Nix holds Abby for the first time

Thank you so much again for the concern, support, messages and prayer from across the country and the world for Abigail. It’s now 2pm on Friday and I’ll be going in to see Nix and Abby this afternoon, but this may be my only chance to update people today so here’s the latest.

We spoke to a consultant paediatrician yesterday evening on his ward round after examining Abigail. After not fitting for some 24 hours she began fitting mildly again yesterday, although these were not as severe (more of a ‘twitching’) and the oxygen saturation in her blood is now not dropping when she fits, whereas it was before. This means that further damage to the brain due to lack of oxygen should not occur.

When asked for further updates on things like reducing medication, discharge from SCBU, feeding, and long and short term prognosis, the consultant said that we still have to take each day as it comes. He reiterated that there was nothing in her notes or progress since birth that gave doctors cause for concern on her life, but that the two main areas of focus now were stopping the fitting and finding the cause for the fitting. The fitting is merely a symptom of a deeper cause, and it’s that that the doctors want to discover although they have admitted that the true cause may never be known.

Another ultrasound of Abby’s brain today revealed that all appears to be well superficially and some of the swelling has receded. There will almost certainly be an MRI scan of the deeper structures of the brain performed in a few weeks time to check for structural abnormalities. Curiously, the consultant said that although there had definitely been a low blood supply to Abby through the umbilical cord before birth (this was picked up on an ultrasound before the caesarean), pH levels in the blood sample taken from the cord after birth indicated that there had not been oxygen supply shortage to her before birth. In short, doctors are currently at a loss to explain the reason behind the distress, the lack of movement in the womb and now the fitting. More tests are to be done.

Nix was very emotional yesterday and I am not much better, but the love, concern and prayers for so many people really have been an enormous boost for all of us. Earlier today Nix was able to hold Abigail outside of the incubator which is obviously an important moment for both of them, although Abby did fit mildly in her arms. It looks as though the hospital are suggesting this coming Sunday as a possible date for Nix to come home – we are going to play it by ear right up to then. Regular visits to the hospital will be all the more difficult once we are further away and have to bring the children too.

The was some concern over swelling in Nix’s legs and feet that could have suggested possible deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) but I have just spoken to Nix and after spending two hours in ultrasound (and missing her lunch!) there appears to be no cause for alarm.