Kangaroo cuddles for 3 1/2 hours today with mummy and the doc says mummy needs to cuddle him all day as his oxygen drops by 10-12% and he saturates high, meaning he is very happy. Daddy's turn tomorrow as his golf game has been postponed.
Thursday, 26 March 2015
32 weeks
In all the excitement of little man's weight gain, I forgot to mention he was 32 weeks yesterday. Which means we are half way and now have 8 weeks to go until his due date. This is also when they do the eye check that he had yesterday.
He had a blood test this morning just to check for any infection as his oxygen requirement had gone up briefly this morning. The doctors get a bit nervous because he had been so sick with infection previously. All clear results though thankfully and he has now had the cannula which was put in yesterday for the transfusion, removed (amid protest from little fella).
Kangaroo cuddles for 3 1/2 hours today with mummy and the doc says mummy needs to cuddle him all day as his oxygen drops by 10-12% and he saturates high, meaning he is very happy. Daddy's turn tomorrow as his golf game has been postponed.
One more sleep until Grandma and Grandad Jackson arrive...
Kangaroo cuddles for 3 1/2 hours today with mummy and the doc says mummy needs to cuddle him all day as his oxygen drops by 10-12% and he saturates high, meaning he is very happy. Daddy's turn tomorrow as his golf game has been postponed.
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Wednesday, 25 March 2015
1234...........grams!
Jensen weighed in at 1234 grams this morning.....much more than we were hoping for, the little champ. Maybe he'll be 1300 by the weekend...
Due to his weight gain, his milk has increased to 16 mls two hourly which he is enjoying and should have a hand in some more rapid weight gain.
Little fella had a blood transfusion today as his haemoglobin levels had gotten low again. This is very common with preemies as they have blood taken so often, and they can't produce new cells as quick as everyone else. He's looking very pink this evening and as though he's been out in the sun a little too long.
He's also had his first eye check today with the eye specialist. He is having a follow up next week to determine the maturity of his eyes. Because he is so premature his eyes are immature and at risk of developing a displaced retina. This is where the blood vessels behind the eye don't stop growing due to being in oxygen, as well as being underdeveloped, and can grow over the retina and cause blindness. The doctor will usually examine him every 2 weeks to keep an eye on the blood vessels' growth and in the case of them looking like growing over the retina, laser eye surgery is required. This is also done within the NICU, so if it is something Jensen needs, he won't have to be transported to another hospital. Of course we are hoping this is not the case with our little super star. Apparently this is what happened to Stevie Wonder. He was born premature and had a lot of oxygen pumped into his incubator which caused his retinas to detach. Of course over the last 65 years since his birth the amount of research, medical developments and knowledge available has led to vast improvements in oxygen monitoring and created awareness of the need to keep an eye on the eyes.
Mummy had more cuddles today, in my gown bra less, which is much more comfortable for the both of us. The structure of my maternity bras don't allow them to sit flush on the chest, so besides catching remnants of my lunch, they also stick up, and Jensen ends up hovering above my chest. Now he just settles in in-between my boobs and zonks out for 3 hours. The nurses even commenced his blood transfusion while he was having cuddles today as he loves them so much, and is so settled.
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Strike a pose
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Little fella had a blood transfusion today as his haemoglobin levels had gotten low again. This is very common with preemies as they have blood taken so often, and they can't produce new cells as quick as everyone else. He's looking very pink this evening and as though he's been out in the sun a little too long.
Mummy had more cuddles today, in my gown bra less, which is much more comfortable for the both of us. The structure of my maternity bras don't allow them to sit flush on the chest, so besides catching remnants of my lunch, they also stick up, and Jensen ends up hovering above my chest. Now he just settles in in-between my boobs and zonks out for 3 hours. The nurses even commenced his blood transfusion while he was having cuddles today as he loves them so much, and is so settled.
Tuesday, 24 March 2015
Pardon me
Another quiet day for little man.
Cuddles with mummy again today, which we love so much. His oxygen drops low and he saturates high during cuddles, and seems to remain the same upon transfer back into his crib.
He's been burping a lot lately from the air pressure of the CPAP. His gastric tube is attached to the air hole on the top of his crib which allows him to push the air from his tummy and release it with a gurgling noise through his roof...sometimes it's so loud I can hear it from the other side of the room. He's a bit refluxy too.
He did another poo missile today all over the nurse's hand and down past his feet....very funny and quite messy...better out than in though. Perhaps mummy has to lay off the spicy food for a while to stop him from shooting poos all over the place.
Immunisations are due this week, but are not administered while babies are on CPAP of 7. This is something they will think about in a few more weeks. Immunisations are the only thing that are not age corrected and should be administered at birth age.
The nurse in charge of discharges came to visit today. We will spend time with her in Low Dependency more so than now, but she says we should be across the hall in 4 weeks or so, and even more exciting said we would be home before Jensen's due date. I am not counting on this as I don't want to be disappointed and only want him home when he is fully and absolutely ready. She said all he needs to be doing is 3 suck feeds a day to be coming home. He can come home on oxygen and with a gastric tube if necessary.....this thought is a little scary. The nurses will come to our house and set up the oxygen tanks. We will have a little one in a back pack for outings. The nurses will come to visit us, and check we are all doing well, especially if Jensen is still very little.
