Andrew - born at 29 weeks!

[sleeping bubs]

wow well done Andrew thats cool he is sitting and moving around. Let me know about supplement as Mckenzie has a diertitian appointment 3rd Dec (the first one) so hopefully they will be able to help.

I got Mckenzie weighed on Monday now 7.16kg (15lb 12oz) and around 70cm ish I think!!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Well, we've cracked sitting. He now quite happily moves between sitting, lying & crawling. It's quite wonderful to see him choose to sit to play with a toy

https://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Tigsteroonie/Baby/P1030585.jpg

But not only that, he's moving rapidly onto standing up!

https://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Tigsteroonie/Baby/P1030582.jpg

 

[25weeker]

Yeah well done Andrew

 

[AP]

Yey!!! Its all coming together now!!!!!

 

[Lottie86]

Well done Andrew!

 

[sleeping bubs]

wow he is so cute and well done little Andrew he will be walking around in no time

 

[Marleysgirl]

Update for this week ....

The audiology appointment went well. He still didn't want to look at their stupid poxy puppets (!) in response to sounds, so they decided to try and monitor his facial expressions instead - smiles, head turning as if looking for the source, eyebrows raising, even to the point of squawking when sounds were too loud.

The good news is that he does have some hearing in his left ear The loss is greater than in his right, but he's not profoundly deaf, and it means that - with correction - he'll have a sense of where sound is coming from (because that relies on both ears hearing slightly differently).

Because he didn't perform well with the puppets, they want to repeat the testing to make sure they didn't interpret smiles at the toys, or even wind (!), wrongly as reaction to sound. They took fresh ear moulds and, when we return in January for tests, they'll programme the next set of hearing aids to match his responses. Then he'll go home with aids again.

Now that his development is improving (sitting, playing), it will be interesting to see whether the aids change his behaviour - will he become more aware of us, and of the television?

His daddy shouted across the room to him earlier today (in fun, not in anger) and Andrew was turning his head and laughing in response. So it would seem that he is *now* responding to sounds

 

[Foogirl]

Oh My Lord!! What a handsome wee man he is growing up to be!

I'm so glad to hear he is doing brilliantly.

 

[rachelrhin0]

Your Andrew came much like my Carly. She had severe IUGR only weighing 13oz (380grams) at 28 weeks. Her story is here https://carlynicoleelliotte.blogspot.com

Your Andrew is such a blessing!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Paediatrician appointment this morning!

Andrew doesn't seem to have put on any height (70.1cm) but has put on weight (7.32kg), on the graph that shows him having continued his steady gain of around 100g/4wks, so he's maintaining along the -3SD curve now. From what the Paed said, I get the feeling she's stopped being concerned about this now and is happy to accept that he is growing but not climbing the percentiles. He *is* putting on as much weight per month as an average child, it's just that his starting point was so small!!

We can stop the Folic Acid & Sytron, she suggest we keep him on the Abidec multivitamins until he's around 5 years old - apparently that's the latest DoH guidelines! Don't our kids get enough natural vitamins these days??? And she's happy to follow the Dietitian's recommendation that he stay on Infatrini milk for as long as he'll take it.

She's impressed by the speed at which he's picked up sitting, raised crawling, and furniture cruising - all within the last 2 months or so. He's beginning to catch up on the development stakes

There was no mention of any testing to find out why he's small, so no genetic testing or anything, she's happy that he's doing okay

Back to the hospital this afternoon though - time for the hearing aids!!!

 

[sleeping bubs]

good job Andrew Hopefully the hearing aids are more successful this time for you Mckenzie weighs a bit less than Andrew now last weigh in was friday and he was 7.26kg.

We haven't been given vitamins for Mckenzie do you think I should mention it to doc on Tuesday, yet again another weight review. But he wasn't well over Christmas he was in hospital for infection induced wheeze but picked up a bit now so he lost a bit of weight.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Isn't that odd? Andrew was on Folic Acid, Sytron, & Vitamins from the moment he started taking milk orally - they turn the milk a really weird colour! Once he came home, the hospital faxed the GP to get them prescribed and it's been a repeat prescription ever since - the multivitamins are Abidec, which retail around £3, but of course we get them for free. I asked the Paediatrician today about their continued use and she said to drop everything except the multivitamins which the Dept of Health apparently recommend for children up to the age of five.

I suggest you ask, it can't hurt (nothing ventured and all that).

Andrew was teething early in December, and then had a bad cold over Christmas (when we all had flu), so was off solids for probably 3 weeks in total. However, he totally pigged out on the milk instead so that'll be why his weight gain continued at its usual rate!

