Premmie Mums #8

Hi gyus.. thought I had better pop my head in...

never enough hours in the day!!!

Alexa is now almost 17 months (15 corrected) & isrunning everywhere!!!!..
Lots & lots of babbling too.....

Will try & have a proper catch up soon....

Hey Mitch,
Great news about Alexa. It's great when they start doing things, isn't it?

Noah said his first sentence a few weeks ago..."I got a broom - broom". It was very cute.

Ivy and Noah have been very unwell. Ivy had a febrile convulsion on Tuesday afternoon and it hasn't been much better since then.
I'm over winter and I am ready for Summer.

Tiggy, sorry to hear about Ivy and Noad not being well. What is a febrille convulsion? Is it like a fit? I can agree with you on winter. I am so ready for some sunshine. It's been raining like cats and dogs hear and half the place is under water.

Lelani went for her six month check-up. Pead is very impressed and told me I have nothing to worry about. Her motorskills and neurlogic development is in order. She actually sang through the whole appointment. Sitting on daddy's lap and singing her own made up baby-song. I love her to bits

Can someone give me some advice on solids. At the moment she gets rice cereal in the morning and the evening (about four teaspoons with formula) and she get veg/fruit purity for lunch and some fruit-purity for snack about 16:00. The oat cereal did not go down, so I am still on rice cereal. When do I start to try some meat or yoghurt ect? And do I feed the solids first and then give the bottle? She is drinking very poorly on the bottle lately, but she's not difficult, or seem hungry and she is happy and healthy. She has gone on stage 2 formula and it is making her windy again. It seems like the stage 2 makes more foam when I shake the bottle than the starter fomula. How are you feeding your bubs

O yes, she takes five bottles of 175ml per day

Hi everyone it's been very quiet in here for a while. So much has been happening my end and I am pleased to report that as of 5 days ago Miss Ava is.....WALKING!!!!
She is 13.5 mnths corrected and can take up to 15 steps by herself. I am a very proud mum. I have also passed mu units for uni with a distinction for criminology and a credit for psychology. How? I don't know.
I have started counselling and it seems I have a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.. Hypnotherapy looks like an answer as well as counselling and i am going to try some acupuncture as well. thank god I can finally get on with things and understand that this whole premmie journey is a positive thing.

Tiggy those febrile convulsions are scary aren't they?. Ava had one about 2 mnths ago and we ended up calling an ambulance. She fitted for over 3 min. i was in tears. Hope things are all good now.

Hi to everyone ..must rescue my child from the stack of uni papers on the floor!!!

Helena, congrats on the great uni results and on Ava's accomplishments. Well done all around...the premmie journey is a long one, isn't it?
Everyone has been very quiet. I'm assuming that "no news is good news"! Gemma was one on the 29th and I was just thinking how very, very fast the past year has gone. She doesn't quite look her age, but nearly, and is growing so well now.
Nadine, I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I hope things are going better with Lelani. As far as solids, I've found it's best to try different things every 4-7 days and see what your baby likes. Also, sometimes they will accept something one time and then push it away the next. How prem was she? If she seems happy and healthy, and is trying different foods, that's the main thing--more important than the exact amounts she eats. I would try a bit of yoghurt, mashed chick-peas, sweet potato, banana... Like Lelani, Gemma also has a cereal preference. I tried different ones and there is only one that she would eat.

Castle,
Thanks. She is eating better now. I think it was me going over to the stage 2 formula that she needed to get used to. But she is eating like a wolf. The evening cereal does not always make it, because she falls asleep on the bottle. I am definitly going to try yoghurt over the weekend. I don't like trying new stuff in the week. I work 8-5 and not sleeping, because she kept me awake is a no-no!!
I think she is teething now. Her bum got a little rash. Has never had any rash before and she is drooling and figeting in her mouth. Looking forward in seeing that pearly-white!!
Congratulations on Gemma's 1st birthday. I think time flies because we have soooo much fun with our little dolls!! Hope you had a good day and a exciting year
Helena - She is walking!! She is a big girl now! Congrats!!

