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HELLO!!!! We are home!!
Damien Ayrton Radford was born on 18/12/05 at 01
6am weighing ina cracking healthy 5lb 13oz (imagine if I had gone full term!!
)
Here is daddy holding his little man.
What a week we've had. Lots of ups and a few downs but we're home and he's healthy dispite being 6 weeks premature.
My contractions started 4am Saturday 17th and I was totally convinced this time that it was finally it....but they by 11am ish they had started to hurt less so I thought it was another false start. But then at 2:30pm they came back and they were even stronger. I decided to stay at home as long as possible and just breathed through them and packed my labour bag.
At 5:30pm I went to sit on the loo and my waters broke
telephoned the hospital and the silly midiwfe asked if I was sure it was my waters and not just wee!! She told us to come in straight away as I was prem...so off we went, towel between my legs.
Arrived at hospital at 6pm and I my contractions had got even stronger now my waters had gone so they gave me co-codomol but I knew it wouldn't do anything for me and within 15minutes I was on Gas and Air..........how good is that stuff!! Kicked in and worked brilliantly.
The hospital had to contact the NeoNatel unit to see if they had space for him down in SCBU but they didn't and we found out we would have to be trasferred to another hospital miles away from us. Ambulance men arrived to take me, Mark and the midwife to the other hospital. Before we left the midwife checked me and I was 3-4cm dilated. She was a little concerned that because I'd m/c'd, my cervix had opened up slightly before and my labour could be very quick especially with my waters gone.
On the journey there I asked for an epidural as I was feeling the strain. I was told I could have one when we got to L&D hospital but when we got there they examined me and I was already 7cm!!
was a bit late for one by this time. So I carried on with the gas and air. My mum had arrived by this point too and was supporting me and Mark through it.
Mark by the way, was the most fantastic birthing partner I could ever have hoped for. He wasn't squeemish at all like he thought he would be. he said the right things when I needed to hear them, he gave me a drink just when he'd know I'd need it, and he put up with me nearly breaking his hand from squeezing it. He was excellent
I started getting the urge to push and the midwife told me to push when i felt ready and we'ed see what happened. She wasn;t keen on examining me toomany times and said nature would let me know when it was ready to push. So I started to push with my contractions. They had slowed down and got further apart so it was hard work pushing against them.
After a good few pushes his head was born, and after one more little push Damien came into the world at 01
6am. No tears or anything, was dead chuffed. Here is me and my little man - camera is a bit blurry as mark was shaking bless his heart. I was all a bit overwhelmed to say the least.
He weighed in at a very healthy 5lb 13oz (2.635kg) and had apgar scores of 9/1 and 10/5 which is excellent considering he's a 34 weeker. We has skin to skin for half an hour and he tried to latch up but wasn't strong enough to. Lots of cuddle from daddy and nanny before they left for home (the most heartbreaking thing to do was leave Mark after his son was born - I think it's cruel that fathers can't with their partners and new babies.)
Me and Damien were taken up to the Transistional Care department as it was decided he didn't need SCBU help (special care baby unit) but just needed an extra eye on him. His first feed was from a cup as I still wanted to breast feed him eventually. He was sick all his first feed but they let him settle to sleep. At his next feed they checked his blood sugar levels and they were low, and he was sick up all of his feed. His next feed his blood suger levels were even lower and he had to have a feeding tube put in
But even then he was still sick when he had food so they decided it would be best to take him to the special care baby unit to be monitored and try him on very small feeds frequently or give him IV fluids. I can't tell you how much I cried watching them put that tube in his nose. It was heartbreaking, he was so weak he didn't even cry
He was being fed every 2 hours and having 20mls of formula. By 7pm they had upped him to 3 hourly feeds of 30mls because he was keeping it down...progress at last!
At his 1am feed we tried him on the bottle and he took it and had his feed that way - I was so proud of him.
1 day old - 19/12/05
Was told at 7am that they may have space for us back at my booking hospital and that we could be being transferred that day! The team arrived to pick him up and put him in an transporting incubator. We were going back into Transitional care too when we got back as he was feeding by a bottle and keeping it down.
Mark had to drive me seperately to Damien as there wasn't enough room in the ambulance. It was th elongest car journey I have ever done and took us an hour till we reached him again. The hospital had decided to feed Damien when he got there (about 20minutes before me) but he was sick all of it back up. I had to top-up feed him till 2am to try and get his routine back and try to make sure he'd got his fill. His IV was taken out when we got there but his NGT (nose tube) was left in just incase. They took his SBR blood levels as he was looking a little jandice and they came back just below treatment level, but just incase they put him on a Biliblanket to help the jaundice go down quicker.
2 days old - 20/12/05
NGT finally taken out as it hadn't been used for over 24 hours - yay!! Still on Biliblanket and still not strong enough to breastfeed.
3 days old - 21/12/05
Milk came in this morning - ouch! Damien's feeds upped to 40mls 3 hourly. SBR bloods taken again and they are low enough to take him off the Biliblanket. Started expressing milk for him to have instead of formula but was being sick in the evening again. Finally back into his routine by 4am.
4 days old - 22/12/05
Damien is now on 50mls every 3 hours. He was weighed again today and weighs 5lb 6.5 oz (2.460kg) so he only lost 175g (7% weight). I am so proud of him. SBR levels checked again and his jaundice was going down. Tried breastfeeding again and he gave it a little go but still not that interested. He is having expressed milk for most of his feeds.
5 days old - 23/12/05
We can come home!!!!!!! He took to the breast last night and now has that during the night. The paediatrition (sp?) came round and is amazed by how well Damien is doing for a 34 weeker and said we can go home. I was so happy. It's been a very difficult rollercoaster in hospital and not being with Mark during the nights was one of the hardest things. Now we are home I have a bit more support. Damien's not quite out of the woods yet, but it feels so great to have him home for Xmas and be a proper family at last.
Thanks to everyone for all their messages - I know this little one has been long awaited for! Thanks for letting everyone know Minikins - of course I don't mind. Mark didn't have any time to post between travelling up to us a few times a day and trying to sleep AND do some work for his boss before he takes Paternity. Sorry peeps.
Here's a couple more picture of my amazing little man - he looks just like his daddy






