Seven Week Smiles

We got several genuine smiles from Roy today. Quite the happy camper. He barely needed his do-do (which he's been addicted to), so I think his tummy has settled down. He was pretty content wherever he was which made the day very easy. Sheena is getting used to her baby brother being around, and seems to be able to hear him call before I do, saying Roy-oy-oy. The health nurse visited him today to do all the measurements and developmental checks which are going fine.

Yesterday was quite another story, when he had his immunisations. He got the normal vaccinations, as well as his extra one for the RSV virus. We had them done at the Childrens hospital due to his cardiac risk factor. I left home at 9.15am, the appointment was at 10.30am, and I didn't get out of there until 2.30pm. No ones fault, just a combination of going at baby breast-feeding pace, as well as going from clinic to clinic while I sorted out getting scripts for this and that. Roy got a mild fever and was quite unsettled in the early evening, so had some panadol that helped.

Today

Out and about.

Roy enjoyed his first trip to the park. He is allowed out as long as he stays rugged up. I bought this snow suit before Roy was born - how ideal!

Fresh Face

Here is Roy when he was 1 day old.
Very fresh. Roy is now 6 weeks, and as per the last Post he had a very good report from the Cardiologist yesterday. Its very unlikely he'll need surgery. He has to stay on meds for the time being, and has to stay free of infection (away from pre-schoolers as an extra precaution) , and continue to gain weight. He is so far having no problem with the latter, and he's now 4.98 kgs! The doctor was happy with his work of breath, and although he works hard at times, like during his bath or after feeding, this is not unexpected for a heart kid. Basically he is no longer in heart failure, and all going well, he should continue to improve. What I got from the consultation was that if he continues on his current path of well-being, he should be free of meds and symptoms by the age of 5 or 6 months. Lets hope.

The good news is.......

Roy had a review with the Cardiologist today. It went very well. He is very happy with Roy's progress. Roy has put on a lot of weight and the murmur sounds better. We will continue with Roy's current medication for another and then he will be reviewed again. We are delighted and relieved with the news. More details in the next few days.

Staying Up

The health nurse visited to weigh Roy yesterday, and she suggested that we take him to the GP today to get his advise, because Roy's respiratory rate was high, as was his work of breath. His trachea was sucking in with each breath, and Roy had been looking and acting anxious all day. Amazingly I got an appointment with the GP for that afternoon which is usually impossible at our clinic. The doctor thought he was fine, so that was a relief, and we've got colic drops that are safe for Roy. The pain from the colic was making him anxious and work harder.

The colic drops have improved Roy's comfort today. He can still get squirmy at times, but no where near as bad as yesterday.

He was a breech baby, so seems particularly happy in his baby carrier where he can stay upright (photo) - helps get his wind up too - 4 big burps in 10 minutes after putting it on. He is cooing again now too, which is so sweet.

5 weeks of Roy

Roy is not too happy about things at the moment. He has some colic which is troubling him a lot. He is just very uncomfortable. I think its wind and or reflux, but because of his heart meds, I can't give him anything to help relieve the pain without checking it with a doctor first. It could actually be his heart meds that are bothering him so much, and causing a stomach upset.

Vive le tour

Roy is not quite right. The health nurse that visited today said that she wouldn't be surprised if we ended up in hospital over the weekend, but he is mostly OK. Ironically, he may have gained too much weight over a week, which means he might have retained fluid - a sign of heart failure. He put on 100gm in one day which is unlikely to be milk. He is a little puffy in the face. His breathing is laboured at times, but at other times it is steady enough.

The hardest thing about Roy's situation, in that he is OK, but his condition can very quickly go backwards. To look at him, you'd never know he had the slightest thing wrong with him, other than the lingering jaundice. Even the jaudice is now fairly faint. Its tough on hubby and I to know when to act, when to not act, and if you act - how do you act? Is the GP the best option? Does he need to be seen back at the cardiac ward? Should we wait another hour, or can we wait until the morning if something is not looking right?

Anyway, we're staying put, because at this stage the hospital would only have Roy in for observation, and probably poke him too many times looking for something sinister, when he might get better in a couple of days.