Hello, everyone!

Miya is already 1 week old. Staying true to her name, she has remained her parents’ little miracle.

In the span of 1 week, below are some of the changes in Miya:
- She had several episodes of apnea (cessation of breathing lasting seconds) when she was on non-invasive positive pressure ventilation as oxygen support. Oxygen saturation levels went as low as 40% (when the target for her is 90-94%). She is now intubated and is breathing with the help of a ventilator. -

- She is still being managed for sepsis. Her CBC showed high pus cell count (WBC 35,000+) and low platelet count (140,000+), which are both indicative of infection. She has formally been referred to Dr. Luna (Pediatric Infectious Disease specialist) for co-management. She is currently on Amikacin and Ciprofloxacin (antibiotics), with prophylactic doses of Fluconazole (antifungal).

- Miya’s 2D Echo showed that she has a heart defect - Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). It’s pretty common among preterm infants like MIya. She was referred to Dr. Cheng (Pediatric Cardiologist) and has been given medications to close the defect.

- Her cranial ultrasound shows that aside from having an immature brain (as expected), the rest of the structures are unremarkable. This means that there is no bleeding inside the brain, which is something that could easily happen to someone as fragile as Miya.

- She was initially on TPN but trophic feeding was already started after she passed meconium (first stool). Miya can finally have some of Mommy Em’s breastmilk! Her feeding schedule is 0.2ml every 6 hours.

- She has undergone transfusion with 5-6 ml of packed red blood cells twice.

- Her last known weight was 550g (which was constant from days 3-6 of life), from an initial weight of 600g.

We have raised several hundred dollars through this online campaign, totaling to about Php 116,000 (~USD 2,320) including money given via cash/check/through bank deposit. The money has come from all over the world, and the family is overwhelmed with the support coming our way.

Miya’s hospital bill, on the other hand, has reached Php 236,000 (~USD 4,720). Because of this, we are hoping for your continued support in Miya’s fight.

Again, thank you for your support, love, prayers, and donations.

Much love and gratitude,
Miya, Mommy Em, Daddy Belden, and Miya’s Aunties and Uncles