Wednesday 29 September 2010

Just a quick update.

Well Monday morning was spent boxing up and delivering the harvest gifts. I have to confess that Monday afternoon was not so productive, but on Monday evening, I at last contacted a plumber. He is not too keen to do a chemical flush of our heating without investigating first. I like that. He will also look at our shower, which for some reason is reduced to a trickle of cold water, he reckons the filters could be blocked. He is coming next Monday, which gives us the weekend to sort some clutter, and make sure he has access to every radiator at one end. I have started a 4th charity shop bag, which can only be good. Oh yes, I did dig out my winter clothes,and was ashamed to see I couldn't do up one skirt. No choccy biscuits for me, must make up some low point soup, I have a butternut squash and red pepper waiting.......
Yesterday I went up to Daughter's house and helped get baby ready for his London trip. Daughter had managed to borrow a sling, so we didn't have the buggy to manouevre. We got a train which left just after 12, and bought M&S sandwiches at Euston. Baby also had his last feed before the 'op'. We arrived at Kings College hospital just before 2, and were ushered into a room which was rapidly being filled with parents and babies, some already crying with hunger. Natahaniel slept, quite oblivious.
The necessary forms were filled in, and more and more parents and babies arrived.  The paediatrician eventually came in, and gave us all a little talk on tongue tie and the problems it can cause with feeding. One poor Mum confessed to feeding taking an a hour and a half!  He said he would not do the op 'just in case it caused speech problems' as the tongue can grow and the problem be resolved  before the child starts to speak. Originally at that clinic he was supposed to see 4 babies a week, but there is such a problem he sees 20. He also described what aftercare would be needed.
We were told that the babies would be done in age order. That no anaesthetic woud be used, and the babies would be brought for feeding immediately afterwards. There would be trained breastfeeding counsellors there to help sort out any 'latching ' problems. Typically, Nathaniel was in the middle of a nappy change when his name was called at about 3.40 pm. We duly were escorted to the floor below, and Daughter decided she would be ok on her own at that point so I armed myself with a coffee and some newspapers and a mag.
I ploughed my way through the Daily Mail, the Telegraph and a Yours magazine, and was reduced to watching The weakest link on the tv in the waiting area. Every now and again I heard a baby crying loudly, but couldn't tell if it was 'ours' or not. Daughter reappeared at about 5.45 pm, with a peacefully sleeping baby, looking a little rueful, but I quickly assured her he would be fine and not remember it at all.
She had been told that the 'bit of a tongue tie' was actually quite severe, which I had suspected. The staff were also appalled at the poor state of  Daughter. She has to go to our GP for some special dressings for herself, and contact  someone from the NCT or La Leche league to help make sure that she and baby re-learn the process of feeding. I think they were all amazed at her persistence. She obviously has both her dad's stubbornness and mine!
We left the hospital at about 6, and struggled through the crowds back to Euston. We were glad we had not taken the buggy. We met Daughter's husband at Euston, he was on his way home from work, and he took over the sling for a while. He had to get off the stop before ours, we had gone from the 'main' station as there are more trains, but we met up with him in Sainsbury's, where daughter stayed in the car as Baby needed feeding again. She is already feeling the benefits of the op. I picked up some sausages as husband had been unable to locate those I had put in the freezer, then they drove me back to their house so I could collect my car. We eventually sat down to sausage,  mash and peas at 9 pm. I blessed my microwave as the potatoes took less than 10 minutes. I had no trouble sleeping at all last night, but I don't intend to start commuting just as an aid to sleep!

2 comments:

  1. Glad the tongue tie has been rectified so well. Hope your daughter gets back to health quickly.

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  2. Thanks, the feeding has improved, but she has had another infection. Couldn't get an appointment at the Doctor's on Wednesday and was feeling low and weepy. Husband took her to the urgent care centre at the local hospital, where she got antibiotics and a prescription for the special dressings.
    She came round yesterday,and said she felt like new person. Praise the Lord.

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