ABIGAIL NEWTON SMITH

Friday, 24th August 2001 - Day 8

I have now reached my 8th Day of life and am still here, much to my parents relief. It has been quite an eventful day today, I waited and waited for Mummy and Daddy to visit this morning. No one at 9am, no one at 10am or 11am, then at last they appear just as I am going to have a nap around midday. I thought they had forgotten about me but no, they had to wait for the Midwife to call, and then come to see me. Why would the midwife call there when I am still in here? Very strange I must say ?

Mummy and Daddy stayed for a long while and discussed my progress with the Prof. who for some reason is going on holiday for the bank holiday weekend whilst I go through a critical period. He say's I am doing well and I have managed to "read the book" on exactly what a 26-27 week old baby should do in intensive care. I hope the medicine for my heart hole is working as it gets harder to breath all the time with the amount of fluid that seems to be on my lungs, but we get through it with a little help from all my friends on the ward. He says I am making good progress and that everybody is willing me to get well and come through this hard time. I hope I can please him and everybody else. Please keep me in your thoughts and I will try and keep you updated as things happen.

Mummy and Daddy came back to see me again this evening and I put on a little show for them. They saw my interpretation of the Samba, disco beat. This is a very tiring version where there is a lot of arm and leg movements in time to the beat of my new "Birdy" ventilator, or that is what I think the doctor calls it. However, this took alot out of me and the nurses had to "Bag" me. This is where they take me off the ventilator and inflate my lungs manually using a bag, just like the tv programme Casualty. They also then clean out my lungs and throat with a little suction and everything then calms down as I am tired. My new ventilator is good, it lets me breathe better as it senses when my poor little lungs breathe out or in and helps me. The last one tried to do this but all I did was try and battle against the flow. It is a bit like swimming against the tide really, and I have such small lungs that it was very difficult.

Last Updated : 28/08/01.