06/19/2026
Please send your best wishes to Yesenia and her daughter, Julianna! Both are doing well after a high-risk pregnancy and premature birth due to Yesenia’s heart problems and a stroke during pregnancy.
Yesenia was born with a condition that affects one or more of the heart’s valves and disrupts normal blood flow. She had heart surgery as a child at another hospital, followed by a minimally invasive procedure at UCSF in 2018 to widen a narrowed heart valve and improve circulation. In 2019, Yesenia received a mechanical heart valve.
In March 2024, Yesenia was admitted to our hospital just two months into her high-risk pregnancy. Months into her hospitalization, Yesenia unfortunately suffered a stroke and gave birth to her babies at just 24 weeks gestation the next day. Tragically, one twin did not survive.
The surviving baby, Julianna, spent 10 months in our Intensive Care Nursery before finally going home with a feeding tube and oxygen support. Just three months after giving birth, Yesenia had another successful valve replacement surgery and is now doing well.
Today, Julianna continues to make incredible progress and is hitting all her milestones, including some first words!
