Click here for some pictures taken with Mummy and Daddy.
Click here for a page of over 30 pictures taken on the day that she was born, in Chronological order. The first was taken at 5.25pm, when she was 10 minutes old! Please beware, they are 34k each - thats 900k in total!
Click here for Beckys first sounds (well at 8pm on July 19th - its like a sighing sound!)
Thanks a lot to everyone who has called, or spoken and offered help. Its really greatly appreciated, and will be probably used when we don't know what to do with a screaming thing in the middle of the night :-)
August 6 2000
- The nurse arrived this morning to tell us that we could go home if we wanted
to! We couldn't believe it, but were packed and ready to go in 20 minutes!
Unfortunately, we were waiting for all the checks and forms/letters to be
signed, and had to watch a resuscitation video from St. Johns ambulance which
involved the use of a doll called Anne (!). Becky also had her first bath, which
ended up being a very comical affair. Becky was put into her car seat, and
was sat there for over an hour before we eventually left.
In the end, we got home at 6pm. Within five minutes, the first neighbour had come round to see her - but we didn't mind, she was home!
August 5 2000 - After a long night, again with difficulty in breastfeeding (something that I'm sure most mothers can sympathise with!), Simon arrived at the hospital with Sams mum and dad. We then had a great day with Becky - no wires, no monitors, only minimal nurse involvement. Breastfeeding got better as the day went on. Sam had been told to feed Becky every 4 hours, whether she was awake or not to ensure that she was getting enough milk as she was still just over 7 pounds - 7 ounces less than the birth weight.
August 4 2000 - We arrive to find that she's been moved to room 3. Simon's mum and dad are with us, and have their first photos with Becky. Click here to see these. As soon as we arrive, we are asked whether Sam would like to lodge in one of the couple of rooms they have for parents with babies who have just arrived or about to leave. Becky is fast asleep, so we go back down the A3, brave the M25 and back down the M3 towards home. We get back just in time to speak to the paediatrician, Dr Pat Hamilton, who sits down with us in the 'quiet room' to tell us that they think that Becky has had Ischaemia (lack of blood supply) to a part of the brain which has caused a localised Infarction (small area of tissue damage). Apparently, Becky had another ultrasound on July 27th (but noone told us) where Dr. Brittain (who looked at the scan) saw ultra bright echos and shadows. This concerned us as it seemed that they deliberately held this from us whilst they allowed her to wake up. Apparently though, babies with this have a 'very good' chance of not having any further problems. However, there is a chance that she could have learning difficulties. To keep a track on how she is developing she is going to have checkups every six weeks for the first six months and then every six months until St. Georges are happy with her progress. It was a strange mixture of feelings - happy that the hospital felt that she was no longer going to have any further episodes, worried about possible outcomes.
August 3 2000 - She moves both arms today and even cries! The doctors, like ourselves, are very pleased with her progress now as she still hasn't shown any more signs of having a fit. They even discuss moving her from intensive care (Room 1) into special care (Room 3), and the possibility of transferring her back to Frimley Park on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Beckys milk is 100ml every 4 hours, more like a usual feeding pattern, and Sam is asked to try breastfeeding again, with minimal success! The rest of the milk is then fed to Becky from a small cup, rather than a bottle - something we were both a little surprised about, but Becky drank it quite well.
August 2 2000 - Milk intake is up to 88ml every three hours, and slowly Becky continues to wake. She manages to move one arm limply. Finally the results come back from the CT scan - they seem to show nothing overly abnormal. We are obviously overjoyed, and still just glad she is slowly coming back to life.
August 1 2000 - Becky is now on 64ml of Sams milk every three hours! (Sams struggling to keep up with demand!). She was conscious about 5 times today, each for a few minutes, but enough for us to see her eyes, something we haven't done since the day after she was born (two weeks ago tomorrow). It sounds silly, but this is a real comforting thing for us. Rather than seeing a comatose body, we have been able to see life, albeit still very drugged up. The doctors have decided to postpone the MRI scan until she wakes up fully so that they can closely monitor her over the few few days - as its from now until the end of the week when shes most likely to fit again while the anti-convulsant slowly leaves her body. Shes still at 42 mg in her blood stream - the maximum sedation St. Georges like to give is 45 mg, so suffice to say she certainly doesn't know whats going on. But her eyes are open for longer than a flicker, and although we are scared stiff of another fit happening anytime, we know she's waking up...Click here for a page of 10 pictures taken on August 1st.
July 31 2000 - We arrive to find the drip has been taken away, and Becky is being given 50ml of Sams milk every 3 hours. Thats another IV intake removed! We can hold her hand! She also makes movements! On top of that, her eyes flicker and briefly open. Is this the turning point? We hope so.
