Day 11

Ash was doing so well with his feeds that they've moved him to larger feeds (28mls) every 3hrs. He also was very warm in the afternoon so they've turned down the temperature in his matress - if he keeps going like this he'll soon be in a regular open cot. I got a lovely long kangaroo cuddle again and every day he has a go at breastfeeding, though he's not going so well at that now, getting at most 3 or 4 sucks in a row only. He still did get some milk from this as when they aspirated his stomach straight afterwards there was some milk there. At this stage the feeding is more about him practising till he's a little bigger and can feed longer without tiring - and we don't want him to expel too much energy feeding when he needs it all for growing.

We have been amazed and really touched by all the support we've been getting from those around us. We've been provided with a steady stream of delicious meals from my mum, mum's friend, my sister, my friend Ains, and my sisters bible study group - it's such a help not to have to worry about grocery shopping and cooking! We were sent some little gowns with gorgeous fabrics for him to wear in hospital instead of the floral oversized ones and others have been getting tiny clothes for him too. I had snacks and drinks and all sorts of other personal items brought into me when I was in hospital and our neighbours have even been mowing our lawns and taking out our garbage bins for us. My mum has given so much of her time looking after our boys during the day, including school pick-ups and taking them to their regular activities like swimming and dance, plus a whole lot of extra's - parks, the river, and visiting to name a few! She also baths them each night. All this support has made this time so much easier and we are so overwhelmed by the amount of people ready to help and those who care so much about our baby boy.