11/8/200
ew pictures
11/2/07
13 Pounds!!!
Gianna has started cereal. She didn't like it very much, but Andrea will try again a little later. She is now 13# and 25
7/22/2007
Gianna's Baptism
We have the privilege and the honor of being Gianna's God Parents and today we witnessed her baptism.
6/22/07
Kendra's 2nd Birthday Party!
Ms Gianna is now 10+ pounds! She was a very good girl . She didn't get cake:(
5/13/07
Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day! Today Andrea took Gianna to the park. She put her in the infant swing....and pushed very slowly.
5/11/07
Today Gianna had her 4 month Dr appointment. She weighed 9 1/3 # and is almost 22".
5/ 5 /07
Grandpa and Aunt Cindy came to visit Ms Gianna.
4/5/07
Rolling Over!
When I spoke with Andrea today, she said that Gianna is rolling over from her back to her tummy! She was just in for vaccinations and she is 7#2 oz. Everyone is doing well. We will be having a shower for Gianna the last weekend in April, I am so excited to meet this beautiful girl!
3/25/07
Two Months Old!
Gianna is now two months old. She weighed 6# ten days ago. She has started lifting up her head. Her actual due date was 3/27/07. She has been to church with Mike and Andrea. They have plans to baptize her soon. Andrea will soon be back to work full time. Pray for the transition for the entire family.
3/13/07
I will be updating Gianna's page weekly now. I spoke with Andrea today and she said that the public nurse was out yesterday and Gianna weighs 5#9oz. Today she had a great time in the bathtub! She continues to be apnea free! She is eating every 2 to 3 hours and is taking in 2 1/2 to 4 oz at a time.
3/6/07
HOME!!!!
Gianna came home today!!!! She and I arrived home at 12:45 PM. We had a little tummy time to let the kitties check her out. They didn't do much more than sniff. Next she ate lunch and I pumped. Then we bundled up and went to my Grill Leaders Meeting and then my Minneapolis Leader Meeting. Everyone thought she was "tiny" and "cute." At the Grill meeting Gianna got a new toy. It is a rooster that crows.
We got back home again at 7:15. She slept in her bassinette while I pumped (again!) Then was cuddled on the couch for a long, long time. It was so wonderful! We are so happy she is home.
We are so thankful for all the prayers that brought this miracle about. I figured we had prayers from at least two countries and from sea to shining sea and from the north to the south. Thanks to all, we feel so honored and loved. We are also very thankful to the doctors and nurses in the NICU, they cared very much and took such great care of her.
Andrea
3/5/07
Going Home Tomorrow!!!!!
Yipee Gianna gets to go home tomorrow!!!!! Thank you so much for all your prayers! Gianna weighs 5# 7oz today. Today she took a 2 ounce bottle of breast milk in 10 minutes. Continue to pray for her eating to get better.
She passed her car seat test today. . . no apnea spells for one hour in the car seat. Andrea had her postpartum visit today and her incision is healing nicely.
Pray the entire family as they transition to Gianna coming home.
3/4/07
Home soon :)
Today Gianna is 5 # 5oz. She gained 25g overnight. She has gone 24 hours without being feed through a feeding tube. She is off her monitors and is in a room with Andrea. She is eating on her own schedule. Gianna had a spell on 3/2. They hope to go home on Wednesday.
3/3/07
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
Gianna gained 105 grams in two days! She is now 5#4oz. She keeps having spells. Her earliest release date is Wed. at this point. Her feedings are getting better. We have had 3 breast feeds in the last 24 hours that we didnot have to grave a supplement afterwards. She is consistently taking whole bottles in between! I hope to have her home soon.
3/2/07
Snowbound. Andrea is suck at the hospital. They have tons of snow!
3/01/07
GREAT NEWS: Gianna goes home on Monday!!
Gianna is going home Monday, March 5th as long as she is apnea free. (Apnea is where a child can stop breathing.) Her last spell was on February 27th. The Dr. said if she is spell free for 5 day she gets to go home! Please pray that she doesn’t have any spells. Pray also that she will learn to eat better. She is currently breast feeding 4x’s a day and bottle feeding 4x’s a day. With 8 feeding they are pushing her and this can lead to an apnea spell. She gained 5g yesterday alone!
Today for lunch Gianna took in 15cc! The hospital has been supplementing her feedings with Vitamin E and Folate. She is still maintaining her temperature, even after her bath time!
