining to or emanating from the nervous system or from neurology. neurological assessment evaluation of the health status of a patient with a nervous system disorder or dysfunction. deficits. ``There were times we weren't happy with what was happening, but we never gave up hope.'' Alexandra spent three months in an incubator, breathing through a ventilator ventilator /ven·ti·la·tor/ (ven´ti-la-tor) 1. an apparatus for qualifying the air breathed through it. 2. a device for giving artificial respiration or aiding in pulmonary ventilation. . Her heart rate was monitored constantly, nurse Cindy Chamberlain said. ``When she was first born, she was extremely tiny. You could put your hand up against her and she was almost the size of your hand,'' she said. ``You had to be very gentle with her.'' In March -- two months after she was born -- her parents got to hold her for the first time. ``It was tough for the first two months, not being able to touch her, cradle her,'' her mother said. ``It was wonderful to finally hold her.'' For the nursing staff, Wednesday proved difficult, having to say goodbye to someone who became part of their hospital family. ``I carried her around all day long before she went home,'' Chamberlain said. ``It's hard, but you're happy for them because they want to take her home. ... She needed to go home and be with her family.'' Relatives joined the beaming parents Wednesday as they loaded their bundle of joy into their car for the trip home to Chatsworth. ``It was an up-and-down roller coaster What a bad CD-R disc is often called. See CD-R and underrun. , a true journey for this little girl,'' said her grandmother, Carole Kaplan, who lives in Orange County, but now plans to move to the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . ``She wasn't supposed to make it, and she did. That baby was a fighter since the minute she was born.'' The first-time parents said they were nervous taking their daughter home, but know they have the medical staff behind them. ``If anything happens, I'm calling,'' Julie Freeman said. They're looking forward to spoiling their little girl and giving her ``lots of hugs and kisses For the XML format, see . Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email. .'' And while the medical bills are expected to put a strain on their finances -- they wouldn't reveal the amount -- that's something they aren't too worried about. As her father put it: ``She's worth it.'' angie.valencia@dailynews.com (805) 583-7604 CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Alexandra Freeman, 4 months old, leaves West Hills Hospital and Medical Center on Wednesday for the first time, her little hand holding her father's finger. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer (2 -- color) Julie Freeman, 29, of Chatsworth makes sure tiny daughter Alexandra is safely buckled into her car seat for her first ride, which took her home from the hospital where she's been cared for since her premature birth premature birth Birth less than 37 weeks after conception. Infants born as early as 23–24 weeks may survive but many face lifelong disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, blindness, deafness). four months ago. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer (3 -- color) Alexandra Freeman was the smallest baby born in the county in the past six years. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion