Bringing Kya Home

10th July 2018 was one of the best days of my life so far; The day my little girl came home 90 days after being born.

I'm sure people would have assumed the day I gave birth would make me feel that way but no. Honestly, having the baby so early and her staying in hospital I didn't really feel like a mum.

Kya had a range of milestones she had to reach before being discharged and the day couldn't have come any sooner. She was still on oxygen a few days before discharge as well as playing up with her feeds. Yet somehow she overcame the last few milestones for four days straight and with a healthy weight she was discharged home.

Out of excitement, everything was ready for Kya from the beginning of the year yet it was so nerve wracking to wrap our heads around her arrival. She had been looked after  by health professionals who had been doing the job for 20+ years! We kept asking ourselves whether we would be enough. There was a nurse that told me love would look after Kya and it didn't make sense, until it did.

The way we held her, kept our eyes on her and fed her all came naturally, well as natural as it could. Before then, I never had so many sleepless nights, and I was worried I wouldn't wake up on time but to my surprise sleep became 3/4 hour naps, naturally. As she was so small she didn't cry, just slept all day. Without a cry for a feed or nappy change or even a hug it was best to stick to the routine she was on at the hospital till she got bigger. Sticking to the routine meant sanitising our hands before contact for us and for all who came to visit as well as not picking her up unless we had to carry out care - which was always a nappy change and a feed to minimise how often she was handled. It was hard at first explaining to people (strangers) she can't be touched and fussed over etc but after saying she was premature people seemed to understand and admire from a distance.

As the weeks went on I started getting into the routine of having Kya home, her care, medication and the weekly appointments. Constant visits from the neonatal home team helped greatly too.

All in all it was (and still is) amazing for Kya to be home. Away from all the hospital alarms and other stuff and in her own environment. Wearing her clothes, looked after by her parents and just being smothered in love 24/7. The nurse was right.

T x