Andrea has gotten run down with a cold and the body aches. Please continue to pray for strength and health in Mom & Dad.
2/27
&
2/28/07
Five Pounds!!!!
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
Baby Girl hit Five Pounds today!!!! She is 18.5" long. She is still having spells. She had a few yesterday and one so far today. They aren't doing anything to treat it because they think she will outgrow them. She is 36 weeks. She can't come home until she is spell free for 5-7 days. Please pray she will outgrow these quickly. She is now breastfeeding 4 times a day, because of this I'm Rooming-In and am not home very much. The breast feeding is still going slow. Ten AM is still her best one. The four AM one today was not great, but at least she latched on.
2/26/07
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
Gianna weighed 4#12.5 oz. She had 4 spells, 3 self correcting. I'm not sure when she will be able to come home. Worst case, March 27th. Hopefully, I will be able to speak with the doctor today.
2/25/07
Today Gianna weighs 4# 12oz. she is 10g short of 5#. Her face has filled out and her head is growing according to Andrea. She expects that Gianna will reach 5# in the next 2 to 4 days. She had 5 apnea spells in 24 hours. They think it is due to them pushing her to hard. She corrected 4 of 5 spells herself. They may have to start caffeine again...we'll see. They have taken her "go home" date away until the apnea is better.
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
Not much change. She weighed in at 4# 9 ounces today. No spells since the one the the 21st.
2/22/07
Four weeks old!
Not much to report today. Gianna is 4# an 6 oz. She had a spell today. :-( At least it was brief and she corrected it herself. Her morning feeding was great. She got 18 mL. The evening one wasn't so good. She just wouldn't do it. Oh well.
Today Gianna had her first bath. She LOVED it. She cried when they took her out! She is now 4# 4oz and about 17 1/2 " tall. She has been averaging about 1/2" a week. As you can see in the photo gallery, she has blond hair and blue eyes. She is breastfeeding very well. Her evening feeding is improving. They were told that she may be able go home in 10 -14 days. She has started crying when she is unhappy. This is a good thing :) She has not had an apnea spell for 2 days. She fights her diaper change! Andrea said that she can feel her muscles firming up. Thank you for ALL of your prayers.
Andrea wrote the following e-mail:
Yesterday, she weighed 4#2oz. Good news: They took her off the caffeine. Not so good news: she had two little spells. Both spells were shortly after feeding. Somehow this is signicant, but I'm not sure why. If she just has spells after feeding they won't put her on the caffiene again. We breastfed twice yesterday. She does much better in the AM than the PM.
I attatched a bunch of pictures. The one with me, my mom and Gianna, my mom calls it the picture of the three Roses!
I'm off to the hospital again. I've been there everyday since Jan. 22. Wow.
2/17/07
Today Gianna is sporting booties, a shirt, and a jumper. She is holding her temperature and was moved to a crib early this morning. She is 9 grams short of 4#. She did very well breastfeeding both times today. She is done with the caffeine. She had a big poop today :) She stayed awake for one hour while Andrea was visiting her. When I spoke to Andrea, Gianna was holding her finger.
2/16/07
When Andrea visited Gianna today she had on a pink fuzzy outfit. Gianna lost 5 grams, but the Dr doesn't seem concerned. She did very well breastfeeding today. Soon Andrea will go to the hospital twice a day to feed her. They will then lower/take out the calories and protein . They will be stopping the caffeine soon. She is doing very well. More pictures coming soon!
2/15/07
Three Weeks Old!
Gianna is now wearing clothes! Today she is 3 lb 14.5 oz. She has gained one ounce. They turned the temperature down in her isolette and she lost weight trying to stay warm. The temperature has since been adjusted. She is rooting around and is getting better at breastfeeding. Her feedings are 34 ml up 36 and protein and calories are added too. If she does well they will increase to 38ml tomorrow. Yesterday they put feeding tube in her nose to decrease her spitting up. Her hemoglobin is down a little but the Dr. is not worried. She was moved to the back room because she is needing less care. This is a BIG milestone! She may move to a crib this weekend if her weight increases. The nurses say she's a good baby. The Dr.'s say that she is their best patient there right now.
2/14/07
New Pictures of Gianna
Gianna is doing well. Andrea said that they may move her into a crib this weekend. She will soon be wearing clothes! She is very close to 4#.