 

[Foogirl]

Well done Andrew. He's fairly coming on isn't he!

I understood that the Sytron was only necessary for 6 months. After that, they should be capable of storing and processing iron - assuming they get it in their diets.

I get annoyed about the widespread, blanket use of vitamins. They told us in NNICU the reason they do it, especially for breastfed babies because they want to reach the lowest common denominator - those who don't have a good balanced diet, nor who give the same to their children. I was quite capable of making sure whatever went into me, gave Abby what she needed. If your are using a formula, they are usually fortified aren't they? It just seems like a waste of NHS money

I can understand in Andrew's case, if he isn't eating properly, vitamins would be a good idea. But they do hand them out like sweeties.

 

[Marleysgirl]

You're only saying what I'm thinking, Foogirl!

What the Paediatrician actually said was that the DoH recommends multi-vitamins for all children up to the age of five because "they aren't getting enough vitamins these days, certainly not Vitamin D, children aren't outdoors long enough for that".

At which point, I gave her the raised eyebrow look, and commented that my OH was looking forward to the summer because he has plans for Andrew to spend heaps of time in the garden, we're even getting an outdoor swing. We chose this house (to rent) because of the garden.

Isn't it sad that (a) some children aren't given balanced diets (including daylight periods) and that (b) so many parents can't be trusted to do things right that they have to make blanket recommendations such as these.

 

[Foogirl]

You're only saying what I'm thinking, Foogirl!

What the Paediatrician actually said was that the DoH recommends multi-vitamins for all children up to the age of five because "they aren't getting enough vitamins these days, certainly not Vitamin D, children aren't outdoors long enough for that".

At which point, I gave her the raised eyebrow look, and commented that my OH was looking forward to the summer because he has plans for Andrew to spend heaps of time in the garden, we're even getting an outdoor swing. We chose this house (to rent) because of the garden.

Isn't it sad that (a) some children aren't given balanced diets (including daylight periods) and that (b) so many parents can't be trusted to do things right that they have to make blanket recommendations such as these.

Hmm, does she know a child only needs 10 minutes outside in daylight to get what they need in terms of daily Vitamin D. Abby does that just going to and from the car!!

You are so right, it is a shame. But when we see the levels of obesity followed by parents saying "she's bound to be overweight, all the women in our family are, it must be genetic." Or, all the women in your family have learned poor eating habits and are passing them on to her?

I remember one mother saying she only ever cooked healthy food, so didn't know why her son was overweight. Then there is the woman who passed fish and chips through the gates of the school where Jamie Oliver's new meal plans were being implemented with the words "they only have that healthy rubbish on sale in the canteen" We should weep for the future.

And the NHS's response is to feed vitamins to babies and children, across the board. How about spending more on education for parents who have no idea how to feed their children?

Worse than the fact they give it out, we got a 500ml bottle for Abby to get 2x 1ml a day which we had to throw out after being opened for 3 months. (For those not quick on general arithmetic, that is 150ml) That's 350ml wasted.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Am I bad - I never came back and updated this thread after his second appointment!

Andrew is sporting snazzy new blue hearing aids. They're set slightly quieter than previously. Initially I'd have said it hasn't changed his behaviour, but now I think it may be - he's far more interested in the television, and plays with noisy toys constantly. He has to wear a bonnet just now so that he doesn't pull them out, apparently it takes a couple of months for him to get used to the sensation.

The peripatetic teacher of the deaf (what a mouthful!) came today, and she's happy with his progress. More importantly, she says his speech is just delayed and not affected by his deafness (ie he doesn't have that "deaf tonelessness" to his cries). She think his speech will develop normally.

Andrew's twice been to soft play centres, and loves them - he can throw himself around the floor, and on/off foam blocks, to his heart's content - he's such a monkey!

 

[sleeping bubs]

ahh bless him Thats good about his speech

It seems all the little ones are monkeys lol

 

[sherryberry79]

That sounds so positive, way to go Andrew! Absolutely fantastic news........might drive you mad playing with noisy toys all day, but under the circumstances it must be an absolute joy for you to see....and hear!

 

[24/7]

So lovely to read that Andrew is doing so well.

We are still holding onto our little boy inside, and have our next scan on 17th Feb to see how things are with the notch, but everytime I read this it gives me so much hope, you are all doing brilliantly. xxxx

 

[Marleysgirl]

Such sad news today that Amanda Holden has lost her baby at 7 months after feeling reduced movement. Another angel in heaven.

It makes me realise just how lucky we were to be so closely monitored through my pregnancy, lucky that they managed to give me the steroid jabs when things went downhill, lucky that our little boy survived his early entry into the world.