Andrew - born at 29 weeks!

[bumpsmum]

aww look at how big he's getting esp with those big boy clothes on! x

 

[Foogirl]

Awww, baby Andrew in big boy clothes! Yay!

Come on Amelia, you've some catching up to do!! (Can't wait for the pics!!)

 

[Marleysgirl]

She is in the second bed on the left as you walk into room four. I have tried to upload some piccies of her onto here but I can't get it to work (I'm a bit of a technophobe)! I think Andrew and Amelia share the same milk fridge too, I saw some bottles labeled up for baby Andrew!

Some? A whole shelf-full Over 5 litres I reckon!

 

[sherryberry79]

Haha, but it's all good stuff that is making your lil man into such a big strong man! The top drawer of our freezer at home is filled with Millie's EBM, I should take some in to replenish hospital stocks!

The cardiologist is going to be reviewing Millie's PDA, they have administered courses of meds to close it but no joy, The doctors feel that the PDA is holding her back from gaining weight etc, and if the cardiologist agrees then there is a very strong possibility she will be referred to Alder Hay to have the operation to close it. I am terrified about her going under the knife, she is so tiny and delicate. But I am told it's a relatively straight forward procedure. Has the duct in Andrew's heart closed on its own or with meds?

 

[Foogirl]

She is in the second bed on the left as you walk into room four. I have tried to upload some piccies of her onto here but I can't get it to work (I'm a bit of a technophobe)! I think Andrew and Amelia share the same milk fridge too, I saw some bottles labeled up for baby Andrew!

Some? A whole shelf-full Over 5 litres I reckon!

We were the same. My husband reckoned we would have a memorial fridge by the time we left. He kept asking if he should call wiseman dairies to borrow a tanker to deliver it with. I'll tell you though, as they start getting bigger, it is amazing how quickly it gets used up. We took a big cool box with us when we went to get her thinking there was heaps in there but there were only 3 bottles!

The cardiologist is going to be reviewing Millie's PDA, they have administered courses of meds to close it but no joy, The doctors feel that the PDA is holding her back from gaining weight etc, and if the cardiologist agrees then there is a very strong possibility she will be referred to Alder Hay to have the operation to close it. I am terrified about her going under the knife, she is so tiny and delicate. But I am told it's a relatively straight forward procedure. Has the duct in Andrew's heart closed on its own or with meds?

Fingers crossed for Millie. At least Alder Hay has a great reputation, is it not one of the best Children's hospitals in the country?

 

[Marleysgirl]

The cardiologist is going to be reviewing Millie's PDA, they have administered courses of meds to close it but no joy, The doctors feel that the PDA is holding her back from gaining weight etc, and if the cardiologist agrees then there is a very strong possibility she will be referred to Alder Hay to have the operation to close it. I am terrified about her going under the knife, she is so tiny and delicate. But I am told it's a relatively straight forward procedure. Has the duct in Andrew's heart closed on its own or with meds?

It's only just been mentioned - literally a couple of days ago, the Doc said that she could occasionally hear a slight murmur which she thinks is the PDA, but she commented that nobody else had heard it (none of the other registrars & nurses) so it was very faint. She therefore thinks it's closing on its own, and isn't going to worry about it until he's old & fit enough to come home.

Alder Hay is meant to be brilliant, which I'm sure you know.

Non-Prem Story for you all, which shows that even full-term babies can have problems ... Whilst I was on the post-natal ward, I overheard the midwives fretting one night about a baby that appeared to be having breathing problems, and a chest infection was suspected. They transferred the baby early morning to SCBU for oxygen & monitoring. By lunchtime, the baby had been diagnosed with major heart & stomach problems (they'd developed the wrong way around) which was putting pressure on the lungs, and by the evening the baby had been transferred to Alder Hay for a life-saving operation. The Mum was in absolute bits, as she couldn't be taken until the next day, and her OH was stuck at home looking after her other toddlers so couldn't really come with her. I've yet to see any of those midwives again to find out how what happened, sorry it's a scary story with an unknown outcome. I just kinda wanted to post it because some people are scared by the results of tests you get in pregnancy; but many problems cannot be diagnosed until after birth.

 

[premmiemum123]

Hi Marleysgirl, sounds like the PDA is closing if it is faint. My LO had a PDA which started off loud then got quieted as it closed. She still has a heart murmur but it is not a functional problem. I myself have a heart murmur and have lived with it all my life so they can be harmless. Sounds like Andrew will be ok.

