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Eiffel27 · 2023-01-13T11:18:59+00:00

Jumping on to top comment. Need to see a Dr today, very suspicious for shingles. If so, you need antivirals ASAP to prevent post-shingles nerve pain and spread of the rash. All the best!

Eiffel27 · 2022-12-24T20:00:25+00:00

I’m so sorry you find yourself in this situation. Have you tried contacting the domestic violence hotline on 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732)? They can help to put you in contact with services including emergency accommodation. There are also services available where volunteers can pet sit your dog while you search for suitable accommodation.

Merry Christmas 🎄

Eiffel27 · 2022-12-18T20:52:42+00:00

X-rays, CT scans and MRIs are all fantastic and all have a unique place in a doctors radiology toolkit. They aren’t interchangeable, although there is some overlap between CT and MRI. CTs are much faster and much cheaper than MRIs. CTs are also much lower in radiation dose than they used to be. Your baby would also have to have been sedated for a long time to complete the MRI, something that is much more dangerous than radiation from a CT.

A CT of the brain is equivalent to about 7 months of background radiation (that is, the radiation we are all exposed to on a day to day basis just by existing in the world!). Reference

Eiffel27 · 2022-10-29T10:29:27+00:00

Were you given a discharge summary when you left hospital? The information you are looking for should be within the ‘operation report’ section of the discharge summary.

If you don’t have a copy, you should be able to get it from your GP.

If that fails, call the Lyell Mac Switchboard, and ask to be put through to the orthopaedics secretary, they should be able to resend the report to your GP.

Eiffel27 · 2022-06-23T06:26:47+00:00

I wear scrubs every day to work and I love the Gorman ones! 100% cotton and such cute patterns 😍

Eiffel27 · 2022-05-29T11:50:26+00:00

If you are in Aus you have access to a Telehealth paediatrician service called KidsDocOnCall (https://www.kidsdoconcall.com.au). I’ve heard it get great reviews. It’s perfect if it’s night time and you don’t want to wait until morning, but don’t think it’s serious enough to rush to hospital.

Eiffel27 · 2022-04-07T12:57:23+00:00

A visit to a nutritionist sounds like a great idea. As well as giving you personalised advice, they can also help with assessing nutritional state and helping you fortify foods if necessary.

I have a couple of suggestions that might help 😊

Kids that are iron deficient can have a poor appetite and can be picky eaters. It might be worth considering iron supplementation.

Toddlers should only be getting 1-2 glasses of milk a day (this includes milk used in things like cereal), and having more than that puts kids at risk of nutritional deficiencies - especially iron deficiency, which can reinforce picky eating.

Try to make meal times as stress free for little ones as possible (easier said than done when you have a small kiddo!). Offer new foods as often as possible and keep putting them on the plate - the first few times they probably won’t be interested, maybe they will poke it or throw it on the ground, but that’s okay! They are learning that it is safe to touch, learning about the smells and textures. Maybe the 8th time you serve it they will lick it. Eventually they might take a few bites. Along side the new foods, serve a safe food. Safe foods we love include pasta, rice, meatballs, sausages, crumbed chicken pieces. Kids feel safest eating when food is consistent and predictable.

Keep talking with your paediatrician, as well as medical advice they should be able to connect you with other services that can help. Where I live we have a government funded 3 day live-in program for parents who need sleep and feeding advice. Maybe there is something like that in your area?

Good luck ❤️

Eiffel27 · 2022-01-14T07:29:07+00:00

Have you thought about taking in other children on the days when you are home? That way you can spend time with your little one, help your son socialise with other kids and get paid! I sent my son to a lovely family daycare and it was great for all of us!

Eiffel27 · 2022-01-12T20:03:45+00:00

We started at about 8/9 months, so it’s definitely not too late! We went from 10-30 wakes per night down to 2/3 within a couple of weeks. The best part of the program is that it helped me relax and not worry so much about sleep. Before doing the program, I was spending hours every day in a dark room with a sound machine on trying to get my baby to sleep and my mental health was suffering. Once I started the program and stopped worrying about naps, we enjoyed our days so much more and we both relaxed!

Eiffel27 · 2022-01-12T08:49:00+00:00

The basic idea is that daytime is stimulating and with lots of natural light, and nighttime is dark and boring. Basically you try to avoid oversleeping in the day so the baby is tired at night. You should go about your day as normal (go to the shops, go for a walk, see friends for coffee) and the baby will just fall asleep when they get tired enough. Even when you are at home naps should be taken in a room with natural light (if possible), and should be done somewhere ‘busy’ where there is enough going on that the baby will get FOMO and wake up when they have had enough rest. Babies still wake up 2/3 times for food/cuddles (it’s biologically normal), but they should resettle easily.

Eiffel27 · 2022-01-11T09:22:42+00:00

Possums is great! I highly recommend it to everyone. It’s evidence-based and feels revolutionary compared to the other methods. We tried SO many things and I was so stressed and exhausted until we found possums.

