Fought every gain,
To taste the sweet,
I face the pain...
If you seize that one moment in time,
Make it shine.
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September 15, 2001
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| Citlali Anai Reyna was born at 8:45 am on March 10, 2001. She was our third child and we had planned our children 5 years apart so we could spend quality time with each one. Needless to say when we found out we were pregnant we were very excited. Miguel our oldest was 15, Victoria just turned 6 and dad and I were trying to figure out what the future held. Everything seemed fine although the pregnancy was a constant sickness for me... not just morning it was all day long. After only 3 months of pregnancy I was laid off work, this was understandable because I was in the bathroom more than I was working. Jose and I decided I would stay home even after the baby was born and we would just have to adjust financially. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| We were given a date for a scheduled c-section as this was my third baby and the 2 others had also been c-section so natural labor was not an option. March 9, 2001 cramps started approx 9pm I was so settled on having the baby sooner than my due date I took caster oil so I could start labor early. Jose and I went into the hospital thinking we were going to have a normal c-section and eventually take the baby home and heal together like we did with the other two, little did we even expect the outcome | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Citllali was born at 8:45 on Saturday March 10, 2001 after she was born the nurse brought her to me in the recovery room and she couldn't nurse. The nurse took her until I could sit up and nurse her with no help, but that never happened. Late Saturday I asked my husband why the baby was not coming back and I felt something was wrong. Of course, Jose told me it was just my imagination, but after going thru two other births motherly instincts kicked in and I knew something was not right. I asked the nurse to take me to her and I was right... Citlali was not breathing properly and the doctor did not know what the problem was. They called the pediatrician and she said to have her in an oxygen machine and observe her over night. The feeling of helplessness just rushed through my whole body. When I told my husband that she was under a machine he came into the room where they had her and started to ask a million questions. We don't know if the fact that we had her at a military hospital added to the frustration because the doctors were not prepared for complicated types of cases. Anyway the next day the pediatrician allowed me to breastfeed Citlali and a few hours later the oxygen machine was lowered so she could breath on her own in hopes that things would get better...never-the-less things got worst. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| By this time the Pediatrician had started calling hospitals that dealt with infants and possible lung/heart problems so we could finally get an answer. The pediatrician thought there was something wrong with Citlali's heart and this hospital was not equipped for the tests needed... so she was flown to Loma Linda University Medical Center at approx 9 pm on Sunday 11, 2001. Both of our other children sat there and saw their sister get attached to what seemed like a million tubes and machines then placed in an incubator ready for the helicopter ride. I observed everything but I swear it wasn't happening to us. How could this happen to us we were great parents, we had no bad habits, we loved our children, besides Citllali was planned. As I watched them take my little girl away I lost it and even though I had a c-section I forgot about my pain and just lost strength in my legs. Miguel, my oldest, held me up and Victoria reminded me that I still had them two and that Citlali was going to be ok. I came together and just prayed as we walked back to the room. My husband took the kids home to eat and sleep and I was by myself. About 11:30pm I got the call from the Cardiologist at Loma Linda and she informed me that after performing some tests they had diagnosed Citlali with Hypoplastic Left Heart. As I sat alone, I waited for the morning and asked the Lord why and how could this have happened. When my husband came in I informed him of the situation and we requested the doctor release me so we could drive 2 hrs to Loma Linda and get more information. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The next few days were a blur. Jose and I spoke with the doctors and were given our options. After discussing the options, Jose and I decided on the Norwood procedure. This procedure took place on March 20th and it was a success. The next few weeks we watched as Citlali fought to stay alive. She was kept sedated for over 3 weeks but eventually the tubes and fluid lines came off. At that point she was transferred from the cardiac unit to the NICU and we were hopeful that she would start eating and eventually come home. The Cardiac Doctors were pleased with her progress. However, the nutritionist wasn't pleased with her weight gain. She informed me that sometimes these children forget to coordinate their breathing and sucking and swallowing after they undergo surgery of this type and that there was a possibility that Citlali might need a tube placed in her stomach for feeding. My husband and I discussed it. I told him I didn't want Citlali to go under any more surgeries and I believed with a little more attention she would eat just fine. So after driving back and forth for over a month it was decided that I should stay at the hospital as much as possible... we would have to make sacrifices with the other two. I spent the next two weeks at the hospital and the consistency of her feeding went great she had gained 1 pound since her surgery so the Doctors all agreed she was good to go home. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Citlali came home on May 2, 2001. Her sister Victoria was very excited to come home and find sister was really there! Miguel was with his biological father and was coming home that weekend. Well Miguel never saw her home, Citlali passed away May 3rd at Approx 3:30 pm at the same hospital in which she came into the world. The emergency staff tried all they knew but she did not respond and slipped away. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| She will always be our Precious Moment... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As you read this story please know that if you are going through something similar the pain never goes away but also know that you are not alone. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I broke my heart, Fought every gain, To taste the sweet, I face the pain... If you seize that one moment in time, Make it shine. |
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| people have visited this page since Aug.12, 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The artwork on this page is created by the wonderful artist Sam Bucher and is Copyrighted by him and the Enesco corporation. We in no way claim this work as our own. It is used solely for the purpose of remembering Citlali and is not to be taken or distributed in any other way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This page was last updated on September 15, 2001 |
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