I have been doing lots of research on prams lately and today we have found the one we want which we can customise to our needs. We will have our own unique little pram for our own unique little boy. We've also been looking into car seats, cots and other requirements, there is so much to choose from and has become quite a frustrating and arduous task. We have narrowed our search down a little and have almost found what we want.
We had a little chat to Valentina's parents this evening, and seems she'll be ready to go home in 2 weeks....how very exciting. We will stay in contact with Claire and Nick and Jensen and Valentina will become little friends. Phil is actually playing golf with Nick on Friday.
Jensen is again neighbourless this evening with the last new neighbour moving across the hall tonight. This baby was massive at 2 kilos and the same gestation as Jensen. Makes me think he may have been around that size should he not have decided he couldn't wait to meet the world. Weigh in again in the morning, hoping for a 60 gram plus weight gain...he looks bigger and very much longer today.
Not long now till Grandma and Grandad Jackson arrive....only three more sleeps. We are very much looking forward to their visit and having them around for a few weeks...
Cuddles with mummy again today, which we love so much. His oxygen drops low and he saturates high during cuddles, and seems to remain the same upon transfer back into his crib.
He did another poo missile today all over the nurse's hand and down past his feet....very funny and quite messy...better out than in though. Perhaps mummy has to lay off the spicy food for a while to stop him from shooting poos all over the place.
Immunisations are due this week, but are not administered while babies are on CPAP of 7. This is something they will think about in a few more weeks. Immunisations are the only thing that are not age corrected and should be administered at birth age.
The nurse in charge of discharges came to visit today. We will spend time with her in Low Dependency more so than now, but she says we should be across the hall in 4 weeks or so, and even more exciting said we would be home before Jensen's due date. I am not counting on this as I don't want to be disappointed and only want him home when he is fully and absolutely ready. She said all he needs to be doing is 3 suck feeds a day to be coming home. He can come home on oxygen and with a gastric tube if necessary.....this thought is a little scary. The nurses will come to our house and set up the oxygen tanks. We will have a little one in a back pack for outings. The nurses will come to visit us, and check we are all doing well, especially if Jensen is still very little.
I have been doing lots of research on prams lately and today we have found the one we want which we can customise to our needs. We will have our own unique little pram for our own unique little boy. We've also been looking into car seats, cots and other requirements, there is so much to choose from and has become quite a frustrating and arduous task. We have narrowed our search down a little and have almost found what we want.
Jensen is again neighbourless this evening with the last new neighbour moving across the hall tonight. This baby was massive at 2 kilos and the same gestation as Jensen. Makes me think he may have been around that size should he not have decided he couldn't wait to meet the world. Weigh in again in the morning, hoping for a 60 gram plus weight gain...he looks bigger and very much longer today.
Not long now till Grandma and Grandad Jackson arrive....only three more sleeps. We are very much looking forward to their visit and having them around for a few weeks...
Monday, 23 March 2015
8 weeks
Today little man is 8 weeks old.
He's had another quiet day apart from a blood test this afternoon to make sure it's nothing metabolic causing his jaundice. Dr Mary is very happy with him and has noticed a big change since last time she was on. Oh and cuddles with mummy.
After a couple of quiet weeks in here, the place is now busy with lots of new arrivals and parents and relatives wandering around. As we are long term residents here, I have become quite possessive about the place and get cranky when people disturb my routine or the order of the place. I like to express in the parent lounge in the morning while I watch the news, I do not like it when other people think they can come in and use the facilities at this time...... I don't like it when people can't read the 'parents of babies in NICU only' sign in the parent lounge and congregate their whole family in there. I don't like people using our room as a short cut to theirs, I don't like making small talk comparisons about babies. In fact the first conversation was had just yesterday with Jensen's adjoining neighbours after 6 weeks. It's not a place to make friends. I get cranky with people who don't wash their hands when walking into the unit, when it is clearly signposted. I don't like it when people treat Intensive Care like their lounge room on their phones sipping a cup of coffee. I don't like it when people talk about us on the phone saying how they're in a much better position than us. I don't like being asked questions. I don't like seeing the fear on a new mum's faces. I get upset with nurses who are complacent and don't do their research. I don't like the pitiful puppy dog faces I get from the social workers, I don't like being told it's amazing your son has survived all he's been through at 23 weeks gestation. I don't like having to be here at all.
I do love lots of things about this place though. I love the care my son is receiving. I love the kind and caring nurses. I love the amount of training and education the staff participate in daily. I love the amount of thorough information we receive. I love that Jensen is so dear to so many nurses' hearts. I love that the nurses look out for me and Phil. I love that it is so close to home. I love that we can come whatever time we like. I love that it doesn't feel like a hospital. There's a lot more that I love but most of all I will love it when we can walk through those heavy doors with our little boy in our arms.
