Well now I have corrected the two 'Tuesdays' this week you can read Wednesday's blog again!
Confused?
Well here is Thursday's blog and I have got that right (I think I'm right I checked with Cathy). Stress plays tricks on your mind you know and your memory goes AWOL. Enough of the self-pitying content; Charles had a lovely day with Cathy and is getting better at Breast feeding, but it is not going to be the overnight turnaround we had started to believe was happening.
He is not putting on weight noticeably enough for them to be happy for him to go home yet. It probably means his stomach is still getting settled into doing it's job now the intravenous feeding has stopped. That means we have to wait for both his weight to start to go up and his suckling ability to get strong before we can get him home. So we are back to thinking next week. His second feed went less well and he did not settle to feeding so we have a small hill to climb for both Cathy and Charles to work at with us in support keeping their confidence up.
The physiotherapist (why do they have to use such complicated names in medicine - wouldn't 'movement nurse' do?) saw Charles today and suggested we keep a log of his settled positions so we ensure he is not always resting in one place. She was happy with his movement, but made it clear it is far too early to assess his degree of mobility and muscle control of his arms and legs. She will visit us each week and give us updated advice as he progresses.
...(on second thoughts 'movement nurse' could be mistaken for someone who takes stool samples. Then a stool is something you sit on and you sit on a seat and seat make cars. Cars have boots, Americans call them trunks and you might wear both on the beach when you are little and catch crabs with a net....
net result is a conclusion so
Physiotherapist it is then!!)
That was me letting off 'mental steam' just a bit of fun now back to Charles.
Oh, and on a serious note; before I forget - a little ray of sunshine of a silver lining on the cloud of the 9th March is this: there are such things as 'Peads Kits' available. Our First Responders (the first on the scene by over five minutes) can get these and be trained to use them in an emergency delivery at home. The first ideas for fund-raising are coming together and I will post more details when I get them, but the idea is to buy a few kits and arrange training so more can be done if a baby comes and does not respond to the normal things you do and enhance what the paramedic carries. These will be held by First Responders here and hopefully the kits will be bought for similar groups all over the country. If one baby is saved as a result then that is a fantastic outcome almost as great as having Charles when we thought we had lost him.
Some people have suggested I do this blog as a book for people going through similar circumstances. If it is then I'll put the money raised to First Responders. Too much on my plate to investigate that for a while yet, but it is an idea I'm happy to support and if people find it comforting or informative or both that would be another pay-back. |