He's past the two kilo mark! To be more precise, last night he weighed in at 2.145kg which is 4lb 11.5oz - an amazing 5.5oz increase in three days. He must be be guzzling more during his daily breastfeed than we had given him credit for.
He had another blood transfusion on Wednesday evening as his HB had dropped again with all the blood he's had taken for routine tests during the last few weeks. The transfusion went fine and he's been fairly stable all week on low-flow. His desats certainly seem to have been more infrequent and less severe.
His caffeine has been stopped today but he is still on seven different medications every day. However, the hospital staff are pleased with his progress and are talking about starting to plan his discharge with a view to him being able to come home within the next four to eight weeks if he can maintain his current progress...
Friday, 31 August 2007
Monday, 27 August 2007
27/8/07
What an absolute angel Elis has been today. He's been well behaved and somehow, although we've not been practicing, he seemed to know exactly what he wanted and how to get it today when it came to feed time... He surprised all the staff as well as me with his stamina when it came to feeding but exhausted himself after about 15 minutes and looked so cute and content when I eventually tucked him back up in his cot...
26/8/07
Well, what a palava! Elis' trip out turned into something of a Neonatal Unit Event involving all the staff - the preparations were more like a NASA launch operation than those for a 10 minute stroll with a baby.
Elis was all bundled up in layers of clothes so that he looked like he was stuffed but still looked a bit lost in the pushchair. We had his sats monitor tucked in the hood and his oxygen cylinder in a bag on the handle and with Glyn, Dave, Adity and two nurses with us set off for the great outdoors.
Initially he seemed a bit blinded by the brightness but soon settled down and was very happy with his adventure, as were everyone else so it was an all-round success.
His sats were still good when we got back to the unit and he was quite content sitting in his pushchair. The adventure wore him out a bit so he had a very quiet afternoon and evening!
Elis was all bundled up in layers of clothes so that he looked like he was stuffed but still looked a bit lost in the pushchair. We had his sats monitor tucked in the hood and his oxygen cylinder in a bag on the handle and with Glyn, Dave, Adity and two nurses with us set off for the great outdoors.
Initially he seemed a bit blinded by the brightness but soon settled down and was very happy with his adventure, as were everyone else so it was an all-round success.
His sats were still good when we got back to the unit and he was quite content sitting in his pushchair. The adventure wore him out a bit so he had a very quiet afternoon and evening!
Saturday, 25 August 2007
25/8/07
He's done well again during the past few days despite needing to be bagged again on Wednesday evening. He's been on low flow since Thursday evening although he still seems to desaturate a bit when he has his feeds.
The good news is that he hit 4lb's at Thursday night's weigh in (1.835kg) so we celebrated again with another bottle of bubbly! He was given another bath this morning as he was pretty stinky already and again, he seemed to enjoy it but was shattered this afternoon when I went in to see him.
One of the nurses phoned me this morning to see if we had a pram for him yet as they thought that as the weather was so nice and they weren't rushed off their feet that we might like to take Elis out for a little walk around the hospital grounds! They'd get a little bottle of oxygen and a portable sats monitor then come out with us in case anything went wrong. Unfortunately we didn't have a pushchair so couldn't go out. Needless to say, the first stop after the hospital visit was Mothercare to buy one so we'll be set if the opportunity arises tomorrow.
The other surprise when we got to the unit was that Elis has been taken out of his incubator and is currently in a cot and looking lovely with his clean hair! This is great as it suggests that not only is he able to regulate his temperature properly now, but also that they expect him to spend most of his time now on low flow rather than CPAP. His feeds have also gone back to three-hourly which is another step in the right direction as it doesn't seem to make any difference to his desats.
The good news is that he hit 4lb's at Thursday night's weigh in (1.835kg) so we celebrated again with another bottle of bubbly! He was given another bath this morning as he was pretty stinky already and again, he seemed to enjoy it but was shattered this afternoon when I went in to see him.
One of the nurses phoned me this morning to see if we had a pram for him yet as they thought that as the weather was so nice and they weren't rushed off their feet that we might like to take Elis out for a little walk around the hospital grounds! They'd get a little bottle of oxygen and a portable sats monitor then come out with us in case anything went wrong. Unfortunately we didn't have a pushchair so couldn't go out. Needless to say, the first stop after the hospital visit was Mothercare to buy one so we'll be set if the opportunity arises tomorrow.
