Natalie has her first bath

Mum got to give Natalie her first bath today. First she was swaddled in a towel so that she did not feel uncomfortable being put into a big space (which is how the bath might seem to her). Then Mum lowered her into the water gently. Once she was happy in the water, Mum was able to unwrap the towel and give her a wash.

Natalie now weighs 1.620Kg (3lbs 9oz).

Swaddled in a towel ready for her bath

Lowered into the water

Unwrapped and comfortable being in the water

Complications

Today we had to face the first significant complication since Natalie was born. The doctors have realised that Natalie has a slight cleft palate. It had not been noticed before because it is so slight, but suspicions were raised when Natalie was being fed by mouth yesterday and the milk was coming back out of her nose. What this means for Natalie right now is that she can’t seal off the airway between her nose passage and her throat, so she can’t get any suction when trying to breast or bottle feed. Therefore she gets tired out trying to feed without getting enough milk. This helped explain why Mum was having trouble establishing breast feeding, although Natalie is still only just reaching the stage of development where she was capable of breast feeding anyway. So we will have extra help from a specialist team who will visit us regularly to help us with feeding Natalie. Mum will need to continue expressing breast milk with a pump for as long as Natalie is on liquid feeding, as Natalie will not be able to get enough nutrition from breast feeding alone due to her cleft. Then at around 6 months old, Natalie will need surgery to fix her cleft. Hopefully because it is so slight, that will be the end of her problems with this. To be honest at this stage we are just relieved she has not got any more serious or longer term problems. Natalie is of course completely oblivious to all this, and continues to gain weight and look cute!

Still looking cute!

Natalie tests her grip

Natalie rests on Dad's lap

Natalie is now Official

We officially registered Natalie this morning, so she now has a birth certificate. Mum and Dad are both completely exhausted today. At least it is the weekend tomorrow, so Dad can spend a couple of days at the hospital again.

Mum calms Natalie

Natalie looks contented


Natalie says 'No' to all the camera attention!

Foot Work-Out

Mum and Dad are exhausted mid-week from getting up early in order for Dad to get Mum to the hospital on the way to work every day. Natalie is full of life today, and spent much of Dad's evening visit kicking her feet at him! Mum and Dad headed home early tonight to try and get some much needed rest.

Natalie now weighs 1.495Kg (3lbs 5oz).

Natalie looks fast asleep on Mum's lap

But she she has spent most of our evening visit having a good kick with her tiny feet

Dad holds one of those little feet

Natalie is taken off the monitoring equipment

Today was our first day trying a new routine of Dad commuting to work via the hospital to drop off Mum. It helped that it is also school half term week, as this drastically reduces the traffic in Cambridge so we had no difficulties making the journey in good time.

Dad returned to the hospital after work to see Natalie, and take Mum back home again. During the day, Natalie had been taken off all the monitoring equipment, and her heated mattress was removed. This was a bit sudden and unexpected for us, as we were still worried about her blood oxygen levels after last weeks scares. But the doctors assured us she is doing much better, and no longer needs monitoring by the machines. The heated mattress has been removed to see if she can regulate her own body temperature, a key ability she needs to show before she will be allowed home.

Natalie now weighs 1.458Kg (3lbs 3oz).

Natalie was on fine form this evening. Here are some photos and another cute video clip:










Natalie sucks her dummy

Another Full Day in the Hospital for All Three of Us

Mum and Dad spent all day in the hospital with Natalie again, which was especially nice for Dad as he is at work most of the day during the week. Today was much more relaxed than yesterday now we have confirmed we can manage OK with Mum coming home overnight and keeping up with expressing every 3 hours. So we got to enjoy some time with Natalie, who was on fine form today. Her oxygen levels appeared much better than a couple of days ago and she was lively and awake some of the time. Dad is becoming expert at feeding and nappy changing with two whole days of practise now! We have decided to try and establish a routine of Mum coming home every evening and being driven back in each morning by Dad on his way to work, rather than Caroline trying to get a room at the hospital again. Dad did a baby first aid course today at the hospital too, which was really useful and reassuring. Mum did the same course earlier in the week, so now at least we both know what to do if we have a problem once we get Natalie home (although it is very unlikely we will).

Natalie has Hiccups!

Just when we thought she couldn't possibly get any more cute!