Tiff- So sorry to hear about Ivy! I really hope that things have settled with her, it must be absolutly awful :( You and beautiful Ivy are in my thoughts hun.
Helena- Congratulations on Ava walking!!!! You must be really proud! Congratulations also on the uni results, what a smarty pants you are getting such fantastic results with everything else that is happening in your life. I'm glad that you are finding counselling helpful too.
Sez- Hope you and Nicholas are good and that BF is improving a bit for you.
Hi everyone else!

Well nothing much happening here - The pregnancy is going well and after the 20 week u/s I'm happy to report that the placenta is on the back wall AWAY from the cervix YAY.
Kyla is good, I can't believe that she is almost 2!!! I'll be sending invites out tomorrow for her party. MIL has hired a bunny entertainer, so hopefully they enjoy it!

Hi All,

sorry i havent been in here for a long time. Ive only had access to a computer 2 days a week while at work for almost a month now. finally getting our pc from MIL this w/e and internet should be connected by end of next week.
Carrie- wow Kyla's 2nd birthday already! glad your U/s went well and hoping it continues to all the way to full term!
Tiff- how are you all doing now? How cute Noah is with his sentence!
Helena- Way to go on Ava's walking! what a huge milestone for her.

I have a Q for those with bubs walking. Nixon started walking at 15months (13.5m corrected) He has picked it up really well and almost trying to run now. but i noticed in the last few days he favours one side. He always walks to the left? he leads with his left leg and walks almost sideways a lot of the time.
He keeps banging into the hallway, walls etc because he doesnt stay straight. and its always left ways he is turning never right.
Is this just a normal development thing do you think? i mean i know children walk all over the place and not necisarilly in a straight line but wondered if there is a reasoning behind it and if he will grow out of it when his walking skills get better?

Hey Nic - Well Nixon is doing so well walking already! Could it be a vestibular (ear) problem - this can effect balance. I would talk to you pead about it or a peasiatric physio - just to rule out any ear issues. Having said that, I'm no expert!

Hi Everyone

I have just spend the first two and a half weeks of my son's life at John Hunter Hospital's NICU (he had gastroschisis, we are home now) and we were surrounded by premature bubs.

I just wanted to say that I take my hat off to you amazing mums and dads who have premmies. We had our own little battle going on but I could see how much harder in many ways it was for these special little babies and their parents.

You are all so brave and strong. I wish you all, and your tiny miracle babies all the happiness in the world.

Love August x

carrie,

hmm interesting could be an ear thing. He is actually due to have another hearing test as DH was born with some hearing loss. He has passed all previous tests. But did have a middle ear infection about 2months ago.

Congratultions on the birth of Lucas and i hope he is recovering well, any bub having to spend time in SCN or Nicu is pretty rough.

Hi premmie mums, how is everyone going?? This thread has been very quiet all winter! Is anyone else getting buckets of rain today?

Hi Castle
I am doing so-so. Stood up with a headache this morning, think I am coming down with something. Lelani had rotavirus last week, not so bad. I had the rotarix drops given for her before she was six months, so maybe that helped. She also had an eye infection, but that has also started to clear up. I hate mondays, after the weekends I miss her soooooo much. Working sucks on monday's :)
We think she started talking this weekend - maybe it's just our imagenation, but I could have swore that she said, baba, mamma and pappa!!! (baby, mummy and daddy) So we are keeping a close ear on her.
I can't belive that she has grown so much. I can't think that her little head could fit into my had, now her head fits into both hands. I think babies are the most wonderfull miricals on earth!!!

Just wanted to pop in and say
YAY KYLA IS TWO YEARS OLD TOMORROW!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BEAUTIFUL MIRACLE GIRL, I LOVE YOU

Happy Birthday for tomorrow Kyla! Wow, Carrie two! It's hard to believe, isn't it?
Hope you are well.
I hope everyone here is doing ok. We have had a shocking Winter. Too much to go into (it's all on the blog if you want a low down) but hopefully, things will start looking up now that Spring is just around the corner.

