5.9.2010

The twins are getting more mail than me at the moment!  Today I have for them a postcard from Rew, a letter from Francoise and a postcard and a letter from their Aunty Julie.  It has got me thinking that maybe I should write them a letter too, about how I got to be their Mummy.  I will do this over the next few days in hospital.

The ward has a very calm feeling to it this morning.  The babies are all sleeping peacefully and there are very few buzzers going off.

William woke up first today so I did his cares and then put him to the breast.  He was sucking away for a good quarter of an hour and so his tube feed at 11am is being reduced from 44mls to 40mls.  I hope that he did get some milk from me!  He has gained 60 grams today so is now 1960g which is 4lb 5oz and approaching 2 kilos which is a good weight.  For an early baby!

Bunmi (doctor) saw the twins today.  All is to carry on as it is.  3 hourly tube feeding and trying at the breast whenever they are awake enough to do so.  We are aiming for full breast feeding so that we can take our babies home!

There is still a possibility that Esther will be transfused in the coming days.  She has also put on weight and is now 3lb 10oz.

Their feeds have gone up in accordance with their weight to 44mls every 3 hours and 37mls.  At 11am I did milk while the doctors finished their rounds and then I did Esther’s cares and feed.  She tried really hard but still had a full tube feed as I am not sure that she is getting much of anything from the breast.  I held Esther for a long time until nearly 1.30pm and then she had a cuddle with her Daddy while I tried feeding William.  He did not seem to be doing much and what he did do he didn’t do for long so we gave him his full feed but then he was sick !!! which suggests he might be getting milk from me than we think!  It is impossible to tell, so it is trial and error with his feeds for a while, or trial and improvement should I say!

David was here for lunch today which was really nice.  I love having him here and I know that the babies do too.  It will all be so much better once we are home.  Being at home just won’t feel real after all this time at the hospital.   I forget that there will come a time, perhaps quite soon, when we will be at home like any other family … going out for walks, cuddling on the sofa, playing in the playroom, visiting Granny and Grandad, spending the day with Clare and Rohan … I cannot wait!!

Esther can swallow!  At her 5pm feed milk was dripping into her mouth before she even started to suck.  I mentioned this to Sibby, our nurse, who checked what was in her tummy and it was undigested milk!!!  Hooray!  We are definitely making progress.