Day 18 Postpartum. Who you lookin at?

Vinnie was wide awake for quite some time this morning - quite unusual for a baby his age. He looks like a completely different baby with his eyes wide open. He is quite funny how he fixates his stare on you and then his eyes follow different sounds in the room... I think he is going to be incredibly nosey! He was also showing me how he likes to suck his thumb (complete with little sucking noises and drool going everywhere!). I took a picture of this but it is a little hard to see with all the lines going in to his hand.

Vinnie's oxygen needs have been quite high again overnight and today. One of the consultants told me that he may need to go back on the ventilator (temporarily) while his infection is treated. He also had a blood transfusion last night as he is slightly anemic. Apparently this is related to his breathing as low oxygen = low red blood cell count. Despite all this sounding rather grim, the medical staff are somewhat matter of fact about these developments and keep assuring me that this is normal for preterm babies and Vinnie is doing well - this is just a minor set back.

I would like to fast forward the next few days and have him doing a little better again! One of the consultants mentioned to me that it is possible that Vinnie might be ready to go home before he is ready to come off the CPAP machine. Basically this means that Vinnie might go home with an oxygen machine and operator instructions for mum and dad, and need to stay on it for between 3-6 months. This idea is really just touching the periphery of 'possibilities' for me at the moment. I am choosing to instead focus on visualising him making a speedy recovery and coming off the machines ASAP!

I was talking to one of the other mums at NICU today who delivered a little boy a week ago at 28 weeks gestation. This is her second time around at NICU as her 15 month old daughter was born at 29 weeks gestation. Apparently her membranes ruptured early with both pregnancies, same as me. I read somewhere that there is a strong possibility that your membranes will rupture early in subsequent pregnancies if this happens to you the first time... and here is my living proof! Right now I am thinking that Vinnie is going to be an only child (a very spoilt only child!) as I can not imagine going through this again, particularly with a toddler.

On a lighter note, today Vinnie pooed all over me and his bed. I was changing his nappy and it just kept coming! His nurse was spraying air freshener around the room as apparently it was not a very pleasant aroma (I wasn't so offended)!