Vicki Cockerill - NICU MUM Blog

Getting to grips with his inhaler. Medication We are very fortunate that Elijah has never been on any daily medication or needed any oxygen at home. Other than when he has needed antibiotics, pain relief for illness prescribed by a doctor or hospital. A couple of years ago we were given an inhaler both brown and blue to use when we believe he needed it, this tends to be when he has a nasty chest infection. Now Elijah is nearly 5 he is of an age where he understands that when he has to take medicine or his inhaler it is helping him. He is now also learning about limiting himself if he is tired or ill he knows it is important he rests which is very important for him to learn as he will soon be at school. To begin with, especially in the beginning before his op we couldn't just pop to the shop for Calpol or Nurofen without it being approved by Doc. We even had to get his teething liquid approved by the docs at Great Ormond Street when we were down there! We are lucky, I k...

Surgery scars  Surgery I can literally remember every little detail from Elijah's surgery. Whenever someone asks me about the surgery the first image I have in my mind is him laying in intensive care just an hour out of surgery. The chest drain stitched into his little chest and seeing the blood drain out of him was like something out of a horror film. I remember thinking how small his incision mark really was and to be covered by just a plaster! I can think back and see the ward we were on, the surgeon coming round to draw the arrow on his chest. We watched Mike the Knight, and C Beebies before we went down. My legs were heavy, I wondered if this was it. The last time I would ever see my baby alive. I then had flashes of us going home on our own. I held him as he was put to sleep and then he was taken from me and put on the operating table. I couldn't even kiss him goodbye in case it was for the last time. My legs buckled beneath me and I was carried from the ...