28 weeks

Today Jensen is 28 weeks, which means 12 weeks until his due date! Still sounds like ages away, but at least it's closer than 17 weeks and we are a quarter of the way through.

Today Jensen's CO2 levels were a bit high again so he has been placed back on high frequency ventilation for a while. He has had another blood and platelet transfusion today. The doctors are trying to work out why his platelet level keeps dropping. It could be because of infection, but he is not presenting any signs in his bloods. They take some of his blood and let it dry out over 48 hours. In this time if there is an infection it will grow on the sample. None of this has happened with Jensen's blood sample. They have sent away some of my milk to test that, and I am hoping with all might that it's fine. He has been tolerating his milk well and is being kept at one ml four hourly for now. They are going slowly with this so not to upset his tummy again. His duct has reopened a little, and they are looking at giving him steroids to help him get off the ventilator, and which in turn may help close the duct.

This place is not always an enjoyable place to spend a day. There are the mums and the dads, some happy, some sad, some with blank faces. Some that like to chat, others that don't. Constant comparisons between babies, breast milk, and coping strategies. Nurses and doctors all around, some in scrubs, those that move in packs. Medical terminology flying around, precious ears trying not to listen. The constant beep and alarms of machinery. Downstairs, new mums taking their healthy full-term babies home from the maternity ward. Pregnant women all around. Injured and unwell patients escaping the ward air in need of some that's fresh. Sometimes this place is just shit. Sometimes a day takes a week to go by. But I know this place is the best place on Earth for our son, and I am thankful for all the care he gets, from such a well-equipped, well-run unit. And for that reason, and to support our tough little soldier, I will stay by his side each and everyday, until the day comes when we can finally take him home.

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