Happy Birthday Kyla!
Hope you have a wonderfull day
Love, Lelani

Happy Birthday Miss Kyla (for yesterday) I hope you had a fun filled day big girl!

Happy birthday Kyla! and well done to you, too, Carrie. How are you feeling?

Thanks everyone. Things are going ok here, although Kyla has bronchitis and I have a ripping sore throat! I have the scan tomorrow to check what's going on with the cervix - we'll see what happens.

Carrie, how was the scan?

I am off topic, but just wanted to share
She is sitting on her own!! Mind you, not long, but more than 30 seconds!!!!! I put her on the floor and step back and watch in amazement. She is learning sooooo fast. Maybe it's time now for her to sleep in her own room.
How is everyone doing?

Yay Nadine!! That's fantastic! You must be so proud of your little girl.
Castle- scan went really well. But a bit weird. First scan the cervix was 2.3cm and the second was 3.8 - which apparently doesn't really happen. So this is fantastic - but very unexpected so I'm a bit confused and waiting to talk to my Ob about what this all means? But atm it appears that things are good! Thanks for asking!

Carrie, just so that it stays loooong and stroooong!

Nadine, what great news. It's so exciting to see these things happening. Although your first is always special, especially a prem, I can tell you that I felt just as thrilled with every baby.

Yay Nadine how exciting, thats great news!
Carrie- hoping just the first scan when cervix was 2.3cm was the wrong one 3.8cm is excellent!

guys for those of you who have been pg after having a prem.
i am soooooooo nervous right now because in just 4 days time i will be the same gestation as when i had prom with nixon. (currently 32w1d had prom at 32w5d and delivered at 33w3d)

I'm so nervous i am making myself feel sick, and paranoid that every time i stand up im going to spring a leak!
up until today i have been a bit anxious but still feeling ok, today i think its just hit me and i cant concentrate on anything else!
How am i going to get past the next week feeling like this??

Nic... You will be fine... little PopPow WILL stay in for the duration...

Please try & relax ( I know easier said than done)... if you can take a bit of time out for yourself to chill...

I am sure everthing will be fine :)

Hugz

Hi Nic,
I had a prem @ 21 weeks in my 2nd pg( long story) then I was pg again 8 weeks after losing my DS. I too got a little freaked around the same time in my 3rd pg with DD. I couldnt help it, it was always in the back of my mind. Its natural. Even my sis who had her 1st @ 30 weeks was afraid with her 2nd pg as she had PE and HELLP. She just delivered her DD @ 26 weeks.

Quite frankly after my 3 pg's, the actual thought of being pg again scares living hell outta me lol but I do want more babies

Oh Nic, I can only imagine how you feel. I am not really thinking of getting pg soon, but in the back of my head, I am also scared *****less about having another prem!! I like having this small perfect bundel of joy, seems more baby than bigger bubs, but still, to go through it again ...
So just so many hard (hugs) to you hun!! I'll be having my fingers crossed for your little powpow to come much later :)

Nic - Congratulations on making it past the date!!

thanks Carrie! i actually almost paniked early thismorning 4am i awoke with some pains. think they were just BH but were coming every 9-10min for neally 1.5hrs. So many things were running through my head about what i had to organise, but i managed to get back to sleep just b4 six and haven't had anymore since waking again at 7.30am. but now im getting some sort of a cold or something i have the sorest throat. Hoping it doesnt eventuate into anything more then the sore thraot.

Tiffany- i can only imagine what you have been through and your sister.
I know im at a good gestation should something happen any time from now. How is your neice doing that was born @ 26weeks? Thats not Danni from Austprem is it??

Nic,

Yup it sure is lol

They named her Aurora Isabelle. She is doing really well now. She has had a few little hiccups i.e valve in her heart not closing, she threw up while on the ventilator and swallowed it down into her lung which it then collapsed, a little bowel disruption, her bp kept dropping, then she dropped weight due to a minor infection from the central line in her heart but they got it early.



