I knew that Lisa was pulling out all the stops to make sure that we could get home on Saturday but neither of us were that confident because we had to the green light from a surgeon, a doctor and convince the nurses on the ward that we were able to feed Olivia with breast and or bottle all on a Saturday! I arrived mid morning after a quick trip to Mothercare for some last minute essentials to find Lisa was all packed and ready to go. She hadn't had the green light at that point but everything started to fall in to place.
We managed to see and convince all the right people and they were all really happy with Olivia's progress and Lisa's utter dedication to help make our daughter better. All the paperwork was finally signed off by mid-afternoon and I went to get the car seat from the car. We gathered up our last bits and put a somewhat agitated Olivia in to her car seat for the journey home. The nurse then escorted us to our car and we waved our goodbyes to St Michaels and its truly amazing staff.
The drive home was one of the most nerve wracking of my life and the only thing I can compare it to is the very first time you drive on your own after passing your driving test. I was paranoid that every car on the road was going to wander in to my lane and endanger our precious cargo.
We made it home in one piece and began to settle in for the night. Olivia's first and second night were very restless with lots of straining and moans from her crib. She is clearly very sensitive to her digestive system and is still getting used to milk and all the various movements from inside her, lets hope the tonight is better for all of us.
So that concludeds the first part of Olivia's story, I'll keep posting regular updates so everyone can keep up to date with her progress. Thank you so much for all your support these last five weeks, it has helped us stay positive and be strong for our beautiful little girl. I would not wish for anyone to experience what we have been through, it is without doubt the hardest thing I have ever done but at the same time a hugely rewarding experience that has taught me much about myself and opened a door to a world I didn't know existed. We will be going back for various check-ups and clinics
The staff at St Michaels have been without exception magnificent and helped both Olivia and ourselves through a very difficult time. Whenever we had a question, a worry or needed comforting and reassuring there was always someone there who genuinely cared and helped. We will be supporting the 'Cots for Tots' appeal and any future campaings and wish all the babies, parents and staff in the NICU the very best.
Hope to see you all soon......drop us text, email, Facebook or call if you'd like to say hi to the newest member of the Earp family.
Love James, Lisa and Olivia. xxxxx
