A good few weeks 😌

Some days, and maybe even a week at a time may be skipped in this blog. As previously mentioned, this will be due to the fact that on these days everything remained the same and there was no significant news to report. Additionally, we were only allocated a 2-hour time slot to visit Oliver and we weren’t allowed our mobile phones out due to Covid-19 and the risk of cross-contamination, so this made it difficult to get photos. 
Let's start with the 21st April: vCreate was started around this time; for those that don't know, vCreate is like a video link to your baby. The nurses take photos and videos and upload them so parents can see them from home
(Taken from vCreate) “Good evening Mummy and Daddy, I hope you’re ok. My nurse looking after me today is called Lauren and she said I've been a very good boy and had a good day- I have had my blood pressure medicine stopped this morning, and my oxygen requirement on the ventilator has been between 28-30%. Looking forward to seeing you soon. Lots of love and kisses Oliver”. 
Messages like these were a joy to receive; we knew Oliver wasn't writing these, but the concept was nice. 
25th April: This day was a little milestone, especially in the preemie world. Oliver had started tummy time which was something he hadn't been able to do until now.
I believe that it was my turn in the hospital this day, and there were no concerns to report. 26th April: A small but very mighty milestone for Oliver on this day; he had made 1 month old. To get to this milestone was an accomplishment in itself. Reaching a month old and defying the odds that were stacked against him, I couldn't be prouder of my son. As scared as I still was, seeing him go from strength to strength was a sight to see and a real relief. 

1st May:
(Vcreate entry)
Going from strength to strength, Oliver's stoma was now active. This was such good news as it showed the surgery was a full success. With his stoma active, the bowel that he had left appeared healthy and functional. During these few weeks everything seemed to be slowly but steadily moving forward. Within the nicu world, during these times, Oliver also had to have more blood transfusions and platelets ect. This was a regular occurrence, and we had grown used to this. The only downside was that his pda hadn't closed, even with the medication. The reality of moving to another hospital; either London or Southampton, was not too far in the distance. Disheartened but fully understanding, we agreed for this to be done at the earliest convenience. He was scheduled to go on the 1st of May, but this didn't happen. 

Next... set back after set back.






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