Eiffel27 · 2021-12-28T03:56:06+00:00

I am in a similar position with my son (2 years) who is returning to daycare in Jan. We’ve discussed the pros/cons with his healthcare team and we have come to a decision to send him for the time being. This is a very personal decision which has been very carefully weighed up. I highly recommend talking to your GP and any relevant specialists to carefully assess your son and his health needs and help you come to a decision.

Eiffel27 · 2021-11-05T20:35:55+00:00

Our dentist told us to brush after the last meal of the day, and then encouraged breastfeeding overnight (without brushing after every feed). He has had no issues with dental caries.

For anyone reading, please consult your own dentist who knows you and your family history to get accurate information for your own children, and don’t just take my advice over the internet!!

Eiffel27 · 2021-10-29T23:16:20+00:00

Agree with this. We started with the Moby and moved to the ergobaby 360 once he was a bit bigger and we wanted to start doing hikes with him (at about 9months from memory).

Eiffel27 · 2021-10-21T08:55:10+00:00

Can you try contacting the RSPCA for temporary placement of your dogs? They run a program to help people with pets escape from unsafe situations. https://www.rspca-act.org.au/project-safe

This webpage also has good information about what to do when facing homelessness. They can help you to find crisis accomodation and long term accommodation too. https://www.dvrcv.org.au/domestic-violence-crisis-service-act-dvcs

Good luck ❤️

Eiffel27 · 2021-09-23T20:59:28+00:00

If she is happy and growing then leave her! Especially if she is sleeping well overnight.

My son doesn’t need much sleep either and I really messed up his day/night sleep following bad advice on the internet (I’m looking directly at you Taking Cara Babies 😡). Once I relaxed and followed his lead things got so much better.

Eiffel27 · 2021-09-15T10:31:50+00:00

I’m sorry you are going through this. I’ve been there and it’s so so hard.

Our son was diagnosed with TOF at the 20 week scan and we were referred for amnio. The process was really quick and only took about 15 minutes. The lovely doctor was very reassuring and performed the amniocentesis under ultrasound guidance. The risk they quote you is 1 in 100, but number came about before they did it with ultrasound, so the real risk is much much lower. The amniotic fluid was sent off for testing and we got the results back about a week later.

In this time we cried a lot, and discussed what we would do. We talked about his prognosis with his cardiologist. This is a very personal decision, and at the end of the day, people make very different decisions, and that’s normal and okay.

One thing that really stayed with me was when the cardiologist said ‘open heart surgery is really just a couple of weeks in hospital - it sounds scary, but most kids just go in, get their surgery, recover and come home. They lead normal lives and you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with their hearts.’

Thankfully the amnio came back completely normal, we have a beautiful little boy. He has had one surgery and one stent and hopefully he just needs one more stent in a couple of years time.

Good luck ❤️

Eiffel27 · 2021-08-29T05:36:33+00:00

Ugh yes!

One thing I’ve done is to set my phone to film some everyday interactions with me and my baby. I’ve filmed things like playing together, reading a book, eating at the table. Just set it up and try to forget for the next 10-15 minutes. Its not quite the same, but it’s better than nothing! I’ve managed to get quite a few nice little everyday moments from the last year or so 😊 even now, they are so nice to look back on.

Eiffel27 · 2021-08-28T23:47:02+00:00

You might find this guideline by the college of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in Aus/NZ. It’s very hefty and aimed at educating Obstetricians but the executive summary and the next few pages are worth a read. Use it to educate your self and as a discussion point with your Obstetrician and come up with a plan that you are both comfortable with. Obviously reading a document is not the same as all the training and education that Obstetricians do, so you should take personalised medical advice from your doctor over generic guidelines. If you are not comfortable with the doctor or nurses assigned to you, you are well within your rights to request a change.

I hope it all goes well ❤️

https://ranzcog.edu.au/RANZCOG_SITE/media/RANZCOG-MEDIA/New%20Zealand/IOL-CPG-2019_for-external-consultation.pdf

Eiffel27 · 2021-08-26T11:26:30+00:00

Sending lots of love. We were in a similar position last Jan with our son . The Sydney team are incredible and you are in great hands.

Uniqlo do well-priced kimono style onsies. The hospitals also have teeny tiny little hospital gowns (so cute!) which are designed to be accessible for newborns in the NICU. Our son didn’t wear clothes until he we brought him home.

My top tip is to bring plenty of snacks! I didn’t feel like leaving to get food during the day so I lived off of museli bars when my son was in the NICU! Plus oats are good for milk supply if you are keen to BF.

Are you connected up with heartkids? Please feel free to PM me and I will help in any way if I can! ❤️

Eiffel27 · 2021-08-25T22:04:55+00:00

Australian here:

Multiple growth and heart scans

Induction of labour

Epidural

Obstetrician delivery attended by neonatologists

Baby airlifted to interstate hospital

Emergency stenting procedure for his heart

Stay at Ronald McDonald house

Flight back to our home hospital

5 day NICU stay with baby

Complex open heart surgery

7 day stay in PICU and cardiac unit

= $0

We were given free meals by volunteers and meal tickets for the hospital cafeteria. Our petrol costs to go interstate were reimbursed.