2/13/07
Gianna is now 3# 13.5 oz. Other than that there is no real change. They did not increase her feedings because she is spitting up each time she's fed. Her gag reflex is coming in a bit early and when the nurses take out her tube she spits up. I figure she'll get a permanent feeding tube through her nose soon. The air on her isolette is being turned down a bit each day. She started wearing clothes on the 12th. Hopefully she'll hit four pounds today or tomorrow.
Happy Birthday Andrea!!!
Gianna continues to do well. She is up to 36ml of breastmilk by this evening. Andrea got to breastfeed her today. Grandma Juanita was able to hold her.
2/11/07
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
We had a big day today. Her IV's are all gone, no more!! They even took out the catheter line too! Her skin sensor is also gone. All she has left are the heart, respiration and oxygen saturation leads! She is up to 30 mL of breast milk every three hours. She found her thumb today and sucked it briefly.
Daddy got to hold his little girl for the first time today. Aunt Sandy is love with her! Grandma Juanita and Grandpa Tom took pictures and touched her. Hopefully Grandma will get to hold her tomorrow. Gianna's nurse is thinking that she may be able to move to a crib in the next 10-14 days. We will see.
I hope you all had a wonderful day. I know I did. We had lunch as a family today. It was really nice. We had a mini baby shower today. Tom's sister made Gianna a blanket that has her name on it, birthday, weight and the meaning of her name! It is so precious! My birthday is going so much better this year!!
2/10/07
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
Gianna is doing so well, there is so little to report. She weighed in at 3 3/4# today!! She will hit 4# in the next few days!! They are talking about taking out her IV nutrition tomorrow! Her feedings are up to 26. She is tolerating it pretty well, however, she is spitting up a little bit. So they may not increase it tomorrow. She has had three [apnea] spells in the last 36 hours. They were short and mild. They will probably increase her caffeine levels. My sister got to hold her today. Sandy was kind of nervous because of how small Gianna is. I got a nice picture.
2/8/07
Andrea was able to hold Gianna today for 2 hours! Andrea did her daily diaper changes and temperature reading. Grandma Juanita and Aunt Sandy are coming to visit this weekend. Have fun ladies and give her a kiss for all of us.
Gianna now weighs 3# 10 oz. The nurses will increase her feedings by 2ml as long as she is digesting it. She is up to 22ml per feeding!!!!! Praise the LORD! Because they are increasing her breastmilk, they are hoping to take her IV's out in 7 to 10 days. They will take a final jaundice reading this weekend and the Dr hopes to "close the book" on the jaundice.
Andrea and Mike thank you for your prayers. They are making a mighty difference.
2/7/07
Two Weeks Old!
Today was a great day for Andrea. She was able to hold Gianna for 1 hour and 15 minutes! She changed a poopie diaper and took Gianna's temperature. Gianna seems to be holding her own temperature outside of her isolette.
Gianna is 3# 7 oz. They are changing the amount and frequency of her feedings. She will try breastfeeding tomorrow. Her jaundice remains under control. Her umbilical cord fell off today. They are talking about taking out her IV's next week. She is doing very well. Thank you for praying.
2/6/07
I was not in contact with her today. I will update tomorrow.
2/5/07
Today Ms Gianna held her mom's finger (and heart) for 10-15 minutes. Andrea was able to visit her today for 5 1/2 hours! Gianna is becoming more alert and was awake for 1 hour while Andrea was visiting. Gianna's hair is growing and is curly! Andrea is very excited about that! She will be going home in 3 to 5 weeks.
Gianna weighs 3# 5 1/2 ounces. Her feeding was increased to 12ml. They will increased it tonight to 14ml. She no longer has the jaundice blanket. They drew lots of labwork today. They are only check ing the magnesium once a week. Pray that the levels will go down. She is still getting caffeine butit is now with her feeding and not through an IV. They are having a hard time keeping and IV on her. She is a "mover and a shaker". They are using a pick line. Pray that she doesn't get an infection.
2/4/07
Andrea wrote the following via e-mail:
The last couple of days were kind of busy. Yesterday I got to spend|more than 8 hours with Gianna. Mike and Sri had to work so I spent most of the day with her. They let me do kangaroo care again yesterday, but not today. Sniff. Sniff.
Her jaundice scores are going on an upward trend, however it is still not high enough for the lights. They have her on a billi-blanket. It is kind of like the lights, except it is underneath her and is not as intense. They increased her feeding to 10 mL every four hours. She's had some problems digesting today, however, some of the nurses didn't put her on her belly because of the billi-blanket. She's had no apnea spells for 70 hours!!! Her skin seems to be fitting her better. :-) Her weight is up to 3# and 1.5 oz. She is doing great. I got to take her temperature today and change a diaper.