Mum and Dad spend the day with Natalie

Mum has given up her room in the hospital for the weekend so that a another couple with a greater need can use it, so she got to spend the night at home for the first time in 3 weeks. This was good for both of us as we are at this stage both utterly exhausted. Not that it helped a great deal as Dad spent a frantic afternoon trying to find a breast pump to buy, and Mum had to get used to the new pump. we also had to work out how to sterilise everything at home. Luckily we had bought a microwave steam steriliser some weeks earlier, which was good forward planning! Mum and Dad were up for 1.5 hours in the middle of the night trying to sort all this out. Dad prepared everything while Mum was still asleep, and then made some bread for breakfast while Mum expressed her milk using the new pump. The cat slept on the bed throughout and enjoyed a bit of attention from Dad in the wee hours!

Dad overslept in the morning and had to rush to give Mum a lift back to hospital (via Mothercare for some essentials!) so never got to have any of the fresh bread he made! We did get to spend the whole day with Natalie, which was the first time Dad had been able to do so. Nappies were changed, feeds given and plenty of cuddles for Natalie, who remained a bit grizzly all day. Ah well!

Natalie still has a drip in her foot as she had to go back on antibiotics

Little fingers, big finger

Back to sleep again

Natalie is wide awake!

Grandma and Grandad had their second visit this evening, and Natalie put on a real show for them. She was wide awake for most of the hour and a half we were there, pulling funny faces and waving her little arms and legs about. This was only the second time Dad had seen her so awake, so Grandma and Grandad were very lucky! Dad took some more photos and video clips.

Natalie is making great progress, but as a result she might be moved to another hospital. The facilities at the hospital where she is are some of the best in the country, and as a result there is a high demand for spaces from babies and mothers who need the intensive care more than Natalie does now. The alternative hospital might not be further from home, but will be further from Dad's work, and Mum will not be able to stay over. So this is one more worry for us which makes things that bit more stressful!

Natalie now weighs 1.395Kg (3lbs 1oz).

Natalie awake and active

Natalie is worn out after an hour of antics

Natalie shows off to Grandma

Natalie enjoys her feed

Grandparents first visit and Natalie gives us all a scare!

Natalie's grandparents on Dad's side of the family got to see her for the first time tonight. But we had to wait before we could go in to see her because she had been having problems with her blood oxygen levels today and the doctors were doing an urgent full infection screen to test for all sorts of worrying possible causes. So we had a fraught couple of hours mixed with the joy of seeing her for the first time for Grandma and Grandad. The initial screens came back OK, but she is back on antibiotics for the next couple of days until the full test results come back.

I got some nice video footage of her today on my new video camera. I'll upload some once I get a chance to convert it for the internet (which may be some time at this rate!).

Natalie slept through most of today's visit, but she is now wearing a weird hat with a flap! She is too small for any clothes we have for her, but the hospital have a collection of all sorts for small babies, so she gets to wear some interesting outfits.

Kangaroo Care

Now that Natalie is in the SCBU and Mum has a family room on the unit, Dad can stay over at the hospital too and start to experience sleep deprivation! We can also pick Natalie up and give her a cuddle more easily now. Her feeding tube has been removed from her mouth and replaced with one via her nose now she is off CPAP, and so she can start breast feeding. She tends to fall asleep on the job though. It is often said by parents to their children that they don't seem to realise they've been born, but in Natalie's case I think she has a point! Apparently she will start waking up a lot more in a few weeks. So for now we are practising 'kangaroo care', a technique used to comfort premature babies (and their parents!). This involves undressing Natalie (apart from her nappy for obvious reasons) and cuddling her inside our clothes rather like a kangaroo baby in the mothers pouch. The baby finds the skin to skin contact reassuring, as it is reminiscent of the womb where they should ideally still be at this stage of development. As part of doing this, Dad had his first experience of changing her clothes. She seems so delicate, but can still put up a fair fight when Dad is trying to get her arms and legs back into her babygrow!

Here she is with her new nasal feeding tube

Natalie is out of Intensive Care

When I visited Natalie this evening I was thrilled to discover she has been moved from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) into the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU). This is one level of care up from intensive, on the way to being eventually allowed home. She has been taken off CPAP completely now as she has been coping so well. It was really good to see her in an open cot and to be able to pick her up and hold her. She slept throughout my entire visit of course!