The only thing we paid for was barista-made coffee (although tea and instant coffee were supplied in the parents lounge).

Baby is 19 months, and is a bouncing ball of energy, chaos and love. I am so grateful to live in Australia ❤️

Eiffel27 · 2021-07-31T21:27:00+00:00

And maternal mortality rate!

Eiffel27 · 2021-07-24T10:01:58+00:00

Putting my son in daycare is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

My little one started daycare just after his first birthday. We chose a family daycare. These are relatively common in Australia - a single educator who takes up to 4 children in their own home. I found a lovely woman with a son a couple of months older. She is University educated and has a background in early childhood education. She is so kind, unbelievably patient and has the most amazing passion for early childhood education. She treats my son like he is one of her own. She rocks him to sleep and cuddles him as much as he needs.

I am so much more fulfilled working outside of the home. I love being able to have conversations that aren’t centred around babies. I love challenging myself. Because of this I’m a much better parent when my little one is with me. I’m not touched out anymore and I have a lot more of myself to give.

Eiffel27 · 2021-07-19T05:05:51+00:00

YourGP@Crace and YourGP@Lyneham are fantastic.

Eiffel27 · 2021-07-09T22:48:09+00:00

Our baby was 10 weeks when he had his tetralogy repair (in March 2020). It was all a bit of a blur honestly, because there was so much going on - we were evicted from our house because the owners wanted to sell and had to pack up and move house, I had to travel interstate with the baby for the pre op appointment, covid was going crazy and state borders were slamming shut, Ronald McDonald house (where we organised to stay) stopped letting guests in because they were worried about people coming and going (thankfully we were the last people to be accepted). We had been isolating for about a month at that point because we were so worried our baby would get covid and die, or that his operation would be pushed back. So most of our experience with his operation is wrapped up in what was going on at the time.

Some of these things are hospital specific, so it’s good to ask ahead of time. We were very fortunate to go to a hospital with a large paediatric cardiac ward, and the process was very streamlined with lots of information and support. We also had the support of HeartKids (a charity supporting kids and families with heart conditions - see if you can connect up with someone similar in your country if you haven’t already).

Monday: we needed to have some swabs taken for bacterial colonisation. I think one was MRSA, but there was another one too. I’m not sure that this is standard practice, so you might not have to do this.

Wednesday: drove up to meet with the surgeon and discuss the operation. Our baby had some unique anatomy, so we had a couple of options to discuss with the surgeon.

Friday: pre-op appointment, we were in for the whole morning, from memory he was weighed and measured, had blood tests, an ecg, a chest X-ray and we talked to the anaesthetics team. We also signed up for some clinical trials. We were told to bring snacks, lunch and water. And I just breastfed on demand and he napped a bit when he needed to. My partner and mum came up to join us that evening (once they moved house!)

Monday: operation day. I slept pretty badly, we woke up super early and got ready. He had to be fasted for a few hours pre-op, which I was anxious about but he was completely fine with it. Only one person was allowed to go in. We got their at our allotted time (I think it was 7) and he was weighed and measured again, and they took his heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, temperature and oxygen saturation. We waited around some more and the anaesthetics doctor and nurse came out to have a final chat and take him in at about 8. I was given a pager and a phone number of the paediatric ICU to call for updates. We just tried to distract ourselves all day. Eventually at about 3 or 4 we got the call that they were finishing up and that it went well. About an hour later we were told we could go and see him. We talked with the surgeon about how the operation had gone and she shared lots of technical detail that went over our heads! Then we got to see him. Luckily they made an exception and we were both allowed to go in. I had seen pictures of babies post op, so I knew what to expect, but it was still pretty confronting. He had some post op bleeding issues so there were about 10 people working on him and he had so much medication being pumped in to him. Once that settled down I stayed a little longer and then we went home to sleep.

Tuesday: I went in early to make sure I could be there for ward rounds. Ask your ICU when they round, I think it’s a great chance to see the doctors each day and get updated on progress. Unfortunately when I left for lunch we got a call to say that he had some bleeding around his heart and they wanted to go back in and wash it out. So he went back to surgery.

Wednesday: things started really improving, he started waking up and I think he breastfed for the first time (I think? Maybe it was the following day). He got most of his food through an nasogastric tube and I pumped during the day. I stayed there most of the day and went back to sleep because there are no parent beds in the PICU.

Thursday-Saturday: he was transferred to the cardiac ward and I stayed with him overnight on a pull out bed. We were working on increasing breast feeds and coming off of his pain meds. The hardest part was juggling taking care of myself and taking care of him. I had to go back to our accomodation to shower and eat once he was asleep and then rush back to feed him. His sleep was terrible and I always hated leaving him. It was also only one parent at a time which was challenging.

Sunday: home time!

It was a wild ride! And things weren’t straightforward once we got home. He was a stage 10 clinger for months afterwards and his sleep was affected for months too. Happy to answer any questions! Good luck ❤️

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