Damien Ayrton Radford was born on 18/12/05 at 01


Here is daddy holding his little man.

What a week we've had. Lots of ups and a few downs but we're home and he's healthy dispite being 6 weeks premature.
My contractions started 4am Saturday 17th and I was totally convinced this time that it was finally it....but they by 11am ish they had started to hurt less so I thought it was another false start. But then at 2:30pm they came back and they were even stronger. I decided to stay at home as long as possible and just breathed through them and packed my labour bag.
At 5:30pm I went to sit on the loo and my waters broke

Arrived at hospital at 6pm and I my contractions had got even stronger now my waters had gone so they gave me co-codomol but I knew it wouldn't do anything for me and within 15minutes I was on Gas and Air..........how good is that stuff!! Kicked in and worked brilliantly.
The hospital had to contact the NeoNatel unit to see if they had space for him down in SCBU but they didn't and we found out we would have to be trasferred to another hospital miles away from us. Ambulance men arrived to take me, Mark and the midwife to the other hospital. Before we left the midwife checked me and I was 3-4cm dilated. She was a little concerned that because I'd m/c'd, my cervix had opened up slightly before and my labour could be very quick especially with my waters gone.
On the journey there I asked for an epidural as I was feeling the strain. I was told I could have one when we got to L&D hospital but when we got there they examined me and I was already 7cm!!

was a bit late for one by this time. So I carried on with the gas and air. My mum had arrived by this point too and was supporting me and Mark through it.
Mark by the way, was the most fantastic birthing partner I could ever have hoped for. He wasn't squeemish at all like he thought he would be. he said the right things when I needed to hear them, he gave me a drink just when he'd know I'd need it, and he put up with me nearly breaking his hand from squeezing it. He was excellent

