Sunday 27th April

I'm getting really lazy these days with kadens blog - although saying that sometimes its finding the time!Kaden is really clingy these days and i cant get any household chores done(good excuse!!)As soon as i move out of the room or put him in his bouncer he cries.We had a follow up appointment at the hospital on Wednesday and Kadens upto 15lbs13oz.He put on over a 1lb in 2 weeks which is the most hes ever put on - the dietition had told me to increase his feed,so i guess thats helped.Kaden gets 3 x 80ml bolus feeds a day and 50ml x 12hours overnight so overall he gets 840mls a day.Also the surgeon and the dietition said i have to push his oral feeding more - which i am trying(some days are better than others.)Kaden has got some granulation tissue appearing which the doctor isn't concerned about.We dont have to see the surgeon until July,and we have the physio in May and the respiritory doctor in June.Today we are having a lazy day the sun is shining and we are just lazing around the garden.He is a picture of Kaden today in the garden.

Thursday 17th April

Kaden was at the hospital yesterday getting his button and granulation tissue checked.Last week the doctor gave me vasilene and silver nitrate home with me to burn off kadens granulation tissue which i had to do for a week.The doctor was pleased with the site where the granulation tissue was as it had decreased and he told me to stop using the silver nitrate.Because they had fitted the button when Kaden had the granulation tissue it meant the button was too loose so they replaced his botton with a smaller one -2.0.Our next appointment is next Wednesday.

The weekend

Kadens been really good this weekend.feeding him by the button he just lies there,unlike the g tube he used to whine continualy.Maybe with the gastrostomy he had before it was in his stomach further and was uncomfortable - who knows?But so far so good with this new button,the only gripe i have is when you have to run the milk through the tube before conecting it to his button as its not easy doing it all with 1 pair of hands - holding the syringe on the end of the tube and holding the connecter and pouring the milk in the syringe and running it through the pipe til it gets to the bottom of the pipe and closing the pipe off in time before all the milk runs out the end!You have to run the milk through 1st to save Kaden getting a tube full of air before he gets his milk.Once we ve mastered the 1st part its the connecting the tube to his button with a syringe with milk in thats no so easy either - but once connected its alot more secure i find than the g-tube,and if he whines i can shut off the connecter and the milk doesn't come back up the tube.I suppose it'll just take time to get used to the change in feeding but overall i think its going to be easier.Here's some pics of Kaden this weekend

Saturday 12th April

Kadens had a busy week with attending hospital.He had a Neo- Natal check up on Thursday to check his progress.Kadens weight is now 14lbs 10oz and his length is 68.1c.m.Overall the doctor said he was a bit concerned kaden hadn't grown too much and his head size seemed the same,but generally he had done well overall with all the hurdles he's faced so far in life.He said he would keep an eye on Kadens height and hopefully it will sort its self out.The doctor was South African and said he had just returned to South Africa when kaden was born but he had heard all about him over the phone and he said he was glad he finally got to meet him.He also said he does a study on CDH babies and Kaden has come on really well as far as his respiritory goes.He listened to his chest and said he has no breathing issues at all- which is a relief.When we were at the hospital we also met up with a friend how had a baby at the same time as Kaden and was born at 2lbs.It was great to see how well she had done and how shes grown.Talia his friend is now upto 13lbs 15oz!Shes not far behind kaden weight wise!!We also met a lady i know who had triplets at 28 weeks,they were there at the chest clinic and its amazing to see how well they are doing and there turning 3 in June.Heres Kaden at the hospital in the waiting area.And also a picture of Kadens new button.

My 1st tooth

I almost forgot with our hectic day, to mention - Kadens 1st tooth popped through today!!When we were at the hospital the nurse mentioned,do isee a tooth there.But Kaden wasn't too happy at the time so i forgot all about it till we got home.And when he was lying on the bed and i was changing him and getting his feeds sorted out i noticed a little white tooth popping through his bottom gum.No wonder my poor boy has been unsettled and slivering all the time!!So what started off as a bad day only got better!!

Wednesday 9th April

Back home from our holidays on Monday after having a real relaxing break!Kaden loved the heat and seemed to cope really well.The weather since we got home has been raining,sleet and really depressing.Last night Kaden was unsettled during the night and woke up twice,so at 3.30a.m i decided to take him in to our bed.Around 6.15a.m kadens machine bleeped to go off so i switched it off with the idea of feeding him again around 1 1/2hours later.We fell back asleep and woke around 8.30a.m and i went to change his nappy to find his gastrostomy tube had came out!I couldn't believe it.And it looked to me as if it had closed up!!With that the hospital had called to confirm i was going up for them to have a look at his granulation tissue - and all i could do was cry to our nurse about his tube coming out and looking as if it had closed up.She told me to wrap him up and head for the hospital.I got Kaden ready and headed off to the hospital dreading the outcome(i was terrified he'd have to get an anesthetic to get another one put in).When i got to the hospital i headed for the surgical ward where the nurse was waiting for us and she took us to the treatment room.The plan was to try to put another tube back in without having to go to theatre.Luckily the nurse managed 1st time with a smaller tube than he'd had in but it was really just to keep the hole open.Once the tube was in she said she was going to measure Kaden for a button.She removed the tube and inserted a botton to measure the size Kaden needed and replaced Kadens gastrostomy with a button.(All babies are different as far as the amount of fat they have so this depends on the size of button needed.)Kaden also has alot of granulation tissue which needs to be burnt off-so today the doctor showed me how to do it and gave me some silver nitrate sticks home to use on it every day for a week,then next Wednesday we have to go back and see how things are.We also have the low birthweight clinic tommorrow at the hospital so it will be interesting to see how heavy Kaden is these days!?Here's kaden having a snooze at lunchtime today after all the commotion.

Kadens 1st holiday