21 June

Another week of Max - and yet another where he cannot be predictable!

We have been given an 'even more fortified' recipe for his formula to use since they took his tube out. The aim is to get a certain minimum of this mix into him each day in order to get the appropriate amounts of liquid (to keep him hydrayted) and of calories to get him growing. It's all a bit strange right now, as he is suddenly not demanding food as he was a week or so ago (when the amounts he was being given were larger!).

I don't want to be a parent who complains about their baby sleeping through the night, but he simply hasn't been waking for food during the night - which wouldn't be a worry IF he took regular and larger bottles during the day. However, he struggles to take 100ml at a time, and even that is a cause for celebration. So, we're a bit worried that he isn't taking enough. However, he's still perky and talkative, (a bit grizzly at times), no temperature, breathing well, and nappies are appropriate(!). We just have to work on weight gain.

Speaking of which, his last weight was exactly 5kg!! His head circumference is also progressing well, and though his length isn't very long (he's a shortie), it's progressing as well. We'll have to see how his weight goes this week - his second without the tube - and hope he's put on 150g or thereabouts.

15 June

Two days ago Max went back into hospital (as planned) to have his next set of immunisations. It all went well, and he was praised by all and sundry! He now weighs 4945g (!) and...has no tubes! We're on a trial run of an even more fortified (calorie-enriched) version of formula. This means he doesn't need to have as much volume as he would if he were on standard formula. Hopefully we can keep him taking a good amount orally so that the tube doesn't need to go back in. We'll give it a few days, and if he doesn't keep up the minimum amount, we'll have to go back and get the tube put back in. (Pic - finally, after 204 days, Max has NO TUBES at all!)

He was extremely lethargic when he came home, and slept all day. He woke occasionally (at which times he was fed), but I was quite concerned and so I went back to the unit at about 9.30 last night to get him checked out. Of course, as soon as we got back, Max woke up beautifully and was all perky! Ah well, I'd rather be safe.

Today he's really back to his old self. I suspect he didn't get much sleep when he was in the unit, so he was simply tired. We went for a walk around the shopping centre, and he was beautifully behaved. We'll go back for another weigh on Tuesday (I hope he hasn't put on too much - I want it to be real weight), then nothing except our outreach nurse's visits each week again.

We have a series of visitors over the next few weeks, so Max will have his social skills tested. He is smiling a bit more, but it isn't all the time, and we can't always provoke him into smiling. It's the same with 'talking' - he will sometimes lie on his mat and babble for ages, and then we won't hear anything for a day or so.

8 June

I know it has been ages since I last posted. We have been working out our new family routines and Max has been working out who we are and how we work. Mark & I are a bit sleep-deprived, but nothing unexpected. Max is growing, albeit not as quickly as we'd like. His last weight was 4530g - up only 60g from the previous week. The doctors don't seem worried, though, and apparently around the three-month mark babies have a bit of a growth spurt - so he's probably putting all the food to good use.

He is now off Losec - after I queried how to administer it (as I was having huge troubles), it transpired that two other mums were having similar problems. So, Dr Scott suggested we try a few days without it, and see if his vomiting/reflux gets worse. Well, suffice to say he went for a week with no vomits at all, and has only had one smallish one since stopping Losec. He still coughs, but not a huge amount of reflux problems. We''re keeping his mattress raised at one end to help him sleep (which really seems to work).

He has slowly been increasing the amount he can take by bottle at each feed - and actually has achieved three full bottles. However, we keep increasing the amount in each bottle, so it's harder & harder for him! Actually, we've just changed from the normal formula mix to a 'higher calorie' recipe. This means he has less volume in each bottle (ie 110ml rather than 135ml), but the formula is fortified, so he gets the equivalent in calories. Hopefully we'll get to taking full bottles soon, then work on increasing the volume again.

He goes back into hospital next week for his next immunisations. I'm assuming they might do a few checkups at the same time - weight, bloods, etc. Maybe we'll look at taking the tube out - but I am not holding my breath on that one.

A couple of days ago Max & I went for lunch at another 'premmie mum's' place, where there were five of us in total, and our babies. It was very tiring, especially for Max, but I am so very glad I went (and was asked!). Great to see how the children were growing, and good to catch up with those I knew. I hope to do this again very soon.

Pretty much all the babies I knew in the unit have now gone home. We are thrilled to hear of their progress, and hope to host a play afternoon soon!

Photos - Max & Tato playing piano; Max LOVES getting dressed in the morning!