Holding Mum's hand in her new open cot

Sleeping peacefully as usual

Natalie is breathing unaided all day

Some friends came to help Dad around the house this weekend, and we all went in to visit Mum and Natalie. Natalie has been off CPAP since midnight last night, and was still going strong at 4pm! At this rate she will be off CPAP soon and we will be able to hold her a lot more. Dad gave her hourly feed of 8ml of Mum's milk. Later she woke up and pulled some faces at Dad.

Natalie exceeded her birth weight for the first time today. She is now 1.27Kg (2lbs 13oz).

Dad feeding Natalie

Natalie sleeps while she is being fed

Natalie seems happy with her 'giant' teddy

Mum is allowed out of hospital

Mum has been discharged from the hospital today! She is still staying in the special care baby unit in one of the family rooms, but she is no longer a patient. Natalie is continuing to make excellent progress too. She was off CPAP again when Dad visited today, which was great to see, but meant that Dad could not hold her. She needs to be left alone while she is building up her strength with breathing unaided.

Mum feeling much better yesterday

Natalie gets a proper cuddle

We were able to have Natalie out of her incubator for the first time today, and give her a proper cuddle. Both Mum and Dad had a turn. It was so nice to be able to hold her properly after a whole week only being able to rest our hands on her in the incubator.

Mum gives Natalie a cuddle

Dad's turn

Mum, Dad and Natalie together

Natalie has time off CPAP

Today was a really good day for all of us. Natalie was taken off her CPAP for an hour to see how she did. She has to be weaned off the CPAP gently because her chest muscles need to gain strength to allow her to breathe without the assistance. So the nurses kept an eye on her to check that her blood oxygen levels were staying high enough, and that her rate of breathing was not too high (which it would be if she was getting too tired breathing without the CPAP). She was doing so well after the hour that they kept her off for almost a whole second hour. This also meant we got to see her without her hat and tubes strapped to her nose. So here are some pictures of her not all covered up.

Natalie hangs on to Dad's finger before she is taken off CPAP

The nurse lifted up the top of Natalie's incubator so we could have this photo taken of all three of us

Mum with Natalie

Mum comforts Natalie

Natalie hangs on to Dad's thumb

Natalie Dreams

I managed to record this lovely video clip of Natalie while she was off CPAP today.

Dad feeds Natalie

I have been shown how to feed Natalie using a syringe to measure the milk, which is then allowed to flow down a tube directly into her stomach. She is now taking 4ml per hour, four times as much as yesterday! This was also the first time I have been able to get a photo taken of me with my baby girl.

Proud Dad feeding his baby girl

Natalie fast asleep again!

Dad helps change Natalie's nappy

Dad returned to work today, so only got to spend an hour with Natalie. But Natalie was wide awake so I got to help change her nappy for the first time. To be honest, Mum did most of the work with the help of a nurse. There are only enough holes in the incubator for two pairs of hands, so I helped hand things to Mum. Then once the clean nappy was on, I got to lift Natalie so the nurse could replace her bedding. She is so light and delicate, but it was really nice to be able to do something hands on. It did mean that I was not able to take any photos today, but here are a couple from yesterday evening which I took after I wrote yesterday's post.

Dad comforts Natalie

Natalie was sleeping peacefully tonight

Day 3 Natalie starts feeding

Natalie was started on Mum's milk today, and seems to be coping well. She is being fed via a tube directly into her stomach at the moment. Dad got to hold the syringe containing the 1 ml of milk she gets per hour which flows down the tiny tube under gravity (the syringe plunger is not used).

Natalie was sleeping most of the time when we came to see her today

Mum sits by Natalie's cot. Mum is doing much better today too.

Mum comforts little Natalie

Day 2 Mum gets to see Natalie

Mum was finding it very painful to move today, but she was being transferred to the special baby ward from her room in the delivery unit. So while she was out of bed, she was able to see Natalie for the first time since the operating theatre.

Mum gets to visit Natalie for the first time since the birth

Mum caresses Natalie

Tiny feet

Natalie is skinny like her Dad!

Later in the day, Mum is feeling a lot better. So we made another trip up the corridor to visit Natalie again.

Natalie is sleeping peacefully this afternoon

Proud Mum

Tiny toes!