July 30 2000 3pm - Becky has a fit that lasts 20 seconds. Si & Sam gutted. Beck to square one? After this, the MRI scan is planned for Tuesday 1st August.
July 29,30 2000 - A long weekend with family members coming and going from the hospital - even with just the (now reduced) Phenobarbitone, and the fact that over the weekend they have started feeding Becky Sams milk again (albeit slowly) through a tube- still nothing!
July 28 2000 5pm - Nothing found so far, and Si and Sam are just as worried as they were, but now of course, Becky is not even conscious.
July 28 2000 11am - Another lumber puncture and more blood taken as her consultant is concerned that she may not be waking up due to something other than the drugs.
July 27 2000 6pm - Paediatric Neurologist finally sees Becky. After prods and hmms, she admits to not having looked at the CT scan results yet, but says she will do so 'by early next week'. Si & Sam are gutted as obviously her brain is the part we are worrying about most. We are also told that in 50% of cases, no-one ever finds out the cause of these fits. That doesn't mean that they go away either - sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. An MRI scan, which is more accurate than a CT scan is on the cards.
July 25,26,27 2000 - Test upon test is undertaken - still nothing. Becky is weaned off the other drugs, and just the Phenobarbitone is left by 27th. Still no movement from her though. Finally, the ventilator is taken off, and then a strange oxygen helmet is placed over her (Michael Jackson?) to assist with breathing.
July 24 2000 4pm - A CT scan is taken, and the results are looked at by the radiologists from both St. Georges and Atkinson-Morley (sister hospital). No result as yet though.
July 24 2000 3pm - Becky has an EEG to check her brain activity. It shows that she continues to have fits internally, although she is still on the top dosage of drugs. The ventilator is left on.
July 24 2000 11am - Another sleepless night leads to the team arriving to take Becky to St. Georges. A doctor, 2 nurses and 2 drivers - how important! She is put on a ventilator for the journey. She also gets to be taken via blue flashing light to her destination. We are jealous in a weird sort of way, as we've not been in an ambulance! Becky is again put onto a 10% dextrose 500ml drip (30% NaCL @ 3mg/kg/day=5.5ml, 15% KCL @ 2mg/kg/day=3.3ml) @ 90-120 ml/kg/day total. This is to ensure her fluid levels are kept up, and it makes her look like the Michelin man with all that fluid inside her! She is also given Piperacillin and Gentamicin as antibiotics, and left on the same anti-convulsants as at Frimley Park.
July 23 2000 12pm - Simon and Sam told that Dr Mallik (Consultant) has been able to secure her a place at St. Georges hospital in London. They were due to send a team out to pick her up at 2pm, but at 5pm, they decide to send out the team the next morning.
July 23 2000 5.30am - The Head Consultant Paediatrician is concerned that Becky may have a slight bleed to her brain, and wants to either transfer her to specialist Neurological care (at one of a number of hospitals - Great Ormond St; St Georges, Tooting; Southampton; Hammersmith) or to get a private consultant Neurologist (as the NHS ones don't travel between hospitals) to come to her. Becky is given maximum dosage of 3 anti-convulsants, Phenobarbitone, Phenytoin and Chlomazapam in an attempt to kerb the fitting that was causing her to hurt herself by pulling out her drip lines and needles. Unsurprisingly, Becky becomes unconscious.
July 23 2000 1.30am - After a long day with more episodes, Simon is woken at home, and Sam in the maternity ward, by one of the staff nurses in the SCBU saying that Becky is having bad fits and that we should be there.
July 22 2000 9am - Farce with trying to get Becky onto our Company BUPA policy. After 4 1/2 hours on the phone/FAX, involving the HR Director of Centrica, BUPA relent and add her at the weekend.
July 21 2000 11pm - Becky fits again, this time its worse and she has a very rough night. Simon and Sam wait in the family room in the department. Becky given more of the same drug.
July 21 2000 4pm - 30mg more given as she fits again, this time lasting 2 minutes.
July 21 2000 12pm - Becky given Phenylbarbitone (60mg) to sedate her and hopefully stop the fits. Its an anti-convulsant. Nil by mouth is declared and Becky is put on a glucose drip of 10% NaCL and 5% KCL (Sodium and Potassium chloride). No milk for Becky!
July 21 2000 10.30am- Simon, sitting next to Becky in the open incubator, notices shaking down the left hand leg and arm, as well as her eyes rolled round and upward. During the minute and a half it lasts, the SHO (Senior House Officer) doctor comes over and says that its a fit and arranges for a lumber puncture (to test for Meningitis amongst other things) and an ultrasound scan on the brain.
July 21 2000 10am - Becky admitted to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) in Frimley Park (fortunately opposite the maternity ward) for observation.
