4 Days Old

16th January 2011 - To Family

Hi All,

Baby Jonathan's stoma seems to be working, and the nurse was able to connect a bag today to collect the waste.  She showed us how to take care of it, and it doesn't look as bad as it sounds.  He woke up today for a little bit while we changed his nappy today, and was happily looking around the room, oblivious to all that's gone on in his 4-day-long life.  We're so glad that he seems to be happy about all of this, and not in too much discomfort.

They've stopped draining his stomach from his nose tonight to see if he'll be able to process it on his own.  They've also taken him off the pain killers, as they said he looks pretty comfortable and mightn't need them any longer.  So, if he goes well overnight, Tracy should be able to start feeding him tomorrow which I'm sure he'll be looking forward too!

Please continue praying for him - we're a bit concerned about his head once again as the nurses found it increased in size slightly today.  The consultants should see him tomorrow and hopefully we'll know whether it's anything to worry about then.

Love,

Chris and Tracy

3 Days Old

15th January 2011 - To Family

Hi again,

Jonathan started breathing on his own late this afternoon, so they were able to take him off the ventilator, and he's now completely breathing on his own which is fantastic news.  The stoma is also showing signs that it's starting to work, so hopefully in the next few days he'll be able to be fed for the first time which I'm sure he must be really looking forward to.  He's still a bit groggy after the operation, but he did open his eyes a few times today to say hello.

Tracy continues to recover very quickly - so quickly that one of the doctors wasn't sure that she'd had the c-section.  They mentioned yesterday that she might be discharged on Monday, but Jonathan probably still has a while longer in NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).

Anyway, we're really glad that Jonathan's being looked after well, and at the moment, he's responding to treatment and is quite stable.

We'll give you more news tomorrow.

Love,

Chris and Tracy

3 Days Old

15th January 2011 - To Friends

Hi guys,

Thanks for all your messages - Tracy and I are pretty exhausted so sorry we've been a bit slow with replying to emails and all...

But anyway, Jonathan's surgery went well yesterday.  For the operation, they had to put him on a ventilator, but today he was breathing on his own so they took him off it.  He's been a bit groggy with the pain killers they've been giving him, but he has opened his eyes a few times today to say hello.  Tracy got to have another hug too so that was great, and the two of them looked really happy together.

Jonathan will probably have to stay in the baby ICU for a bit longer as he's got a few things that they want to keep an eye on, but right not he seems to be pretty stable.  We're not sure when he'll be able to come home with us, but he's being looked after really well by everyone at the hospital and we're glad that he's getting good care.

Tracy continues to get better - one of the docs didn't actually believe she'd had a c-section because she'd recovered so quickly.  I'm sure it won't be long before she's back eating sushi ... :)  We think she'll be discharged on Monday, so I need to do some cleaning!

Anyway, hope you're all doing well wherever you are in the world!

Speak soon,

Chris and Tracy

3 Days Old

15th January 2011 - To Family


Hi everyone,

Jonathon had an operation yesterday to bring his large intestine closer to the skin, and then make a hole so the waste from his gut could be emptied.  I think the doctors called it a stoma.  He was under general when it was done, and he's been a bit groggy since then.  As part of the procedure, they hooked him up to a breathing machine, and were hoping to remove it sometime during last night when he starts breathing on his own again.  When we saw him last night, he was still connected, but started to open his eyes and look at us which was quite exciting.  He keeps sucking on the breathing tube that's going in his mouth - he must be really hungry!

The doctors that performed the operation said it went well, but we were told it would take a few days to see whether it's working.  Once it's working, Tracy can start feeding him.  At the moment, he's being hydrated by a sugary-water drip.

They also performed a few other tests on Jonathan yesterday, and found that his spine and ribs don't look quite normal - the consultant said he looked a bit compressed vertically, and that some of his ribs were fused together.  They don't think that's a problem right now, but something to keep an eye on as he develops.

They're going to get the geneticists involved to see why he's developed the way he has, and to try and give us an idea of how he'll develop in the future.

Once he stabilises, they'll get all the specialists together to see what should be done next - at the moment, although his heart and brain still have problems, they seem to be stable.

Tracy's continuing to recover very well - she's been up and about walking across the floor to visit Jonathan every few hours.  The doctors are impressed by how quickly she's been up and about.

Anyway, one day at a time!  Jonathan and Tracy's care so far has been excellent, and we're glad that everyone's taking time to try and explain everything to us.  Hopefully today he'll be off the breathing machine and we can play with him again.

Thanks for all your prayers,

Love,

Chris and Tracy

2 Days Old

14th January 2011 - To friends


Hey guys,

Hope you're well.

Jonathan Alan Hing was born yesterday at 11:24 am. He is very cute (not that we're biased), has beautiful baby feet and enquiring eyes. He also has a full head of hair and weighs 2.7 kilos.

He was delivered by a straightforward c section, and Tracy's recovering very well. She now has her own room with 5 star views of the Thames, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament!

Baby Jonathan had to spend the night in the baby intensive care unit, and is currently undergoing some urgent surgery.

Tracy was able to spend half an hour last night giving him cuddles, and he looked very happy with that.

We're both very excited and proud to have become parents yesterday! Hopefully his surgery goes well and we're able to give you more news soon.

Chris and Tracy

1 Day Old

13th January 2011 - To the new grandparents

Hi folks,

Jonathan Alan Hing was born today around 11:30. He has lots of hair, ten fingers, ten toes, very soft skin and seems to recognise our voices.

Tracy is doing ok, even more so now that she can eat and drink again.

Baby Jonathan is being kept downstairs in the baby intensive care unit while they examine him. He still has his problems with his heart and brain, and they've also found he doesn't have a hole in his bum, so although they haven't told us exactly what the plan is yet, it will most likely involve surgery of some sort.

Tracy got to hold him very briefly after he was born, bit will probably have to wait a bit longer to see him because he's on the floor below. Hopefully she'll be moved downstairs too where the post natal ward is, but since they don't have any beds, she's staying in her own private room in the birth centre.

We're both very excited to have become parents today.

Love,

Tracy and Chris

Let's give this blogging thing another chance ...

So, after failing miserably in our first attempt to write a blog, mainly because we never did anything that was worth writing about (let alone getting others to read it), we thought we'd try again.  Because this time, rather than  ramble on about our (non) adventures in London, we thought we'd focus on someone far more interesting, handsome, and adorable...

Our son Jonathan was born on the 13th of January 2011, at 11:24 AM, in St. Thomas' hospital, just over the river from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

While Tracy was pregnant with Jonathan, the doctors told us that he'd be a very special child.  During the routine pregnancy scans, the doctors found that he had problems with his brain (hydrocephalus) and heart (VSD + DORV), and weren't sure he'd make it to full term.  But, he did, and was delivered by caesarean (because of his large-ish head) - and today, he's a big10 day's old!

Rather than tell the whole story again from when he was born, we'll just post a few extracts from various emails we've been sending around to get us up to speed - hopefully this blog will be a good way of keeping everyone up to date with how he's going...

Let's see how long we can keep this going for...