Alexandria Woodward

On October 14, 2005, Tiffany Woodward went for a regular pregnancy check-up with her doctor. Her baby was not due until Thanksgiving, but she had been on bed rest after being slightly dilated in September.

At this appointment, she was even more dilated. To her surprise, it became the birthdate of her daughter Alexandria.

Alexandria Rose Woodward was born six weeks early, but there was not an immediate concern over her prematurity, as Tiffany had received a Magnesium shot one month before to help the development of her daughter’s lungs.

But as soon as Alexandria was born at Crouse, her parents describe seeing various doctors and nurses rush into the room. Tiffany was only able to hold her newborn daughter for a brief moment.

In that moment she recalls Alexandria panting “like a little puppy…she couldn’t catch her breath.”

“My husband and I were so scared. The doctors grabbed our baby girl and rushed her to the NICU,” Tiffany said.

Alexandria’s lungs were not fully developed and she could not breathe on her own. Once stable, her mom and dad were able to see her in the Baker Regional NICU. They remember seeing her hooked up to many tubes and machines, including a ventilator.

At 6 pounds and 14 ounces, her parents recall she was the biggest baby in the NICU. After 13 days at Crouse, Alexandria was able to join her parents and an older sibling at home in Oswego, NY.

Due to a delay in speech, she received speech therapy from 18 months old through kindergarten. Since then, she has not experienced any long term effects from her early birth.

Now 11 years old, Alexandria is as healthy as her classmates, plays sports and does well in school.

Her family is very thankful to all of the doctors and nurses in the NICU and attribute much of her survival to Crouse’s care. They also recognize the strong will of their little fighter to breathe on her own.

To help babies like Alexandria, consider donating to the Crouse Little Fighters today!

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