01.02.09

We had a brilliant day yesterday. We got into the hospital, and she'd been keeping down her milk (full feeds 32ml every 2 hours.) so the IV was out! She was dressed and we got to give her a bath and a cuddle. Brett cuddled her for the first time, and he also bathed her. Such a great day for her 1 week birthday. We floated home on cloud nine.

Then about 7pm the phone rang. Her heart rate had suddenly doubled and was beating around 300bpm. They took her and put ice on her head which is supposed to shock her, make her take a huge breath and return her heart to normal rythem. They had to do it 3 times before it worked, just as they were about to give her medication. They had to put the IV back in, and she's nil-by-mouth again. They did tests and took xrays and couldn't find anything wrong with her heart physically. They sent the test results through to Royal Childrens, who said they wanted her in there. So NETS ambulance were sent out and she was packed up and shipped off to the city. (While I obviously bawled my eyes out).

I'll update again later. We're heading off to the city now.

UPDATE: She's had another episode again at 10.30pm. 280bpm lasting 10 mins. (the first one lasted 55 mins) They shocked her with ice again and it came back to normal. She's wearing a halter monitor which will have recorded it, and they'll look at that in the morning and also do the ecg. I'm a bit shitty that no one bothered to call me, and I only find out because I call an hour later. I might be being a bit precious... but sometimes this motherhood stuff sucks. I hate that she is so far away from me, I feel so lost without her, and I'm having a big old sook about it.

Some photos:

Tuesday night [3 days old] giving my precious girl a cuddle, its a two person job. I have to say Frankston Hospital gets a bad wrap, but when you're in labour at 34 weeks you have no choice but to go there. I honestly found the staff and the facilities wonderful. Every midwife I had was totally awsome - especially Jasna. They were all so caring, and so loving when I just blubbered all over them.

Wednesday [4 days old] Amelia just curled up like this to sleep and looked just so delicious that I had to take her photo.

Friday [6 days old] sucking her dummy :) Yay, sucking reflex kicking in.

Saturday morning [1 week old]. She's been tolerating her tube feeds so the IV is out and she's even dressed! To give you an idea of her size, that's a face washer under her head.

He so badly wanted a baby sister. He fell in love with her instantly. Mum and Dad walked in just as they were putting her in the open cot and mum said the expression on Liam's face was amazing. She said you could just see that he fell in love with her.

While Liam had touched her head and stroked her leg while she'd been in her Isolette, Ethan didn't want to touch her. He didn't like the wires and tubes and was scared he'd hurt her (regardless of how much we told him it was ok). He'd said when she was in the other cot like the other babies he'd touch her. So here is his first touch of his new baby sister.

Her first bath... and the first time Brett had held her. She loved it. She stretched out and was so relaxed. Even when she came out to be dried she didn't cry. I've bearly heard her cry actually. Although her nurses at RCH tell me she sounds like a lamb. Of course they know what her cry sounds like because they are forever shocking her, or jabbing her with something :(

Looking very jaundiced, and nothing like what she actually looks like. Weird how photos can look so different.