On the front page

Ciara's story is on the front page of the paper today. If you would like me to get a copy for you, please let me know. I am so excited and Mike did an EXCELLENT job!!! If you check it out today the link is http://www.punxsutawneyspirit.com/

Premie baby’s mom uses Web to chart her remarkable progress


Front Page - Front Page Story
Written by Mike Ishman
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Ciara Lynn Anthony, held by her mother Tiffany (left), was born 16 weeks premature in February. Since then, her family has helped nurse her back to health. Tiffany has been maintaining a blog, documenting her daughter’s progress. Helping Ciara has been (from left) her father, Corey; her sister, Aaliyah; and her grandmother, Pat Benson. (Photo by Mike Ishman)




PUNXSUTAWNEY — Ciara Lynn Anthony, daughter of Corey and Tiffany Anthony of Big Run, was born Feb. 25 at DuBois Regional Medical Center.While that may tell you the bare-bone facts of Ciara’s birth, it doesn’t reveal the true gravity of the situation: Tiffany’s due date was June 10.The morning of Feb. 5, Tiffany woke up early not feeling very well. After calling her doctor and being examined at Punxsutawney Area Hospital, it was determined that Ciara was going to be born at 21 weeks, barely half of the normal pregnancy period. Tiffany’s amniotic sack had fallen out. “They told us my water would probably break within the day, and she would be delivered within the hour,” she recalled. “They told us they couldn’t save her because a viable baby is at 24 weeks gestation. She was only at 21 weeks.” After Tiffany was put on bed rest for several weeks in the Trendelenburg Position, she was transferred to DuBois Regional Medical Center. After six days, Ciara was born Feb. 25, weighing 1 pound, 8 ounces. “She was only given a 15 percent chance of surviving,” Tiffany said.Once she was discharged from the hospital, Tiffany began writing a pregnancy blog. “Corey’s cousin, Brooke, wrote a blog during her pregnancy and I thought it would be a great way to keep everyone informed,” she said.With all of her and Corey’s family reading it, Tiffany wrote 20 entries that first month, providing updates to how baby Ciara was doing. With each update came photos, showing how Ciara was progressing. One photo in particular showed how tiny she was. She had Tiffany’s wedding rings around her arm.Following several months in the hospital, Ciara was released May 18, 12 weeks after she was born. That was still three weeks before the original due date. Her weight, upon release, was 4 pounds, 8 ounces.Since her release, Ciara has been progressing at a nearly normal rate. “She’s doing wonderful now. No setbacks,” Tiffany said. Ciara was recently baptized and had her seven-month checkup, which revealed she was 12 pounds, and 23 3/4-inches in length, which is close to the percentile for infants her age.Tiffany plans to keep writing the blog, as it is one of the best ways to keep everyone updated. She usually writes the blogs while Ciara and Aaliyah, her two-year-old sister, nap or go to sleep. Tiffany and Corey count their blessings every day. They know how dire the situation was. “Our doctor had had patients in similar situations, and they had all lost their babies,” Tiffany said. On her first blog post, Tiffany wrote of how wonderful it was to hold her child, and how she didn’t want to put her down. To go back and see the progress Ciara has made since her birth, go to http://www.ciaralynnanthony.blogspot.com/
Last Updated ( Wednesday, 28 October 2009 )