He's had another quiet day apart from a blood test this afternoon to make sure it's nothing metabolic causing his jaundice. Dr Mary is very happy with him and has noticed a big change since last time she was on. Oh and cuddles with mummy.
After a couple of quiet weeks in here, the place is now busy with lots of new arrivals and parents and relatives wandering around. As we are long term residents here, I have become quite possessive about the place and get cranky when people disturb my routine or the order of the place. I like to express in the parent lounge in the morning while I watch the news, I do not like it when other people think they can come in and use the facilities at this time...... I don't like it when people can't read the 'parents of babies in NICU only' sign in the parent lounge and congregate their whole family in there. I don't like people using our room as a short cut to theirs, I don't like making small talk comparisons about babies. In fact the first conversation was had just yesterday with Jensen's adjoining neighbours after 6 weeks. It's not a place to make friends. I get cranky with people who don't wash their hands when walking into the unit, when it is clearly signposted. I don't like it when people treat Intensive Care like their lounge room on their phones sipping a cup of coffee. I don't like it when people talk about us on the phone saying how they're in a much better position than us. I don't like being asked questions. I don't like seeing the fear on a new mum's faces. I get upset with nurses who are complacent and don't do their research. I don't like the pitiful puppy dog faces I get from the social workers, I don't like being told it's amazing your son has survived all he's been through at 23 weeks gestation. I don't like having to be here at all.
I do love lots of things about this place though. I love the care my son is receiving. I love the kind and caring nurses. I love the amount of training and education the staff participate in daily. I love the amount of thorough information we receive. I love that Jensen is so dear to so many nurses' hearts. I love that the nurses look out for me and Phil. I love that it is so close to home. I love that we can come whatever time we like. I love that it doesn't feel like a hospital. There's a lot more that I love but most of all I will love it when we can walk through those heavy doors with our little boy in our arms.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
The weekend
Jensen has been a popular little man today with lots of visitors. Grandma and grandpa James turned up during cuddle time with daddy, so mummy made them wear a mask as she is becoming neurotic and paranoid about germs of any sort.
We were lucky enough yesterday to be allowed a cuddle each. Phil was out at a job (for one of Jensen's nurses), and I was here on my own not cuddling Jensen as it was daddy's turn, so I asked if we could ever have more than one cuddle. 'No' was the answer, but before I could say much the nurse asked if I wanted one, as Jensen loves cuddles so much.....of course! I changed into my cuddle gown ASAP. The nurse said we had to keep it a secret because the rule is one a day, and was only letting us because she was doing a double shift. Little man was very happy with 5 hours of cuddles in one day.
This morning little man weighed in at 1088 grams, so his feeds have now gone up to 15 ml two hourly. Next weigh in is Wednesday morning. Hopefully he should average around 100 gram weight gain each week. No other changes today. The doctors are still with Jensen for a minimal amount of time on rounds, which pleases us greatly. Phil timed them yesterday.....just 55 seconds.
The nurse with Jensen today decided to dress him, when I saw her doing this I told her we had an outfit for him... He's almost too big for it now, but he still looks super cute in it.
Today is Aunty Sally and Cousin Tegan's birthday and we wish them both a happy and fabulous day and thank them for all of their messages of love and support. We can't wait for them to meet their new littlest relative.
This morning little man weighed in at 1088 grams, so his feeds have now gone up to 15 ml two hourly. Next weigh in is Wednesday morning. Hopefully he should average around 100 gram weight gain each week. No other changes today. The doctors are still with Jensen for a minimal amount of time on rounds, which pleases us greatly. Phil timed them yesterday.....just 55 seconds.
The nurse with Jensen today decided to dress him, when I saw her doing this I told her we had an outfit for him... He's almost too big for it now, but he still looks super cute in it.
Friday, 20 March 2015
The cutest thing
Another quiet day in the NICU for little fella. We love quiet days and hope for them often. Today is his first day of no steroids for a while so his oxygen levels have been swinging up and down a bit. Dr Shah mentioned yesterday this would possibly happen, so I'm not too concerned about it.
I had a big 3 hour cuddle today. I've had the sniffles for a few days so stayed away from cuddles this week until today, just in case. It's Phil's turn over the weekend and hopefully we can continue on with daily cuddles from here on. Jensen loves cuddles so much his oxygen is 10% less during cuddle time, he also loves being wrapped, and although the nurses don't really like to do it as it is hard to see their chest movement, some have done so to calm him down when he's cranky and it works a charm. He didn't even wake when being transferred back to his crib from cuddles. He looks so cute all wrapped up, like a little bug.
The cutest thing I have ever seen is a Jensen sneeze. He did about 8 of them during cuddles today. They come out of nowhere and go straight up his snorkel I guess with his mask on. I assume the pressure from the bubbles in his snorkel tickles his nose at times. That, or either he takes after his mumma and is just a big sneeze head.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
A hefty little fella
He did the biggest poo Claire (the nurse educator) had seen in a very long time...it was double the quantity, weighed almost as much as the little fella, and stunk out his crib....this is apparently blog worthy, as there is not much else to report...
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