October 2008

Éowyn has now been out of ICU for over 24 hours and on the transitional care ward in a cot next to Lucinda, and although Éowyn had a good night’s sleep, Lucinda didn’t.  This was partly due to the worry of being a new mum and having your baby in a cot next to you, but mainly due to the snoring of two of the other mums and the crying of three other babies.  Not conducive for a good night’s sleep.  Unfortunately Lucinda didn’t really get much chance to grab a nap in the day either, with feeds and doctors and nurses checking up on her and running tests on Éowyn, and having just spoke to her I don’t think tonight will be any better.  I can’t wait until I have the go ahead to take my girls home and start our family life.

Éowyn met her two uncles and two of her aunties last night (Lucinda’s brothers Steve and Mike along with Steve’s wife Zöe and Mike’s girlfriend Cristina) and her first Bagnall auntie, my sister Mary this afternoon.  This evening Lucinda’s parents John and Jenny saw Éowyn out of ICU for the first time, so she is slowly meeting the family.  My mom (who only saw her in ICU) and youngest sister Liz will meet her on Sunday when they come for a visit from West Bromwich.

Today we have had more good news in that it appears that her bilirubin levels, a measure to determine the severity of jaundice in neonates, stopped short of the treatment level and has begun to drop, meaning that she should not have to have phototherapy treatment, prolonging her stay in hospital.  Also, she has already begun to put weight on after the usual post-birth drop, indicating that she is feeding well, which is excellent news as she is solely breast feeding at the moment, so mum must be doing well.  She also had an extended hearing test today (a matter of routine for babies that have spent more that 48 hours in ICU) and she passed with flying colours.  We actually had no worries there, as she is a very inquisitive baby and constantly likes to know what is going on.

Please forgive me a moment of gooey-ness.  I wasn’t expecting new father pride to kick in quite so early but I am very proud of my little girl, she has proved herself a fighter (worthy of her name), she is very contented only grumpy when in need of food, has wind or needs her nappy changing (like her father) and when I look into those eyes my heart melts, I think that she has all the makings of a proper little daddy’s girl, judge for yourself in the photos below.

Hopefully in tomorrow’s update there will be news of her discharge.

Peace and Love

Baggie and Lucinda x

Today marked a big step on Éowyn’s road to recovery and eventually her way home.  An X-Ray today has confirmed that the trapped air in her thorax has been reabsorbed and her lung re-inflated.  A big thank you to all the staff in St Peters Neonatal Intensive Care Department, such a fantastic bunch of people.

She has now been deemed well enough to move to the Transitional Care room on the main Joan Booker ward.  This means that for the first time, she will be sleeping in a cot next to her mum, and Lucinda does not have to go up two flights of stairs to feed her.  She still has her canula in her hand as she is still finishing her course of antibiotics that was started as a precaution. Her blood culture results will be ready tomorrow and will confirm whether she did indeed have an infection and whether she needs to continue with the treatment.  All being well they may be able to take the canula out and she will be free of the last of her medical attachments.

Like any good lady, she has been very coy about her weight.  When she was born the mid-wife Dorothy weighed her as 7lbs 9oz (3.422 kgs), however she was rushed within the hour to ICU and on admittance they weighed her as 8lbs 9oz (3.881 kgs) – some discrepancy.  However, due to the fact that she was under treatment they have only been able to re-weigh her today and currently she is 7lbs 2oz (3.220 kgs) which points to the midwife taking top honours in the weighing category.

Despite the confusion over her weight she is a very contented baby and we have both been able to have extended cuddle time today, which I think she has enjoyed as much as us.  She is only grumpy when she wants a feed (just like her dad) and Mum and daughter are naturals at breast feeding which is good for both and Dad has seemingly found his talent: the knack of winding her, as the stains on his T-Shirt bear testament.

We are hoping that she will be home with us in the next couple of days and we can really begin our life as a family.

A special mention to Lee and Caroline and congratulations on the birth of their daughter Georgia Elizabeth, another little playmate for Éowyn.

Peace and Love

Mum and Dad

The good news is that Éowyn is strengthening almost by the hour.  She has been taken out of the incubator, as she no longer needs the increased oxygen levels and is able to breathe normally in air.  This implies that her lung has re-inflated and the trapped air has been re-absorbed, although they will make sure, before she leaves ICU.

Mum is a star and Éowyn has been feeding from her all day.  She is also little miss independent and decided that she didn’t need her canula and pulled it out of the back of her hand.  Unfortunately, the doctor disagreed, she has not finished her course of antibiotics and so needed it re-inserted, which was a little distressing to watch.  She also has a touch of neo-natal jaundice, which is perfectly normal in babies a couple of days old.  Her liver is learning to breaking down her food, and should disappear in just over a week.  Hence she looks a little yellow in the photos below.

And there is the rub, the real reason why you are here.  These are the first photos of our daughter no doubt there will be many more as the days progress.

I would also like to thank you all for your kind messages and can’t wait to introduce Éowyn to you all.

Love Mum and Dad