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More good news! Karmi is stable now with 24% oxygen. They are slowly and carefully trying to wean her off the mechanical ventilator. Seems as though that tiny body is kicking some pneumonia butt! EDIT: PS: The price of the Graco twin travel system has been reduced from R6000 to R5000. It is in Fourways, Gauteng.

Thank you very much! Congratulations on the upcoming birth of your first born. May he/she bring you a lot of joy

Today is the baby shower. The twins were born before the date it was originally planned for. Let's hope Karmi gets some much needed items as gifts and that the distraction will help mom relax for a short while. EDIT: Thoughts with her dad as he is on cribside duty alone today.

Good news: Karmi is slowly stabilising. This afternoon her mother applied some Vaseline to baby's chapped lips. The cheeky little monkey promptly tried to rub it off rather irritably

Great idea! I'll search for such a group in the Fourways (Gauteng) area.

Karmi's mother: (I'm sorry, this is in Afrikaans and I don't really know how to translate it due to the element of poetry.) "My hart ry wipplank. Vandag is ons harte in die hemel, waar sterre bollemakiesies slaan, daar speel ons met ons hemelkind Albertus. Net om weer minute later langs sussie Karmi se ICU plastiekhokkie te staan en soebat by die Here. Soebat dat God haar asb vir ons aardse bestaan moet spaar. My Karmi vegter, met haar 1kg lyfie, moet nou longontsteking baklei, sy is terug op 'Darth Vader' suurstof masjien en hooflyn drippie moes gister deur 'n sjirurg se kennerhand van links na regs geskuif word. Hul probeer nog infeksie-kiem vasstel. Ons bly biddend en loof ons hemelse pa vir die magdom ondersteuning. Vreemdelinge, vriende, familie en sommer net die sekuriteitswag by die ICU deur. Almal bid vir Karmi. Elke intreding vir haar en ons dra ons dag en nag. Dankie is te klein. Ek sing gereeld vir Karmi: 'Karmi is nie 'n stap soldaatjie nie... Karmi is Jesus se soldaatjie, ja meneer.'"

ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ ᴧ This

Thank you so very much! Every donation helps a lot and means a lot. Karmi's parents are so astounded and touched that strangers could care so much. I think that knowledge is part of what keeps them going.

Thank you, Uni. I did not know about this platform. Will definitely set up a campaign there. Luckily her parents have a hospital plan at least, but as we all know, specialists charge way more that the rate approved by medical aid companies. If all goes well, Karmi will be in hospital until mid- to late October with daily visits from her paediatrician. You can imagine what that will amount to. Her father has his own one-man business, but needs to take time off to be near his baby girl. They are renting a small bachelor's flat near the hospital. It all adds up. And then there was also the funeral... EDIT: Seems as though the GoFundMeSA site is not yet operational (see screenshot).

After being born via emergency C-section at 28 weeks gestational age, Karmi has now been fighting for life for three weeks. At birth, she was smaller than most premature babies of that age, as twins always are. I honestly believe that few adults would have survived what she has been through to date: - Resuscitated 3 times - Underdeveloped lungs - Hole in her heart - Respiratory distress syndrome requiring surfactants and ventilation to ensure oxygenation and to prevent lung collapse - Anemia and multiple blood transfusions (due to all the blood tests and her little body not being able to produce red blood cells at a normal rate) - Infection of her central venous line (a large IV necessary to deliver additional nutrition as well as medication) - Pneumonia This is where we stand now. The pneumonia is currently the most serious problem. Will update.

Update: Little one has pneumonia. They have successfully moved her IV and are treating with antibiotics. Unfortunately, they have to wait 3-5 days for the results of the cultures to be sure that they are treating with the right type of antibiotics.

Donations to date: Please see image Still needed: - Some more Huggies Preemie nappies - Avent breastmilk storage bags (using A LOT of these) Financial contributions (total): R300 R600 R1460 R2000 R2100 R4100 R6600 R7100 R8150 R10 150 R10 250 R11 250 R11 750 R12 750 Thank you SO much to those who have donated, sent messages of support and are thinking of this baby and her parents in time of crisis. EDIT: Financial contributions

Karmi has a serious infection! It was caused by her central venous line which will have to be removed now. Cultures will reveal what the course of treatment should be. A temporary line in a hand or foot will be placed for the additional feeding and medication she needs. (OMG, those tiny little veins!) Another large line will be placed surgically as soon as she is stable enough.