The other surprise when we got to the unit was that Elis has been taken out of his incubator and is currently in a cot and looking lovely with his clean hair! This is great as it suggests that not only is he able to regulate his temperature properly now, but also that they expect him to spend most of his time now on low flow rather than CPAP. His feeds have also gone back to three-hourly which is another step in the right direction as it doesn't seem to make any difference to his desats.
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
21/8/07
He's still piling on the pounds - last night's weigh in clocked him at 1.765kg (3lb 13.5oz) so his sleepy days are paying off! He's still having desats after feed times so they have tried putting him back on two-hourly feeds rather than every three hours, but to be honest, it doesn't seem to have made things any better. He's doing well switching between low flow and CPAP still and has just done a good 24hours on low flow.
He's been getting a bit stinky as it's a while since his last bath, so we gave him another quick dunk in the bath this morning, which he seemed to take quite well. I left him sleeping soundly afterwards though as he was pretty shattered after his exciting morning!
He's been getting a bit stinky as it's a while since his last bath, so we gave him another quick dunk in the bath this morning, which he seemed to take quite well. I left him sleeping soundly afterwards though as he was pretty shattered after his exciting morning!
Saturday, 18 August 2007
18/8/07
His blood transfusion went fine on Wednesday evening but didn't seem to make him any more stable on Thursday, much to everyone's dismay. He's been on and off low flow and (understandably) seems to prefer it to CPAP (it must be so much more comfortable) although the CPAP gives him more of a rest. He's been resting a lot and growing well. He put on another 110g over three days last week and now weighs a staggering 1.625kg (3lb 9oz). He's still having little goes at breastfeeding and is doing well but he can't seem to stay awake long enough to have a really good crack at it!!
Wednesday, 15 August 2007
15/8/07
Well, he's done well. He went onto low-flow again at about 12.30 yesterday when he came out of his incubator for cuddles and breastfeeding lessons, which he managed half an hour of! He stayed out with me for hours and another feed and was doing well but we expected that he'd get tired and have to go back on CPAP for a rest. However, he surprised us all by staying well all night and most of today.
He's back on CPAP now though because he's having another blood transfusion now and he started having dips with all the prodding and poking he was having. He'll have a rubbish night but hopefully be all the better for it tomorrow.
He's back on CPAP now though because he's having another blood transfusion now and he started having dips with all the prodding and poking he was having. He'll have a rubbish night but hopefully be all the better for it tomorrow.
Monday, 13 August 2007
13/8/07
What a difference a day makes...!
Our little boy is a star!! Having just tried out oral feeding for the first time yesterday, he had two whole feeds via bottle over night and then had 10 minutes breastfeeding this afternoon! He's certainly not slow when it comes to learning how to feed!!
Even better is that to enable him to breastfeed, he had another go on low-flow and coped fine for the few hours I had him out of the incubator. One of the advantages of his time on low-flow is that he is much easier to handle and cuddle and we get to see his gorgeous face at last!
As it was a big adventure for him, he went back onto CPAP when he went back in his box so that he could rest again. He has barely moved since he went back in. Unfortunately, he was so tired, he's had a few brady's this afternoon (heart rate slowing) so hopefully he'll have a really restful night and be ready to have another go on low flow and feeding tomorrow...
Ahhh, happy day - I feel like a proper mummy at last.
Our little boy is a star!! Having just tried out oral feeding for the first time yesterday, he had two whole feeds via bottle over night and then had 10 minutes breastfeeding this afternoon! He's certainly not slow when it comes to learning how to feed!!
Even better is that to enable him to breastfeed, he had another go on low-flow and coped fine for the few hours I had him out of the incubator. One of the advantages of his time on low-flow is that he is much easier to handle and cuddle and we get to see his gorgeous face at last!
As it was a big adventure for him, he went back onto CPAP when he went back in his box so that he could rest again. He has barely moved since he went back in. Unfortunately, he was so tired, he's had a few brady's this afternoon (heart rate slowing) so hopefully he'll have a really restful night and be ready to have another go on low flow and feeding tomorrow...
Ahhh, happy day - I feel like a proper mummy at last.
Sunday, 12 August 2007
12/8/07
Elis has reached another milestone today - he had his first oral feed! He is usually fed through a tube which goes from his mouth right into his stomach (it's the green one you can see on the photos), but today he took 10ml from a syringe in his mouth!