I started getting the urge to push and the midwife told me to push when i felt ready and we'ed see what happened. She wasn;t keen on examining me toomany times and said nature would let me know when it was ready to push. So I started to push with my contractions. They had slowed down and got further apart so it was hard work pushing against them.
After a good few pushes his head was born, and after one more little push Damien came into the world at 01


He weighed in at a very healthy 5lb 13oz (2.635kg) and had apgar scores of 9/1 and 10/5 which is excellent considering he's a 34 weeker. We has skin to skin for half an hour and he tried to latch up but wasn't strong enough to. Lots of cuddle from daddy and nanny before they left for home (the most heartbreaking thing to do was leave Mark after his son was born - I think it's cruel that fathers can't with their partners and new babies.)
Me and Damien were taken up to the Transistional Care department as it was decided he didn't need SCBU help (special care baby unit) but just needed an extra eye on him. His first feed was from a cup as I still wanted to breast feed him eventually. He was sick all his first feed but they let him settle to sleep. At his next feed they checked his blood sugar levels and they were low, and he was sick up all of his feed. His next feed his blood suger levels were even lower and he had to have a feeding tube put in



He was being fed every 2 hours and having 20mls of formula. By 7pm they had upped him to 3 hourly feeds of 30mls because he was keeping it down...progress at last!

1 day old - 19/12/05
Was told at 7am that they may have space for us back at my booking hospital and that we could be being transferred that day! The team arrived to pick him up and put him in an transporting incubator. We were going back into Transitional care too when we got back as he was feeding by a bottle and keeping it down.
Mark had to drive me seperately to Damien as there wasn't enough room in the ambulance. It was th elongest car journey I have ever done and took us an hour till we reached him again. The hospital had decided to feed Damien when he got there (about 20minutes before me) but he was sick all of it back up. I had to top-up feed him till 2am to try and get his routine back and try to make sure he'd got his fill. His IV was taken out when we got there but his NGT (nose tube) was left in just incase. They took his SBR blood levels as he was looking a little jandice and they came back just below treatment level, but just incase they put him on a Biliblanket to help the jaundice go down quicker.
2 days old - 20/12/05
NGT finally taken out as it hadn't been used for over 24 hours - yay!! Still on Biliblanket and still not strong enough to breastfeed.

3 days old - 21/12/05
Milk came in this morning - ouch! Damien's feeds upped to 40mls 3 hourly. SBR bloods taken again and they are low enough to take him off the Biliblanket. Started expressing milk for him to have instead of formula but was being sick in the evening again. Finally back into his routine by 4am.
4 days old - 22/12/05
Damien is now on 50mls every 3 hours. He was weighed again today and weighs 5lb 6.5 oz (2.460kg) so he only lost 175g (7% weight). I am so proud of him. SBR levels checked again and his jaundice was going down. Tried breastfeeding again and he gave it a little go but still not that interested. He is having expressed milk for most of his feeds.
5 days old - 23/12/05
We can come home!!!!!!! He took to the breast last night and now has that during the night. The paediatrition (sp?) came round and is amazed by how well Damien is doing for a 34 weeker and said we can go home. I was so happy. It's been a very difficult rollercoaster in hospital and not being with Mark during the nights was one of the hardest things. Now we are home I have a bit more support. Damien's not quite out of the woods yet, but it feels so great to have him home for Xmas and be a proper family at last.

Thanks to everyone for all their messages - I know this little one has been long awaited for! Thanks for letting everyone know Minikins - of course I don't mind. Mark didn't have any time to post between travelling up to us a few times a day and trying to sleep AND do some work for his boss before he takes Paternity. Sorry peeps.
Here's a couple more picture of my amazing little man - he looks just like his daddy