July 21 2000 9am - Sam alerts Michelle, a midwife on the ward, to a strange 'shaking' that Rebecca was having on the right arm and leg. She takes Sam and Becky to the breastfeeding room, thinking that its probably due to low sugar levels. However, when she witnesses a second fit about 15 minutes later, she calls the paediatrician.
July 20 2000 9pm - I leave my two girls to sleep after another busy evening with visiting relatives, including the first one from one of Beckys' Great Grandma's, Great Nan Wilson (Sams' Mums' mum!)
July 20 2000 2.15pm - Rebecca has been crying when she's in the cot the hospital
provide, but fine when in either her mums or my arms! First bath scheduled
for 5pm today. Some lovely flowers arrive courtesy of Simons company, Centrica
- thanks a lot!
July 20 2000 8.30am - After feeding from Sam for the first and second times last night, Becky is still being really good - only one cry when she was hungry and STILL on the first nappy! As with a lot of babies though, she has been really hot (30 degrees C), then really cold (24 degrees C) overnight. The midwives have put a little hat on her and heat pads above and below to try and rectify this.
July 19 2000 10pm - The cutey little one has been sleeping all evening - completely unphased about Sams family passing her between the 6 of them!
July 19 2000 5.50pm - Becky is weighed and measured after the midwives kindly leave us three alone to meet for the first time! She weighed 7lbs 7ozs, length 49cm (just over 19"), head circumference 33cm (13"). On closer inspection she is found neither to have her mothers nose, nor fathers ears - Thank God!
July 19 2000 5.20pm - Rebecca Kate Hadlington is presented to the proud parents!
July 19 2000 5.15pm - Anxious moments as the baby arrives and it whisked off as its not breathing...
July 19 2000 5.10pm - Babys heartbeat disappears from the monitor and the midwife decides to give Sam a little assistance in getting the baby out with the hand of some sharp scissors (ouch) - fortunately she is numbed first!
July 19 2000 4.15pm - Struggle to get Sam into a wheelchair and get her to the Central Delivery Suite (posh eh?)
July 19 2000 4pm - Doctor arrives after being held up, and after examination discovers Sam is now 7 1/2 cm dilated!
July 19 2000 2.30pm - Long trip to the loo as Sam is sure she needs, well, not just a wee!
July 19 2000 2pm - Back on the analysis machine, in preparation for doctors assessment at 3.15pm
July 19 2000 1pm - Lots of complaints from Sam about being in pain (and I don't blame her!), midwife can only give a 'tens' machine.
July 19 2000 12.30pm- Sam sick after eating hospital food for lunch - what does that tell you?
July 19 2000 12pm - Hospital lunch - yummy. Well, it IS brought to your bed!
July 19 2000 10am - Sam given 2mg of inducement gel (priton?) following being on the monitor for another hour or so. Babys heartrate still 150 as a base, which is quite high. They want to ensure its ok by trying to speed up the inducement as Sam (after being checked by the doctor) was still only 1cm dilated and therefore still on the prenatal ward.
July 19 2000 8am - Hear that our friends, Lee and Tonya Priestley had a little girl, Isabel Ellen at 2pm on 18th. She weighed in at 8lbs 10oz. Congratulations to both of them (gulp - our turn soon!). Sam has someone elses breakfast!
July 19 2000 7am - Sam put back on the monitor after only a few hours sleep to find that her peaks were now hitting 90, and every 5-6 minutes. Its classed as 'proper' labour when these hit 100, so that could happen any time soon!
July 18 2000 11.30PM- Sam was induced, but only 1mg as she was already 'on the way' herself! She was then put back on the monitor, and the base levels of Braxton-Hicks were now 30, peaking around 65.
July 18 2000 7PM - Sam was admitted to hospital to have baby induced after high blood pressure and rash leaves doctors unsure. Initial levels (see monitor picture) were babys heart rate between 120-165bpm (what an interesting dance track that would make). In fact, to hear a recording of the sound to accompany the piccies below (221k), click here. If you want to hear a better quality recording, and have an unzip program, you can download a better quality version (684k) here.
Sams' levels of Braxton-Hicks (pre labour contractions) hit 52 at the highest peak in the picture and tailed off to zero, peaking every 7 minutes or so.
Jul 17 2000 - Si's Birthday (28), take photos of Sam outside house after she sees midwife about rash which is really bothering her.
June 2000 - Possible baby names are Rebecca, Kate, Matthew, Daniel (We'll leave you to decide which should be for a girl and which for a boy!)
Mar-Apr 2000 - Sam starts reacting to sun heat...perhaps to do with Florida hol?
22 Feb-6 Mar 2000 - Hols in Florida
12 Jan 2000 - First Scan (12 weeks). The hospital have a policy of not telling you the sex, so as long as its a boy, I don't mind. Obviously Sam would like a girl!
Mid-October 1999 - We must have got drunk and randy....
