My first month

March 10th, mummy's first pic. I'm on a ventilator and have my posh sunglasses on because i'm under a UV light because i'm a little bit jaundice.

13th March. The doctors have took me off the ventilator and I am now on CPAP (continuous, positive, airways pressure)

14th March. I am now taking a rest from the CPAP machine for 1hour twice a day, i am breathing all by myself.

17th March. Me and mummy having cuddles. I've got such a tiny head.

21st March. Me and mummy having kangaroo care (i'm down her jumper keeping warm) my head is smaller than her thumb. Notice I am breathing all by myself.

A close up of my beautiful face.

22nd March. This is me and daddy having cuddles for the first time, it's also the first time I was allowed to wear clothes (mum was chuffed)

25th March. Our first photo of the 3 of us.

Well, when I was born I gave out a little cry, which is always a good sign, but when the doctors tried to intrabate (put a ventilator tube down my throat), my lungs collasped, both of them, the consultant had 45seconds to put bilatral chest drains in me! He did it though, so here I am, lying in my incubator, waiting for mummy and daddy to visit me for the first. I've just heard the nurse say they're on thier way, it's 6:45am 10/03/2011, I'm 7hours old.
Mummy and daddy came down to see me, mummy was on her bed, lazy woman!! I think they were shocked at just how small I am, i have a nappy on but it is smaller than any dolls nappy and its still too big for me. I've got lots and lots of wires and machines attached to me, I am on a ventilator to make me breath, morphine to ease the pain, I have a unbilical line which tests my blood pressure, a long line that gives me TPN (its my food, all my nutriants that I need as I can't eat just yet, I have a EGG to measure my heart rate, something that is checking my pulse, oxygen level and a tempreture probe checking i am warm enough and a cannular so the doctors can take blood and give me my medicines. I'm in my little incubator, sleeping.
11th March. mammar and Grandad came to see me today, just after the doctors tried to take me off my ventilator, because I am on morphine it slows your heart rate down and mine just went too slow and they had to resusitate me just as mammar and grandad walked through the door, that will be a meeting they never forget. Well anyway, they managed to bring me round and I am back on the ventilator and the doctors are now going to give me caffine to make my heart beat faster (I do love my early morning caffine hit). Aunty katie and Aunty stacie came in the evening to visit, they cried, I'm such a heart breaker already!! I've got my feeding tube going down my throat and I get fed every 2hours only a couple a mls but it keeps going up!
14th March: Well after Fridays mishap the doctors managed to take me off the ventilator and I am now on CPAP, but today the doctors took me off for two hours and I was breathing by myself without any assistance, piece of cake, I dont know what all the fuss is about really!! Downside though, the doctors now take blood out of my heal and fill up a tube so they can test my oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to make sure i'm not working too hard, i'm not though :-) I've also met my Aunty Vikki, Uncle Nik, Grandma, Uncle Luke and Molly, molly's too young to visit really but I'm not going to tell the nurses that!!
16th March: I had a nice long kangaroo cuddle with mummy whilst  I was off CPAP, it was so warm and snuggly down her top :-)
18th march: the best day EVER, my big brother max came to visit. mummy hid him a present in my incubator drawers and said it was from me, he was so excited, I love him so much already :-)  I'm off my CPAP now for 12 hours at a time, I just go back on at night time to give me a rest. I am back upto my birth weight after dropping to 2lb 4oz after I was born!
25th March: Thats it, I am now CPAP free, I breath all by myself, all day, all night!! Max brought me a teddy bear and he watches me from the top of my incubator because he's too big! I've also met, Grandad Dave, mummy's midwife jo, Gemma and Jemma.
Mummy's a bit worried, everyone says it's one step forward two steps back but I am doing so well, my head scans are clear, my heart valve has closed, I am breathing by myself, I am tolerating all my milk, what could go wrong???

My journey so far

Well, I was born 9th March 2001 at 23:51, weighing just 2lb10oz.

My mummy had a slightly rough time being pregnant with me, it all started when she was just 12 weeks pregnant and she suffered a threatened miscarriage, that means that all the doctors and nurses thought that I had gone but when they scanned muumy, i was still there, my heart beating as strong as ever. After that 12 weeks passed and I let mum and dad have a nice christmas before mummys waters broke on February 10th at just 23weeks and 4days, again they scanned mummy and I was still going strong so the hospital (LRI) kept mummy in for 5days before letting her go home to rest with regular check ups. Then on March the 4th during a routine scan mummy started bleeding quite heavily and ended up being taken back into hospital. 5 days passed with heavy bleeding a huge blood clots when the hospital decided to take mummy up to the delievery room to keep a check on her. Whilst I was being monitored my heart rate dropped seriously low and within 10minutes the room was filled with midwifes and doctors and mummy was taken to surgery and given a general anestethic, because there just wasn't any time and I was delievered, 23:51 weighing 2lb10oz. Mummy came back round a hour later and had to wait 7hours to see me as I was very poorly and the doctors had to save my life.  Oh if you wonder what's wrong with my hand on my pictures, it's where the doctors tried to put a cannular in and my vein burst, my hand swelled 3 times the size and filled with blood, the doctors have taken pictures though.