You are right about your last comment. I met a woman who gave birth full term and her baby suffered significant brain damage during the birth, he was given a 20% chance of living, doctors prepared her for the worst (switching off the ventilator) but the little fighter pulled through and went home within weeks. It was amazing. The mum was so brave and confident about the future even though her little one was brain damaged, I admired her so much.

Andrew sounds like a little fighter and he is growing amazingly well. Sounds like you are in an amazing unit.
These premature babies are amazing. My LO is huge now, she has been through a massive growth spurt, three weeks ago I bought her home at 4lb 10 oz, she is now 8lbs (4 times her birth weight). You watch before you know it, Andrew will be huge and you will wonder where your tiny little tyke went.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Andrew sounds like a little fighter and he is growing amazingly well. Sounds like you are in an amazing unit.
These premature babies are amazing. My LO is huge now, she has been through a massive growth spurt, three weeks ago I bought her home at 4lb 10 oz, she is now 8lbs (4 times her birth weight). You watch before you know it, Andrew will be huge and you will wonder where your tiny little tyke went.

And no doubt wonder why I bothered buying clothes in such tiny sizes

Yes, I have to say that St Marys (Manchester) appears to be a fantastic SCBU. Given that my placenta problems may be congenital (is that the word I want?) as opposed to simply coincidence this time, I consider myself lucky to have moved from rural Scotland to a large city. I stuck my nose into Room 4 and (I think) saw Sherry's baby Millie from a distance, but no parents in sight and I didn't want to go noseying without her permission.

Well, I'm in for excitement for the next two days - tomorrow I get to put Andrew to my breast for the first time, see if he roots around for a meal; and the next day I get to give him a bath! (Pew, he must be smelly, six weeks without a bath .....)

 

[sherryberry79]

Marleysgirl, I would be happy for you to see Millie whether I'm there or not, it might be tricky getting past the nurses unless I am there though, they are very strict with security, but rightly so I guess. I would love to meet Andrew too, so maybe we can pay them both a visit!

Great news that Andrew's PDA is self correcting. I think they would be happy to leave Millie's for longer to see if it closes naturally if it were not for the fact that she is not gaining very much weight. They feel it's holding her back in terms of growth and breathing, so it looks likely she will have the op. Obviously I would prefer it closed naturally so the op was not needed, but if they are going to do it then the sooner the better as far as I am concerned, I just want to see her thrive, and it doesn't look like she will until the heart duct is closed.

Sorry for Hi-jacking your thread, I have just posted a pic of Millie in her own thread so Andrew can have his back!!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Well, today Andrew stared at my boob ("What do you expect me to do with that? ) and kissed it a couple of times, but didn't associate it with food. Try again tomorrow, if we manage to get there when he's off Cpap - they're changing him to 12hrs off & 4hrs on.

He's going to have an MR scan next week to get a better look at the site of his cranial (extra-dural) bleed. Hopefully we'll get a better idea from those results as to whether there's any damage.

Sorry, not writing much as not in a chirpy mood today.

 

[Foogirl]

Well, today Andrew stared at my boob ("What do you expect me to do with that? ) and kissed it a couple of times, but didn't associate it with food. Try again tomorrow, if we manage to get there when he's off Cpap - they're changing him to 12hrs off & 4hrs on.

He's going to have an MR scan next week to get a better look at the site of his cranial (extra-dural) bleed. Hopefully we'll get a better idea from those results as to whether there's any damage.

Sorry, not writing much as not in a chirpy mood today.

Another great first. I remember Abby lying licking it all kitten like. We had her fed through her tube at the same time so she got used to getting a full tummy at the breast. I do remember looking down at her tiny head agains my massive boob and thinking "That must scare the beejeezers out of her!"

Hope the scan goes well and that tomorrow is a better day for you.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Meant to say, I also had my 6wk post-natal appointment and discussion with the consultant who runs the Placenta Clinic here ...

The problems I had with my abnormal bloodflow into the placenta, resulting in Andrew's IUGR and premature delivery, are likely to recur. He doesn't think they'd be as bad a second time, plus they would go for a high level of monitoring (doppler scan @ 11 weeks and take it from there), and insist on screening if appropriate.

He recommends we wait at least a year before trying to give the c/section time to recover, and also to see whether Andrew has any difficulties resulting from his premie birth and cranial bleed. He reckons there would be no problem fertility-wise with waiting, as I fell pregnant so soon this time round.

My OH was there when we were told this, he's keen on a second child, but we haven't actually discussed the consultant's advice yet. My worries would be around needing the higher level of care, having a premie and then baby having a protracted SCBU stay, all whilst having a toddler (Andrew) to take care of.

