World Prematurity Day- nearly 4 years on

Today is world prematurity day.

The first photo of Ada, born at 30 weeks

Day like this one, as well as miscarriage awareness, always make me stop and pause. A lot can, and did, happen in the past 5 years, and while I am forever changed by the miscarriages and Ada's premature birth, they are now distant enough from me to no longer be a source of pain. Instead my experiences are a tool to help others.

Attempted tube wean: A diary

Baby A pulled out her NG feeding tube last weekend and we left it out for about 8 hours and she did alright. So, after a conversation with her nurse, we've decided to take it out to see how she goes.
We will stop this attempt at any time if:

• She takes less than 300ml in 24 hours (thats a baseline amount for hydration.)

• She dramatically loses weight

• She is dehydrated or lethargic

Skin issues from NG tube tape

Over the past month or so as Baby A has begun solids, we have been having issues with her NG tube tape, because as it has been getting wet with food, it has needed to be changed more often. This led to her skin being 'ripped' every day, and causing lots of welts and open wounds.

Battling to wean a tube fed baby in NZ

So here we are. Baby A is nearly 5 months old - 10 weeks corrected- and still dependent on her tube.