What a wonderful thing to do for babies she doesn't even know! Well, it seems the roller-coaster still hasn't stopped. This morning she was stable, now Karmi is fighting an infection. Things can change so quickly with preemies this small. Please keep sending the good vibes her way...

Dear TheJ, my bad! Any financial help can be deposited in the following account: N. Stieger FNB cheque/current account 551 511 83 817 250 655 Thank you again. Everyone is so kind and encouraging.

Mum has agreed to share some pictures with all you beautiful people. This is baby Karmi.

You guys are awesome! All your prayers and good karma are working. Lung function has improved. No infection. Feeding has been increased to 9 ml milk per hour. Baby K is more active overall too. She is a teeny 1 kg miracle. Thank you also for the donations received thus far.

AFAIK they are already renting a small furnished studio apartment. Not sure what the terms are with regards to termination of lease.

Two steps forward and one step back: collapsed lung

The little one received a blood transfusion during the night and her colour is better. She is still on the mechanical ventilator though. A tiny step in the right direction for which we are grateful. Dear Hubbers, I am well aware that most of you do not know me from Adam, but BogusOne, WR 1.0 and SilverRider can vouch for this cause. If you are wondering why I'm not naming the parents or posting pictures, it is because they wish to remain anonymous and not have their pain and anguish splashed across the internet. However, expenses are piling up and I'm asking, please, if any of you are in a position to donate any of the following items, it would be very much appreciated: - Huggies Preemie nappies (the only brand they've found to be adjustable enough to fit); - Avent breastmilk storage bags; - Baby wipes for sensitive skin; - Bum cream; - Baby top to toe wash; - Baby aqueous cream; and - Any financial contribution, however small, will help with the rent of a small apartment close to the hospital. I know this is asking a lot, but please help.

Update: Baby girl's O2 sats dropped. Back on ventilator from high-flow O2. Either has an infection or her red blood cells are depleted for some reason. A scan also revealed a Grade 1 brain bleed. Tests under way, but she is in critical condition. Oh please, she cannot die too.

Thank you all for your wonderful support. Please pray for and think of this family. The little one is struggling today.

Thank you to all for your kind wishes.

Thank you! I did not know about that group.

Dear hubbers, I am well aware that this is not the place to advertise items for sale but, given the circumstances, I was hoping that you could help find a buyer for a twin travel system (items in the "Other" section don't get viewed much). Admin, could you please allow this one? Friends of mine were expecting twins, but the babies arrived at 28 weeks. The little boy did not survive. The parents need to sell the Graco twin stroller / car seat system. With medical expenses piling up they cannot just throw it out, even though it breaks their hearts to see it in their home. Please see the ad for more info: https://www.bikehub.co.za/classifieds/262089-travel-system-for-twins-immaculate/ Thank you for reading this. (The travel system is in Fourways, Gauteng. The price has been reduced from R6000 to R5000.) Edit 1: Title changed. Please see page 2. The family are also in need of preemie necessities. - Huggies Preemie nappies (the only brand they've found to be adjustable enough to fit); - Avent breastmilk storage bags (using A LOT of these); - Baby wipes for sensitive skin; - Bum cream; - Baby top to toe wash; and - Baby aqueous cream. If any of these items are ordered online from Dischem, they can be collected from a physical store with no shipping charge. (Please PM me for contact details as I cannot post my cell number here.) Edit 2: Alternatively, any financial contributions will be very much appreciated. N. Stieger FNB cheque/current account 551 511 83 817 250 655 EDIT 3: Removed the items of which little Karmi has enough of for now - thank you to the kind people who donated it! EDIT 4: Price reduction of Graco twin travel system. EDIT 5: Thank you, TheEmptyBidon, for finding a buyer for the travel system! Thank you for the contributions to date, your support and many kind messages.