 

[Foogirl]

Meant to say, I also had my 6wk post-natal appointment and discussion with the consultant who runs the Placenta Clinic here ...

The problems I had with my abnormal bloodflow into the placenta, resulting in Andrew's IUGR and premature delivery, are likely to recur. He doesn't think they'd be as bad a second time, plus they would go for a high level of monitoring (doppler scan @ 11 weeks and take it from there), and insist on screening if appropriate.

He recommends we wait at least a year before trying to give the c/section time to recover, and also to see whether Andrew has any difficulties resulting from his premie birth and cranial bleed. He reckons there would be no problem fertility-wise with waiting, as I fell pregnant so soon this time round.

My OH was there when we were told this, he's keen on a second child, but we haven't actually discussed the consultant's advice yet. My worries would be around needing the higher level of care, having a premie and then baby having a protracted SCBU stay, all whilst having a toddler (Andrew) to take care of.

It can be worrying. We were told there was no reason it would happen again to us. But of course, there was no reason for it to happen this time.

Our consultant reckoned there was no need to wait a year after a section. As she said when we met her 6 weeks after - I was already healed, and pregnancy takes 9 months! But we've no plans to go for it just yet. As you say, if it happens again, going through all that and looking after a toddler would be really difficult!

 

[chrissie33]

How are you both doing now hun?

 

[Marleysgirl]

Got a surprise when I phoned (after a long lie-in) this morning to check on Andrew's progress - he'd still not been put back on Cpap since 6am yesterday morning! That was 28 hours at that point ... 33 hours by the time we left him this afternoon, and still going strong just on his nasal cannula!

And he'd been dressed in a cute babygro with "I love Daddy" all over it.

And they've switched him to a nasal gastric tube - nobody really said why, but I'm hoping it's so that they can start cup-feeding him, and to give him more of a chance to breast-feed! Which I didn't try today, I didn't want to disturb him when he was so many hours off Cpap, I didn't want to stress him out more! Save it for tomorrow.

Oh, and he weighs 1.404kg (3lb 1.5oz) now!

 

[Dona]

Great news! Hopefully that's Andrew off CPAP altogether - I will keep everything crossed!

I bet it was emotional seeing Andrew his Daddy babygrow with only his nasal cannular on his face. Re his feeding tube, they move it to up the nose when his gag reflux has matured, normally around 32 weeks. Its also when they will start to try and intro feeding.

A wee tip for you. As Andrew has a nasal cannular tube and now a feeding tube up his nose at the same time, I would ask them to make sure the feeding tube is the smallest one. I think its a 6 from memory. We found that when they moved Archie's feeding tube to an 8 his o2 requirement increased but reduced again when we asked for a 6.

It's great to hear that Andrew's gaining lots of weight. I remember a nurse saying to us at the start of Archie's journey that all you hope for is a baby that is a feeder and a grower and your out of there! Archie was that baby!

More pictures of Andrew please!

Dona and Archie xxx

 

[chrissie33]

Fab news hun, Andrew is doing so well!

 

[premmiemum123]

Got a surprise when I phoned (after a long lie-in) this morning to check on Andrew's progress - he'd still not been put back on Cpap since 6am yesterday morning! That was 28 hours at that point ... 33 hours by the time we left him this afternoon, and still going strong just on his nasal cannula!

And he'd been dressed in a cute babygro with "I love Daddy" all over it.

And they've switched him to a nasal gastric tube - nobody really said why, but I'm hoping it's so that they can start cup-feeding him, and to give him more of a chance to breast-feed! Which I didn't try today, I didn't want to disturb him when he was so many hours off Cpap, I didn't want to stress him out more! Save it for tomorrow.

Oh, and he weighs 1.404kg (3lb 1.5oz) now!

Andrew is doing so well in a short space of time, am so jealous! Considering his weight he is doing better than Emily did, she took ages to come off CPAP.
His weight is really good too, obviously he loves his milk...

Seeing them in a babygro for the first time is amazing and you begin to see your baby as what I call 'a real baby'. It won't be long before he is in a cot if not already, then you can stare down at him all day...it amazing how the hours pass just staring at your LO.

Good luck with the breastfeeding.

 

[Marleysgirl]

https://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Tigsteroonie/Baby/DSC01589.jpg

https://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn274/Tigsteroonie/Baby/DSC01591.jpg

 

[sherryberry79]

Such a handsome little fella, just gorgeous!