Liam Comes Home

From Priscilla

"""Guess what time it is???? Home time!!! Liam has been doing so well that we are being sent home . Please remember that he is still considered premature and visitors will still be limited to one a day! Sue will be updating my blog so please remember to read it. My rules will be posted along with the blog. Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes.""""

In his capsule ready for home...

From Sue
Liam is already doing so well that the team have decided to let him go home already!

He is still very tiny and his Mom is still recovering so the Specialists at the hospital have asked Will and Priscilla to stick to very limited visits for the time being.

As before would local family and friends please arrange (by phoning Priss) a time to visit and limit your visit to 20-25 minutes as Liam needs to be kept very quiet and not over-stimulated. One visitor per day will welcomed and obviously if you are unwell or have unwell family members please stay at home for now as per these instructions from the Specialist Team

We'll continue to post lots of photos of him and some with Kyra and Megan of course and thank you for your understanding.

If you didn't know already the MRI scan Priss had on Friday shows that her tumour has continued to shrink during her pregnancy...we are elated as you can imagine and are waiting to hear what treatment her oncologists will recommend next.

Much love to the whole wide world from us all
xxxxxx

Liam is Here!!!

I am so very sorry to have taken so long to post this wonderful news...Liam was born at 2.25am on July 19th after a marathon 54 hours labour! He weighed in at 5lbs 1oz which was really good considering he is 5 weeks early because of Priscilla's cancer.
Liam is thriving, nursing fiercely and winning hearts and his Mum has my complete and utter admiration for her strength, courage and maturity...I call her Warrior Queen now!

This is Day 1, Liam spent his first 12 hours on a ventilator, he had x-rays and blood tests too...2 hours old and then 12 hours old after the breathing tubes had been removed. He's a beautiful baby.

On the second or third day he was moved to what Priss calls his "big boy bed" and he was able to breast-feed at last...

These photos are from Monday so he's 3 days old in them...we're deliberately  taking and sharing lots of photos as visitors are strictly restricted, Priss is still recovering and Liam needs to be kept quiet and safe from illness etc...

As he was rather fussy 2 nights the Night Nurse looking after him thought it a good idea to blame Priscilla for his condition...suffice to say she was "told" by Priss and removed from caring for him!

Not long after Liam's birth Priscilla was taken off for an MRI scan of the tumour and we're still awaiting the results of that. Fingers crossed please.

So, a long and stressful week or two for every-one concerned. Liam is here now, very healthy and so much loved by all...can't wait to hold this little Love in my arms for real.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, thought, prayers and messages,
Love from us all
xxxx 

A Message From Priscilla

Priscilla has now been in hospital for 12 hours and her labour is going slowly and gently. As soon as Liam is born we'll let you know but in the meantime it is very important that the strict hospital rules are followed regarding visitors to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, The Ottawa Hospital.
Liam's health is the primary concern here and we beg that you do not try to visit if you are unwell or have been with any-one who is unwell. These tiny babies in the Unit are very vulnerable for their first weeks.
Priscilla is not in the best of health as you know so please let's make this as easy as possible for her.

These are the rules at the Unit...(click on the link)

Will and Priscilla may visit at any time. Kyra and Megan may visit in the afternoons only.

Other visitors only between 3pm and 7pm and ONLY 2 per day may come, they must be accompanied by either parent and go in 1 at a time, for example if 2 people come to visit then they will be taken in one at a time by either Priscilla or Will. Priority will be given to close family at first.

We understand that every-one is very excited to meet Liam and are sorry it may be a while before you can go in. Priscilla asks that you message her to arrange your visit so that she can work out a time-table.
At this time it is not known how long Liam will be in hospital, he will stay in the Unit after Priscilla has been discharged and this will be a very stressful time for the family.

I'm sure Priss and Will will be posting lots of photos of their son and each other on Facebook :)

Thank you in advance for your consideration,
Love from Sue
xxxx

Liam's Birth Is Close

For last 2 weeks Priscilla has been vomiting frequently and when she saw the Paediatric Specialist and high-risk team who will deliver Liam they found that his head is already in the engaged position and that birth is imminent.
Dr. Fiegel even suggested that she may begin labour at any moment now. This doctor has many years of experience and Priscilla likes him very much, she is so fortunate to have him looking after her. He has seen her through the PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) as well as Kyra and Megan's pregnancies. He also was there to deliver Kyra.
He wants to runs a test to see how well Liam's lungs are developed which will affect the treatment he needs at birth...the test is done by taking some amniotic fluid and you can read about that here.

So on Wednesday, July 10th Priscilla will go in at 8am for the sample to be taken and then she has a meeting with the High Risk Team led by Dr Huard who may decide to induce her there and then if they are happy with Liam's lung development.

Needless to say this a very stressful for Priss and Will and their families. They are so excited to be meeting this miracle boy but Priss has a long list of last minute preparations to get through all while being sick and very tired!
This pic was taken on Sunday...

So as always we ask that you keep Priscilla and her baby boy and family in your hearts and prayers, your support has got us this far and we appreciate it so very much.
Perhaps our next blog post we'll have some-one very special for you to meet!
Love from Sue
xxx

Bloglovin'

It seems that to follow this blog come Monday you will need to click on the Follow Me in red print to the right of this page. Google Reader is closing down so come on over with us.

Priscilla is in considerable pain these last few days as baby and tumour press upon her spine. She is unable to sleep much but is taking a warm bath in the middle of the night to ease the pain.
Her doctor's have still not set a date for chemo to recommence or for when Liam will be induced so please hold her very close to your heart.

She took her little girls to the movies this week, Megan's first time...
" We saw the Croods. Was an animated film. Megan was an angel. Kyra not so much lol"

Love from Sue

Week 31 and Things Are Going Well

Just one day at a time and all of sudden we're at 31 weeks and looking forward very much to the arrival of our baby boy.

Priscilla has had a haircut and got sun-burned at the Zoo this weekend; we're hoping that the next few weeks go just as smoothly as the time so far.
Priss has also been busy cooking and caring for her family....this looks delicious...

Recipe for Lemon and Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound trimmed green beans
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin, about 3 1/4 pounds)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

Oh it's coming soon.

Saw gynaecologist today and all is well :) baby L is growing very well and he is lodged head down, ready for take-off lol. Seeing him again in 3 weeks. He is contacting high risk unit as well as paediatrician to make sure all goes smoothly and that baby is ready, and that everything will be handled properly. We will probably have one more ultrasound and schedule delivery between 34-36 weeks. (Mid to end July). He wants to make sure baby won't be hospitalized for more than a month. Almost there, I'm feelin excited to finally meet him but also terrified because I know that I'm going to have to start chemo again and my life will become very hectic. So we will meet Mr. Miracle in 5-7 weeks. :) Thank you for all your prayers and well wishes as this pregnancy has gone a lot better than predicted. Doctors expected me to be bed-ridden by 20 weeks, I'm 29 and counting and still doing well. Can go for short walks once in a while still. Although I sleep a lot lol. Have gained 17 lbs so far which is great ;) Doctor is happy with the weight gain which was also a concern at the beginning.

Have a great day everyone
Xox
Priscilla.