Our fundraising drive this year has raised an incredible amount of money to help the various teams who have helped us. We spent six months on Tom's Ward, the paediatric surgical ward at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, so it was very important to us we not only gave something back to them, but… Continue reading You’ve helped us help Tom’s Ward
Our last trip back to the hospital to repeat the Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test that diagnosed Clara with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder did not go to plan. To carry out the test, your child needs to be asleep. That's not easy with a 9 month old. She sleeps when she sleeps! But I did… Continue reading First word? Dada… dadadada.
Baby loss. It can happen at any time - miscarriage, birth, or infancy. It's never easy. It's something we don't talk about often enough. Why do we traditionally get advised to wait until we're 12 weeks pregnant before we tell anyone the exciting news? It's because at 12 weeks the risk of miscarriage falls significantly.… Continue reading Baby Loss Awareness Week 2018: Our story
Today my sister and brother both took part in the Oxford Half Marathon, pounding the streets to raise money for charities close to their hearts. One of those charities was SSNAP. The Oxford based charity supporting the Neonatal Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital where Clara spent her first six weeks of life. To see… Continue reading Oxford Half Marathon -SSNAP
Before I get into this in too much detail, I need to start by acknowledging how lucky we are. I am able to return to work. Do you know what that means? My daughter is healthy enough that she doesn't require 24/7 home care with community nurses, nor does she require a parent to stay with… Continue reading Returning to work after having a premature and/or sick baby
I've sat down to write this update having just sung Clara to sleep. No bottle, no cuddles, just a simple song and her eyes were closing gently. This works because Clara can hear. It's been the same song from the beginning. I don't know why I sang it to Clara originally, it was just one… Continue reading Clara’s hearing: Visual Reinforcement Audiometry test
September is that time of year where it could be any season. Leftover sunshine from summer, blustery winds in preparation for Autumn, cold mornings looking for Winter, or soft days requiring cardigans like Spring. But when you're in Intensive Care the seasons don't matter. Often, you don't notice if it's light or dark. Thankfully that… Continue reading NICU Awareness Month
