Home!!

I am writing this in a peaceful house full of sleeping children. What a week it has been. I have been living in the hospital, feeding babycakes every four hours or as she demands milk. I started last Wednesday with my alarm set through the night as this tiny sleepy girl doesnt wake for her feeds but she has to have them as she is so small, so I rouse her, take off her romper suit and wake her enough to feed - not always brilliantly sucessful so I spend the next while worrying about her... She is still so little that breastfeeding is still difficult and her suck/swallow/latch coordination isn't fully developed yet - she is four weeks from her gestational due date - so she is still not quite ready for the big wide world. Jasper was not keen on Mummy going away again, so he said it was OK for mummy to go in and out of hospital to feed baby, so mum helped put J to sleep each night before tearing off to the ward to feed a hungry girl, stay at the hospital until after her morning feed and coming home for an hour to play with J, then back to the hospital, keeping up the subterfuge with regular home visits.

We were all so ready to come home by Monday afternoon! Living in a hospital is like living in a strange limbo state, a very lonely affair. It has been an emotional week trying to feed baby, dealing with oversupply of milk after pumping for 6 weeks, trying to make sure she was feeding properly - both off us ending up in tears sometimes. The first day I stayed in to feed she was exhausted the 60 grams necessary for her to put on every two days was not met - she put on only 30 grams of weight in two days. I was a bit worried but had also expected it might happen. Luckily on Saturday weigh in she put on 70 grams, what a relief.


All frocked up for the trip home.

This put her over the 2kg mark, a huge milestone - but we had to wait til monday to check whether she was still gaining - she put on 60g so we could go home! During her discharge health check the Paediatrician noticed a problem with her breathing and a murmer in her heart. She was most concerned about her breathing, which is laboured (heart murmers are common in prem babies and should clear up by gestational birth dates and dont need to be freaked out about until then). She has had difficulties since birth with her lungs and they are still very fragile, so although she can come home we have to be very careful with her - no colds or back to hospital, which means we have to do a lot of home things and screen any visitors. We have been home now for 24 hours and it feels fantastic!!


A kiss for a little sister's foot.

Tanya and Jasper were at the hospital Monday morning and Jasper refused to go home unless he was bringing his sister too, so he (yet again) was an amazingly patient 2 year old, helping me push baby's cot around to where she needed to go, reading books and pottering around a little hospital room. Zoran had to fly to Melbourne the night before and wouldn't be home til after 9pm Monday, which was unfortunate but ended up being fine. It was lovely that mum could be here to hep out!


First time in the car capsule, on the way home.

Coming in through the front door I felt my whole body relax for the first time in months, I have been holding my breath for so long, I could finally breathe!! And although we have to be careful, see a health centre nurse every three day for checks of health and weight, and watch her breathing and feeding, life can start to return to normal. Jasper was a happy boy all afternoon and couldn't contain his good cheer, jumping and playing and laughing, and I got loads of cuddles and kisses, very lovley!! (Especially after a mixture of days when Jasper wasn't keen on mummys need to be in hospitals, and mummy wasn't to be cuddled - as punsihment! Poor little tyke, he has put up with so much and is such an amazing boy.)


Through the front door for the first time.


Life with baby sister home.

Now that sister is home, Jasper has lots of work to do looking after his own baby!! (This baby is a boy baby which Viv and Giorgio gave to me, many years ago, when I turned six and now it is Jasper's special baby.). The day before she came home daddy and jasper went shopping for a pram for jasper's baby (from his Baba Milica), and some bits and pieces for sister...


Making sure baby is OK in the pram.


Are the straps done up properly?


Now baby needs a bath, then dry with the towel.


Truck needs a gentle bath too!

Tomorrow we see Dr Browne and hopefully baby will have put on weight...

Tamx