:: the perks of being a highflow baby ::

This week has been a wonderful one for Eléa...which means it's also been a wonderful one for us! Each day has brought more stability, and today in the space of an hour there were several firsts! All because yesterday morning Eléa was trialled on Highflow again, and this time she seems to have really got the hang of it. I'm hopeful that after tasting some of the fruits of being a Highflow baby today, that she'll have the motivation and strength to hang on in there to keep enjoying more!

This morning when I arrived at Neonatal I found out that Eléa's Highflow had already been put down to level 5, which was great news in itself! Then, during her cares, after being examined by the nurse specialist, she was declared (kindly of course) a smelly, sweaty little baby and would we like to bath her! 6 weeks of not being bathed will do that to the sweetest of babies, I agreed ;o) It was so exciting to reach one of these most precious first milestones! Before leaving home this morning I had thought that she might soon be able to have baths, so slipped a nice baby soap into my bag to bring with me. Perfect timing! I was curious to see if she'd love her baths like her brother and sisters have always loved theirs. It wasn't much of a surprise to see that she really did. Very quietly taking it all in, probably wondering what was happening, enjoying floating in the warm water for a few minutes and the gentle touch of being cleaned...it was a successful first experience for our newest little water baby.

While she was being bathed, the charge nurse came over and suggested that she could now have a new bed. One for "bigger babies" that has a heated gel mattress, as opposed to her Giraffe bed that heated from above. So a few other staff came to help unplug her bed and replace it with a new cot bed. Then, as we were drying Eléa, her nurse said she could now wear clothes! (Could this day get any better!?!). So she went off to find something, while I stayed with Eléa and made sure she didn't roll off the table (least she should decide she was a really big baby!) :o) Her nurse brought back the softest white flannelette gown and slipped it gently over Eléa's head - she looked like a little angel! I enjoyed a little cuddle with our big girl while her new bed was made and prepared for her, then she was tucked in so snugly that a few of us wouldn't have minded being in her place!

It was such a special morning with all of these unexpected surprises. It felt like a gift from God to really encourage us. Eléa has made such wonderful progress this week. She is so safe in His hands, which is a constant truth through all the ups and downs. To remember this brings real peace to my heart and mind. As a friend just said on my Facebook post about today, "What an awesome God we serve." Indeed we do and we're ever so thankful for His goodness to us.

Thankfully our journey has brought us to smoother roads, and we pray that continues. On Monday our little girl will be 6 weeks old, and that will bring with it her first set of immunisations. I remember with her sisters that they had a few more apneas with their immunisations, so we will be praying that Eléa will have minimal affects and that she'll be given supernatural strength to cope with them on top of breathing and feeding well. Tonight, when I left Neonatal, I brought with me a little plastic bag with Eléa's CPAP hat in it. Mainly to add to her growing Neonatal memory collection, but also in faith that she won't be needing it anymore :o)