Miracles do happen

Today is the the fourth annual World Prematurity Day - 17th November.

It's an international day to raise awareness of preterm birth - 15 million babies are born prematurely around the world each year.

In October 2013, my baby boy Max was born almost 11 weeks early weighing just 1lb 12oz.

What should have been a joyful occasion was in fact a very frightening time. I had undergone an emergency c-section and my emotions were all over the place.

I feared for my baby. I had no control. I had to put all of my trust in the doctors and nurses to look after him and keep him alive.

I didn't get to hold him until the next day and even then, he was covered in wires and on oxygen. They call it Kangaroo care, placing the baby skin to skin with the mother.

When the nurse placed him on my chest, I could hardly feel him - he was so light in weight. He gripped my finger tight ... he had some strength and that gave me strength.

The work the doctors and nurses did was amazing. My baby was so tiny and they managed to care for him in such a gentle, delicate manner.

Each evening I would leave the neonatal unit in tears, but I knew I was leaving him in safe hands.

After 7 weeks, weighing a mighty 4lb 3oz, Max was allowed to come home.

Of course, all journeys are not as straight forward, so the work charities such as Bliss and Tommy's do is vital.

I know how lucky we are.

Who's The Daddy?!

For my husband's first Father's Day, I wanted to create a personalised card featuring our little boy.

I thought it would be easy...

Who said never to work with children and animals?!

What should have taken a few seconds took twenty minutes! I lay our baby boy into his cot and handed him a printed greeting.

I snapped away, hoping to get a decent image...

I soon needed to print another greeting as the original one became very creased and soggy!

We were nearly there...

Eventually, after a few tweaks at picmonkey.com, I came up with this image ready for printing to the card....

The pointed finger was definitely a fluke!

**** Linking up at these sites

Living life to the Max

Back to the blog and introducing our baby boy Max...

He was born just over ten (yes that's right, ten!) weeks premature and after seven weeks in hospital, he is finally home.

He stopped growing in the womb and was better off out.

He was born just 1lb 12oz.

His stay in hospital felt like 7 months rather than 7 weeks!

Life in the Neonatal Unit was tough. Clinical. Scary. Alarms and leads everywhere. Every day the same - daunting.

Max was lucky; his stay in hospital was a steady one. He was in a incubator for 6 weeks. Then he was moved to a cot and within days he was ready for home.

He was discharged at 4lb 3oz, just 3 weeks before his due date. He is on various medication, but nothing we can't deal with at home.

Let the fun begin!

Back To My Teens

Since I was ten years old I have loved Bon Jovi. It all began when I copied a friend's cassette of 1988's album NEW JERSEY.

Over the years I have seen them so many times that I have lost count. As a teenage I bought albums, singles, posters and many t-shirts. Choosing a retro t-shirt for this week's gig took some time...

Even one from Milton Keynes 1993 - I won tickets for this concert in a magazine competition 

When I was young, I even met the band (dodgy photos alert!)

Back in May 1993, myself and my sister tracked them down to a quiet moated hotel on the outskirts of Birmingham. There, with just two other people, we waited for the band to come out and sign autographs for us...

That same day they had recorded parts of the video for the single 'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead' ...

This week I saw them live, here in Birmingham and I felt like a teenager all over again!

Bun In The Oven

It's been a while since I blogged and here's why...

They say the first few months can be very tiring. I am textbook! I have had little energy and have spent most of my spare time resting or sleeping. It feels like it's been work - sleep - work - sleep for so long.

It's been a long journey to get to where we are today. I miscarried triplets back in 2011 and until now we haven't been blessed. But after an operation and some medication, fingers and toes crossed, we're expecting this bundle in early December.

I worry every day. People say not to, but worrying is something natural that you can't control - if only we could! I guess I just have to roll with it.

To ease some of our anxieties, we had some early scans...

6 weeks the baby is tiny, but we heard it's heartbeat

9 weeks - looking more like a jellybaby!

and most recently, the scheduled 12 weeks scan - baby wouldn't keep still so a clearer image couldn't be taken

I am slowly getting some energy back, so I plan to get creative again... whilst I still have the time!

Putting Pen To Paper

Do you still write letters? In this technical age it seems sending emails is the preferred form of 'written' communication. But when you receive an email, do you get the same excitement you once had upon receiving a hand written letter?

It's easy to email... type your message and press SEND. But to write a letter, you need to get paper, a pen, an envelope. You have to sit down at a desk and write - being careful to be neat, so your words can be clearly read. You have to buy a stamp. You have to take the letter to a post box. It takes time. 

Last week I met a remarkable young lady. The beautiful Jodi Ann Bickley is a poet from my hometown of Birmingham. In 2011, whilst performing at a festival, Jodi was bitten by a tick. This resulted in a brain infection called mengo-encephalitis and whilst being treated in hospital, Jodi suffered a mini stroke. Since then, Jodi has remarkably learned to walk and write again.

Some days she is too exhausted to do anything, but on the days she feels she has strength, Jodi writes. She writes to strangers, all over the world. Sending them "a hug in an envelope". Telling them how lovely they are. Cheering them up, making them feel special.

IMAGE: onemillionlovelyletters

One Million Lovely Letters is an amazing and beautiful idea. Jodi invites people to email her their details, a little about themselves and then she sends them a letter. So far she has written over 600 letters - so proof right there that people still love to receive a letter!

IMAGE: onemillionlovelyletters

If you would like "a hug in an envelope" why not visit One Million Lovely Letters.

It's guaranteed to give you a warm fuzzy feeling!