2bliss

Good morning all No news yet for today, just an update on donations received. Two more anonymous deposits of R500 each have been made, bringing the total up to R 11 250. Thank you so much! Every time I say it, it just seems so inadequate. We are truly thankful an humbled by the generosity of Hubbers. EDIT: Health update Bunny's paediatrician is on leave and his stand-in does rounds so early, that her parents don't get to see him. They've not yet been able to discuss test results, because the nursing staff are not allowed to. They do know that her IV has been removed and sent for cultures AGAIN and milk intake has been increased to 19 ml / hour.

Thank you. I will tell them. "Rollercoaster" is an apt description. The poor little peanut really is fighting so hard.

Karmi's red blood count is very low again. This is recurring way too frequently. They will be doing more tests to try and find a reason. Amongst other things, they will be doing another brain scan to be sure the bleeding there has not returned. At least the hole in her heart is now just 1mm in diameter.

Okay, they are trying again - a bit complicated. High-flow oxygen via nasal tubes, but connected to the CPAP machine. If she runs into trouble it will be easier to switch to full CPAP again. At last we can really get a good look at her cute little face. Even a preemie pacifier looks HUGE!!!

Good morning everyone Not much to report. Bunny just does not want to be weaned off the oxygen machines - currently CPAP 23% is as low as they can go before running into trouble. With milk increase from 17 to 18 ml / hour she is no longer digesting it properly, so they are holding steady for now. Oh, the feeding tube has been moved to her nose now that she is "big" enough.

Update time! Bunny is just not coping with decreased oxygen flow - it has been set back up to 25% and now her sats and colour are good again. She is now getting milk at a rate of 18 ml / hour and her weight has increased to 1.2kg. Again, we are grateful for more good news than bad

No news is good news, right? Not much change today, so "Bunny" is stable. Milk has been increased to 17 ml / hour and oxygen flow decreased to 21%. Tomorrow we will find out how her heart is doing. A new problem has been identified and she now needs the regular care of an ophthalmologist to take care of her eyes to limit vision loss (not covered by medical aid at all - thanks Discovery!). It has just occurred to me that I've not really explained adequately why people with a hospital plan are asking for financial aid. Yes, the specialists ask way more than the approved rate, some medicines are not covered, some treatments and tests are not covered at all and they are renting an apartment near the hospital, but there is another reason. Karmi's mum's maternity leave started the day the twins were born at 28 weeks. By the time Karmi gets discharged, mum will have to go back to work or take unpaid leave. The latter is really the only option, because mum and baby will not yet have had time to bond properly and a preemie is more susceptible to even the most common infections - daycare could be dangerous to the health of a baby smaller than a regular newborn.

And yet another anonymous donation! Thank you, unknown benefactor! We are now at R 10 250. Like Letum911 also said in his thread, I am proud to be a Hubber!

For sure! I also plan to show her parents this thread once she has been discharged from hospital and has fat little baby cheeks. I tell them regularly that there is a lot of support from Hubland, but reading the whole thread right now might be a bit much for them.

Yet another anonymous donation! I am speechless and truly touched by the support everyone has shown. Thank you! The total collected, thus far, towards Karmi's expenses is R 10 150. We have also received much needed baby goods and it looks like TheEmptyBidon may just have found a buyer for the twin travel system. Then there are the countless prayers and kind wishes that mean so much. Thank you to each and every one of you. I was thinking today of how much fun it would be to dig up this thread, two years from now, to post a picture of Karmi with her first balance bike. Little Miss Mini-Hubber

Good day, all Karmi's nickname will just have to be "Bunny", because the little fighter keeps bouncing back regardless the setbacks After a blood transfusion during the night, she is now much more active. She is off mechanical ventilation, on CPAP at 22% oxygen and oxygenating well. The infection is gone and the brain bleed has resolved spontaneously. She is obviously doing MUCH better than yesterday

Dear SpecialK, They will indeed welcome preemie and tiny baby girl clothes, thank you! These clothes are typically worn for such a short period that they are basically new anyway

Three more anonymous donations were made today. A huge thank you to you all! Things are grim right now, but we are holding onto hope and finding strength in the support so selflessly given by others. Thank you for all messages of support and encouragement.

Hubbers, please pray for Karmi. Things are bad. Back on mechanical ventilator. It seems the milk aspiration did more harm than they originally thought. Another blood transfusion too. This picture was taken before the crisis when she was on high-flow oxygen.

All true. At this stage she is too small, tires quickly and then her vitals become unstable.

We have just had a huge scare!!! Either the feeding tube was not inserted deep enough or Karmi pulled it out herself. She aspirated milk and both blood oxygen and heart rate dropped dramatically. Thankfully they were able to stabilise her. Now we just have to hope and pray that the aspiration does not cause pneumonia again.

I've been told it is quite the mission to get the little peanut out of her incubator with all those wires and tubes, but it must have been SO worth it!

Another anonymous donation was made. Ref: "Bikehub bydrae". I cannot send a pm, but feel strongly that every contributor must be thanked. You know who you are and what you also need to know is that we are very grateful. Thank you!

Well, not much to report and that is great! Today is her 4 week "birthday" and we have been celebrating the little miss' tenacity. The infection is all but gone and a blood transfusion, though imminent, was not necessary today. The best part: her mother could hold her for a little while. Today was the best one yet. Go Karmi!

Today's update: At last, Karmi is no longer on mechanical ventilation. Her breathing is being assisted by CPAP. Her milk intake has been increased from 12 ml / hour to 15 ml / hour and she is no longer getting intravenous feeding supplement. Weight is up to 1.15kg. Another blood transfusion will be done tomorrow or the day after as she is still not producing her own blood cells. Overall, more good news than bad

My dear friend, you are the most kind and caring gentleman I know. Words can never express my gratitude.

Baby steps A preemie born at 28 weeks is incredibly small and underdeveloped. Karmi, as a twin, even more so. Not to mention a very traumatic birth. Complications are to be expected. She is fighting for life with determination and there is more progress than there are setbacks. We are grateful for every sign of improvement.

Update from the doctor: They tried yesterday to change her "Darth Vader" oxygen machine to the smaller oxygen machine, but Karmi could not quite cope and had to be put back. She is however responding well to the antibiotics. There is still a bit of infection and her red blood cell count is just within the boundaries of what is considered ok, so she might need another blood transfusion by Wednesday. The central line is also showing a minor sign of infection yet again and another swop will be done tomorrow. The doctor is impressed by her crying. She has found her voice.

To the anonymous donor who has just deposited R2000: you made me cry at work! Seriously though, thank you so very much. I've sent personal messages to all other contributors, but can't contact you. Therefore, I would just like to express our sincere gratitude for your part in helping Karmi. 2Bliss

Ready for yet more good news??? Karmi now weighs 1.1kg! They are readying her for transfer from the mechanical ventilator. She is finishing up her last bag of parenteral cocktail (IV food), as her little tummy is now successfully digesting enough milk (13 ml per hour) for growth. They are still waiting for the culture results, chest X-rays to see how pneumonia is clearing, scans to check on the brain bleed and to see if the hole in her heart has closed yet. I really do hope there are no more big scares from now on!