So my main mischief maker is turning 8 today!
8 years ago today – 22 Jan – it was a public holiday here in
In the end the on-call specialist decided that with markedly hyperactive, a big BP jump despite the fact it wasn’t high high, the swelling I had and other signs – that in fact I did have pre-e, that my kidneys and liver were starting to fail despite the standard blood tests still being okay – and that I needed another emergency c-section.
N arrived at 8:29pm at 36 + 3 days and weighing 5lb 12 oz and wound up doing 3 ½ days in the NICU and most of that on CPAP.
He did battle with reflux, eating problems, failure to thrive and some developmental delay.
He’s had at least 2 good dices with death – when he was 6 months old and had a really bad bout of croup and chest infection. He was in the ICU and nearly had to be vented. They said when we brought him in he was indrawing so badly that his breastbone was touching his spine. He was so exhausted but would not give in, relax or sleep – he was totally focussed on breathing and staying alive! He had 8 days in hospital and 6 of them on oxygen.
Then when he was 3 he slipped off a rail he’d been swinging on and fell about 4 ft – head first onto concrete. When I rolled him over there was a dent in his forehead but that soon rose into a massive egg! Despite getting the all clear from the GP that afternoon he slipped into a delayed concussion that night and was so unconscious that even the ambulance officers couldn’t wake him. He came round in the ambulance and stunned the docs at the hospital by announcing that his name was N (full name) and his birthday was in January!
He had a lucky escape that time – although suffered double vision, headaches and forgetting well known words (like colours) for about 3 months after the fall.
These days – he is an amazing kid, amazing great and amazing frustrating!
Reflux was finally resolved when he was nearly 7 with a nissen although we still struggle greatly with eating and weight gain.
His ADHD was diagnosed at about 6 ½ and medication has made a big difference to him and all our daily lives although we still struggle with behavioural aspects.
As I said to P a few weeks ago N is one of those people with the strength, energy, drive, determination, intelligence, inquiry – and impulsivity – to change the world we live in. He is going to be a mastermind evil genius or one of those figures who stride across the world stage in some form or other. We unleashed him on the world so it’s our job now to leash him in just enough to keep him on the good side! It’s going to be a bumpy ride – but boy, you can never say life with N is boring!!
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