Text Box: Text Box: Text Box: Katherine’s Birth Plan Precious Katherine

We found out on December 30, 2005 that our pre-born baby girl was very ill and my not live very long.  However hard this news was for us, we have made a firm decision to carry our baby to term and keep her alive as long as possible, doing what is medically necessary to treat her various conditions with the end goal of bringing her home alive.  We have given her the name Katherine Elizabeth Verjano. We request that you please refer to her as "Katherine Elizabeth".  We also desire to spend as much time with her as possible in the event she dies shortly after birth.  

Listed below are some of the things that we think will help us through this difficult time. We know that circumstances beyond everyone's control may prevent or change some of these decisions, but we think that having everything written down and being prepare for whatever situation at the time of indecision or great stress for us we can refer to this birth plan for our daughter.  Please also know that daddy Ricardo Verjano or mommy Lizabeth Rodriguez could change any or all of these decision on any given time.  

1)      We would like to meet the staff if possible before the delivery and have them read our birth plan and be informed and aware of the situation we are facing with our daughter.  

2)      We request that Katherine's Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Leslie A. Flores, M.D. from Pediatrix Medical Group be present at the delivery as well as after Katherine's birth, so that she could monitor Katherine's heart, as she has been doing.  

3)      Katherine Elizabeth is to be offered aggressive treatment. She is to be treated as a child without a "fatal condition".  Some babies with Full Trisomy 13 do survive. Please give Katherine the opportunity to be one of them! "Do not treat her as a baby who is going to die anyway". She is our child, and we want as much time with her as possible whether it is inside Liz's womb or in our arms. Please respect our decision and help us achieve these goals with our daughter.  

4)      Katherine will be delivered by scheduled C-Section. Liz would like an epidural and pain relief. We also want Katherine to be monitored as well as Liz. Liz wants to be awake and alert for the delivery and afterward, with no or as little physical pain as possible  

5)      Ricky will cut Katherine's umbilical cord.  

6)      Liz & Ricky have chosen to carry Katherine to term with the hopes of having her baptized, which can only be done if she is born alive.  We request that Katherine be baptized as soon as possible once breathing is established. Since the delivery will be by scheduled C-Section, we will notify our Pastor/Priest to be present at the delivery. Katherine will not leave the operating room without being baptized.    

7)      We understand that Katherine will need an immediate operation to correct her diaphragm hernia, and then be transferred to the NIC unit. However, we request that she be aggressively treated in the delivery room for the first few minutes and that Liz see and hold Katherine if possible before taking her away. At that time we request the following:  

· Bring Katherine to Liz. If Liz is unable due to the C-Section, then bring Katherine to Ricky.  

· We request that Katherine be cleaned off and wrapped in a blanket that we will provide. If she has any abnormalities on her forehead or scull we ask that the nurse put a hat that we will provide on her head before handing her to us.  

· If a nurse or technician could take pictures at this time, we would appreciate it.  We will provide a camera to take pictures of our sweet Katherine.  

· Katherine is to be baptized.  

· We would need a social worker, nurse or staff member to give an update to our family and    friends waiting, please let them know that Katherine has been delivered and show them one or a few of the pictures we have just taken and tell them that she has been baptized.  

· Resuscitate, intubate  

· Provide heart and breathing medications if necessary  

Katherine will then be transferred for her operation, and for aggressive care. We request that Ricky go with Katherine as far as he can as they prep Katherine for surgery, and in case anything happens on the way and Katherine dies Ricky could be there.  

8)      After Katherine has been taken away we request that Liz be transferred to a private room away from other mommies that might have their newborns in there room.  

9)      If Katherine dies in the delivery room, we want sometime, however long we decide, to be together as a family alone, we request that we be moved to a private room at that time, away from any other mommies who might have their newborns with them. If Katherine dies on the way to surgery or in surgery we request that she be brought back to Liz's private room, please give us privacy without abandoning us    

10)  The following is our request for help from the nurses or medical staff if our beautiful Katherine Elizabeth dies.  

· Please give us privacy without abandoning us  

· We ask that Katherine's family regardless of age and friend that are in the waiting room be allowed into the room, to help us in this time of much sorrow.  

· We would like to bath, and dress our baby Katherine with the nurse's help, and have her wrapped in the blanket and clothes that we provide.  

· Have the nurse help us take as much photos of our Katherine as possible.  

· We request as much time as we want to have Katherine with us; once we decide to have Katherine's body moved we will call the funeral home to come for her.  

· We do not want Katherine's body to have any kind of autopsy.  

· We would like birth certificate, social security, and death certificate forms to be completed and processed. Ricky will assist in filling out information.    

11)  The following are thing we would like the hospital to provide to us so that we can remember our beautiful Katherine Elizabeth Verjano:  

· Bassinet Card

· Hats

· Baby Blanket

· Photographs

· Hand & Foot prints

· Lock of Hair

· Hospital Bracelets  

Liz, Ricky and Katherine Elizabeth Verjano, would like to thank in advance all the help during this difficult time for us,  to the doctor's, nurse's, and technician's who will be present in this delivery, and who have read this birth plan, we appreciate all your help in trying to keep with all the request that we have made in this birth plan for our daughter, and that God my guide's you and blesses you for all that you will be doing for us and our beautiful precious Katherine Elizabeth.