Despite all this the little trooper is doing great. She is off her CPAP for up to 10 hours now and has gone from 669 grams at birth to a whopping 1150 grams. There is talk of her being able to be transferred back to her original hospital in the next few weeks once she is off the CPAP altogether. I have been to see her but not IYKWIM, I just couldnt bring myself to go in and look at her. She was not much bigger than my Lachlann.

Braedon is absolutely wrapped at being a big bro, he's my little sweety, but apparently he's having issues with mummy not being at home and his father is not the easiest person to get along with let alone live with(lol dont get me started on him!!!!)

How are you going now??

oh i have been wondering they they are doing.
wow that is great that she is off cpap already! i read Bretts last msg that they were hoping she can be transfered soon, gosh it must be tough. i understand it would be terribly hard for you to see your little neice after what you went thought with Lachlann. Poor Braedon missing mummy, must be hard on him too.
send my best wishes and i hope Aurora can be transfered closer real soon.

Im going well thanks for asking, was like a huge sigh of releif after D day! i had and OB appointment today and everything is looking good. On another course of anti biotics which ive been on monthly for the last 4-5months.
i just started getting sick again have a terrible cough atm and really affecting my sleeping ability.

so is there a genetic link there between PE & HELLPS? with you and your sister?
I thought PE doesnt commonly return in subsiquent pregnancies, or was it a higher risk for re-occurance?

Oh boy is there a genetic link Nic, my mother had it with my brother and sister and my grandmother had it with two of her five pregnancies. So far though Dannii is the only one that had developed HELLPS though, I think she was told after Brae was born that there was a 60% chance of her having it again with any subsequent pgs.
It's kinda funny in a way when I was in hospital before I had Phoebe the Ob's and physicians at the RBWH explained the whole PE thing to me and the main focus was put on my weight as the main contributing factor they went on to tell me all the others but not once did they mention any genetic predisposition to the condition huh!!

My dr told me HELLP was one of that freaky things that can happen to anyone - genitic I am not so sure! I tried to google, but the dr-talk is over my head! So if anyone understands the stuff- please translate in english! (As far a I can understand they can't say yes or no)

O yes, he was very clear about it not being a thing that you can avoid. In your case being overweight should not be the reason (so was explained to me - about HELLP)

hi guys I just have a question my baby is 10 weeks old 2 weeks corrected and is starting to sleep longer over night and has to be woken up for his 4 hour feeds should i start letting him go longer? Should i wait till he gets hungry and how long should i wait? should i just start treating him like a normal newborn and go with his cues?
I would love any opinions :)
thanks
xox

nay,
I think it depends on how much he weighs. If he is over 2.5kg, I would say leave him and see how it goes. If he is under, I would wake him up till he is over 2.5kg. I would wake him if he sleeps for longer than six hours through the day, but at night, he can sleep as long as he likes.
Hope this helps

Hi nay! Congratulations on the birth of Linkoln, I didnt know you had gone early until just now!!

My son is 8 weeks old, 4 weeks corrected. I really never considered him to be a premmie baby when he was born. Lucas had gastroschisis and needed an operation immediately after birth, so I was going to be induced at 37 weeks anyway so in my mind he was only a week early, and HUGE at 2.6kg compared to the other bubs in NICU. He is now 3.7kg. Anyway it’s only since bringing him home that we realised the importance of going by his corrected age. He still feeds every 2-3 hours, so I wouldn’t let him go longer than 6 hours between feeds.

I think alot depends on Linkoln's current weight and there is a way of figuring out how long he should go between feeds by going off his weight. I’ve had a look for you around BB but I can’t find it, may have been another site, or maybe the other mums here might know.

Congratulations again.

*big love* to all.

thanks for your advice he has put on heaps of weight and now weighs almost 9 pounds (i dont know what that is in kilos) he seems really happy to wait the 4 hours at night but still feeds every 3 hours during the day. I might ring the SCN and check with them if its ok or not.
Take care all
xox