His corrected age is now about 34 weeks gestation (still six weeks before he should have been born) and it is usually in the next few weeks that unborn babies begin to develop the 'suck' reflex. Elis was getting hungry as his 12pm feed approached and was showing signs of wanting to feed himself so the nurse and I propped him up in his incubator and stuck the end of a syringe of milk in his mouth. Hey presto, he worked out how to breathe, suck the milk and then swallow it all at once!! It was really lovely to see and he surprised us both (and himself, I think). He polished off 10ml in under five minutes but was pretty shattered after the effort so the rest of it went down his tube.
After his momentus lunch, he came out for some 'kangaroo care' (skin to skin cuddle) for the afternoon and was very well behaved.
His corrected age is now about 34 weeks gestation (still six weeks before he should have been born) and it is usually in the next few weeks that unborn babies begin to develop the 'suck' reflex. Elis was getting hungry as his 12pm feed approached and was showing signs of wanting to feed himself so the nurse and I propped him up in his incubator and stuck the end of a syringe of milk in his mouth. Hey presto, he worked out how to breathe, suck the milk and then swallow it all at once!! It was really lovely to see and he surprised us both (and himself, I think). He polished off 10ml in under five minutes but was pretty shattered after the effort so the rest of it went down his tube.
After his momentus lunch, he came out for some 'kangaroo care' (skin to skin cuddle) for the afternoon and was very well behaved.
Friday, 10 August 2007
10/8/07
Elis has been generally well behaved over the last couple of days. His oxygen requirement has come down to 40-60% and he hasn't needed bagging, which is a vast improvement on a week ago. He's had an eye test and a heart scan in the last few days, both of which were reasonable. He's put on another 65g since Monday and is feeding well and looking good!
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
7/8/07
Today is a day of celebration... After seven weeks in Intensive Care, Elis' good behaviour over the last couple of days and has been rewarded by being moved out of Intensive Care and into High Care. He hasn't suddenly got better or anything, but they don't consider him to need one-to-one care at the moment, so in High Care each nurse looks after three babies.
As a double celebration today, he was weighed last night and clocked in at 1.360kg, which means that he has hit the magical 3lb marker already. I think most of the weight is still going on his cheeks, but it also means that his feeds have now been increased to 28ml every three hours. I bought a bottle of Champagne and a chocolate cake on the way home, so am now off to indulge...
As a double celebration today, he was weighed last night and clocked in at 1.360kg, which means that he has hit the magical 3lb marker already. I think most of the weight is still going on his cheeks, but it also means that his feeds have now been increased to 28ml every three hours. I bought a bottle of Champagne and a chocolate cake on the way home, so am now off to indulge...
Sunday, 5 August 2007
5/8/07
Just a quick one to say that despite an almighty desaturation on Friday morning when his blood oxygen reached new lows of 2% and he worried all the staff, he has actually had a really good few days and been very settled.
He was weighed on Thursday night and was 1.235kg (2lb 11oz) so he's now being fed 17ml of milk every two hours and seems to be coping with that fine. Hopefully next week we'll be able to celebrate passing the 3lb mark!
He was weighed on Thursday night and was 1.235kg (2lb 11oz) so he's now being fed 17ml of milk every two hours and seems to be coping with that fine. Hopefully next week we'll be able to celebrate passing the 3lb mark!
Thursday, 2 August 2007
2/8/07
There was much excitment afoot today in the ICU as Elis had his first bath!! Apparently he thoroughly enjoyed his five minutes in the washing up bowl and behaved beautifully. He is now dressed in a babygrow that fits him, courtesy of Aunty Adity and Uncle Dave, and a new hat courtesy of his grandma's newfound knitting skills. He looks really cute - like a real (mini) baby!
He had an ultrasound scan on his brain this afternoon and all looks ok, which is a great relief. I then had him out for a cuddle but he was so exhausted from his exciting morning that he hardly moved.
He had an ultrasound scan on his brain this afternoon and all looks ok, which is a great relief. I then had him out for a cuddle but he was so exhausted from his exciting morning that he hardly moved.
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
1/8/07
He's still being a good boy! There's not really much more to say (and we don't want to tempt fate!) but he's been very settled today and has had his oxygen requirement down to about 60% for much of the day. He's still had lots of secretions today but they don't seem to have caused him much trouble so far.
When we arrived at the hospital one of the nurses had dressed him for the first time in his own clothes!! It is a babygrow for pre-term babies but still looks a bit big on him!
When we arrived at the hospital one of the nurses had dressed him for the first time in his own clothes!! It is a babygrow for pre-term babies but still looks a bit big on him!
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