Today was a great day for Andrea. She had Kangaroo time with Gianna for 40 minutes. This is skin to skin contact. They had a time of singing and reading. When Andrea put Gianna back, Gianna cried. What a bonding moment for them. Andrea has been waiting for this day for a long time!
Mike changed a wet diper and Andrea took her temperature today. Gianna is doing very well. She is eating 5 ml of breastmilk at each feeding and is digesting it well. She continues to have magnesium in her system, pray that the Dr's can get it out so her muscles can grow. Her jaundice tests are a little high, but they are not using the lights. Thank you for all of your prayers. Mike, Andrea, and Gianna have been blessed so much by them. Thank you.
2/1/07
One week old today!
Gianna is doing very well. She only had one apnea spell today and she corrected it herself. Her magnesium is the same. Her jaundice has crept up a little bit, but they are holding off on the lights for one more day. She now weighs 2# and 14.75 ounces. She gained .75 ounces since yesterday. When Mike and Andrea went to visit today, she had her eyes open for a long while. Praise the LORD!
1/31/07
Gianna is doing great today. She gained another 1 ounce in one day!!!!! She is now 2 # 14 ounces. The sonogram results came back normal. She is responding well to the caffeine and is back on breastmilk. She only had one apnea spell. They took the lights off her today and will run a test tomorrow on her jaundice. They will also be testing her magnesium level tomorrow also. God is answering our prayers!!
I hope to have a photo on this page soon. I hear she is a beautiful girl!!!!
1/30/07
Andrea is doing well. She had her staples removed yesterday and they didn't even check her blood pressure! She and Mike visit Gianna twice a day. Andrea got to change a wet diaper. . . . Mike got to change a poopie diaper.
Gianna's level of magnesium is half of what it was. They would like to seeit lower. Her jaundice is much better. She was on 2 sets of lights and is down to 1. She has gained 28g (1 oz) and is no longer losing weight. They put her on caffeine to stimulate her nervous system to aid in digestion and to decrease the apnea. The sonogram results will be known tomorrow night. They just took it today. God continues to be faithful. Thank you for all of your continuous prayers!
1/29/07
Mike and Andrea were on the way to the hospital this morning when I spoke to them. Gianna is now taking breastmilk. I have not heard the reusults of the sonogram. I will update when I know more.
1/28/07
Today Andrea got to go home. She walked all the way to the NICU to hold Gianna and then walked back. This was a great accomplishment. Gianna still has magnesium in her system. Pray for the sonogram tomorrow.
1/27/07
Big news! Andrea got to hold Gianna today for 15-20 minutes!!!!! They moved her to a post pardom room late last night and she was able to sleep better. Her pain is much better today. She had some reactions to the pain meds, but they were able to get her meds regulated. She was up and walking around her room and even sat up in a chair.
Gianna still has 5 ml of Magnesium in her body and the Dr. would like to see it less than 3ml. (The Dr. had given Andrea magnesium before Gianna was born.) They are planning a sonnagram on Monday to check everything in her head. This is a common procedure. Gianna continues to be on antibiotics and under the lights. They are going to start her on colostrum on Monday. They hope to start breastfeeding in 2 weeks.
Prayer request from Mike "That mom and baby could be home soon."
1/26/07
This morning when I spoke with Andrea she was in alot of pain, so our conversation was brief. Mike and Ciree were able to see the baby today.
1/25/07
Gianna Rose VanHofwegen was born January 25th at 10:52 PM. She weighed 3 1/3 pounds and measured 16 inches long. She does not need a ventilator as her lungs are fine. She is under lights to keep warm. She will be in ICU for 4 to 6 weeks.
Andrea is sore from the c-section. She was able to hear Gianna cry! Mike and Andrea got to give her a kiss before they took her to ICU. They hope to be able to hold her soon.
They send a huge thank you for your prayers. It made a huge difference during the spinal block. Andrea remembered that everyone was praying. God's timing is impeccable. Just one example. . . several minutes after the Dr. told her that she had to deliver the baby, her Pastor walked in. She needed someone to pray with her right then and God met her need.
Please continue to pray for healing for both Andrea and Gianna. I will be in touch with her daily and update this page.
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