After, we lost Nicholas last year, we decided that life must go on and as long as we are able, we can continue to bring new life into this world. It was not an easy decision to make to be sure. You always wonder what caused Nicholas to die, may occur again. Being an older woman than when she brought Madeleine into this world, creates more complications as you have to consider things like a higher chance of having with Down Syndrome or other genetic defects.
But we stepped forward and took our chances.
We had certain scares along the way: false positives on Down Syndrome prescreen tests, Andrea’s blood sugar levels, but we made it past them. However, we could not avoid the danger sign we received a few weeks ago when Andrea’s womb fluid started to increase dramatically.
We never did get a clear answer on why Nicholas died as he did. By all indications, he seemed like a healthy boy. But one thing that was observed at the time of his delivery was that Andrea’s amniotic fluid was much greater than it should be. The condition is called Polyhydramnios and it potentially increase the chance of a stillborn death.
So the original delivery date of November 2nd was advanced to October 19th. By the new delivery date, he would be a 36 week gestation; a bit premature but not drastically so that he would have to spend any time in the ICU at the hospital.
So it was under those circumstances that my son Patrick was brought into this world at 9:58am at a weight of 5lbs 10oz (2.67kg) and a length of 19.5 inches( 49.5cm).
He is so frail looking, so small.
In the week or so since we had him home, we have been working to keep him quite warm as he needs to put on weight. At his current weight, it is difficult for him to sustain a constant body temperature. Being the autumn season, the environment around him is cool. So whatever we feed him would just go to keeping him warm and not to put on weight as he should. We have increased his feedings and supplement with formula so that he gets as many calories as possible. When he reaches a normal term weight of something above 7lbs or so, then he should be able to sustain his core body temperature without us having to turn the house heat to 80F (34C) all of the time.
Patrick is our little boy and we feel truly blessed by that.
Days are getting shorter now as we move deeper into the autumn season. Days are coming quicker to the day when Patrick will be born. Already, Andrea is starting to feel contractions. After so many alarms of the past few weeks, it seems that he will be coming to us sooner than November 2nd. Doctors want to wait as long as possible to allow his lungs to developed as much as possible. That is the one part of his physiology that needs to develop in these last weeks. Otherwise, he seems to be fine. His weight looks good and while he is not moving with the utmost vigor, he is moving well enough to leave him well enough alone.
We have not gone to the Dixie Classic so far this week for various reasons but there are still days left in the fair’s schedule for us to go.
Will we have a health plan by year’s end? Given the sturm und drang of the past few months, the chance for success has never been brighter now as the various bills in Congress come together. What final form the bill takes remains to be seen of course but a quick look at the various bills shows more in common than not.
The Dell computer manufacturing plant closing announcement here in Winston-Salem should not have been much of a surprise. The market for customised desktops has been declining for years as people use laptops and netbooks and even smartphones as their primary computer devices. There will still be a significant role for desktops for some time to come; some people prefer the ability to customise their home computers to a degree which is not possible with laptops and you are able to achieve significantly more power with a desktop than for a laptop of a comparable price. But there is too much manufacturing capacity right now to support desktop manufacturing so after the millions of dollars of incentives to bring Dell to the area a few years ago, they will depart.
… and that is all I wrote for this day.
It seems that the Flu season is creating a heightened sense of alarm that is starting to affect everyday life.
On the daycare door, like an ominous warning from days when diseases where more prevalent and deadly, there is a notice that if the child is sick, then the child stays home without reservations.
Similarily, at the hospital where Andrea is expected to deliver Patrick, the notice is up that no child under 18 is allowed within the buildings unless they are a patient. For us, that means no visits by the children to see their baby brother until he goes home. That rule is expected to remain through the flu season which means until the end of March here in North Carolina.
Now my church is also imposing new rules during the Mass. No signs of peace (e.g. handshakes) no sharing of the Communional wine, take the host in your hands only and so forth.
When the big scare from a few years back was Avian flu, I do not recall such measures being taken on such a scale. Swine flu (or its proper name: H1N1 virus), is expected to more pandemic in scale and more deadly though that is a bit relative. People die every year from the seasonal flu. Question is whether more will die from exposure to the Swine Flu?
As it is, no one seems to take that chance hence such the commotion about the availability of the flu vaccines. Everyone was been informed in some way about when the vaccines will be available and where to get them. Every pharmacy is now offering flu vaccine shots though with the caveat that supplies may be limited. Even then, it will be at least a two step process as the Swine Flu vaccine is administered separately from the seasonal flu.
To date, I have never received a flu vaccine shot. Whether it be the timing, the expense or the hassle of going somewhere to receive it, I have never made it a prime consideration when the flu season rolls around. When she worked at the nursing home, Andrea received flu shots as a mandatory benefit because elderly people with compromised health systems were the most at risk from the seasonal flu. Now, this year, she is considered to be a high risk candidate because of her pregancy.
But this year may be different. The sense of unease that everyone is feeling about the flu makes it prudent for me to ensure that at least the children are vaccinated against the flu. They are just too vulnerable to it.
Are we panicking too much. Probably but on the other hand, if people are vaccinated this year in large numbers, it may mean there will be few hosts harbouring the virus for next year and that is a good thing.
Today is the start of the Dixie Classic Fair. An exposition of food, fun, livestock and oh so much more. Of course, my own personal interest is how my photos fared in the photography contest. It will be interesting how I stacked up to the rest of the amateurs.
My main disappointment for the fair is that I can not indulge myself on those items you can only get at the Fair: funnel cakes, turkey legs, sausage rolls, corn dogs and so on. But when you have chronic gout, you have to be extra careful on what you eat. I do not want a relapse.
So if my health is good and the weather co-operates, then it looks like Sunday afternoon is when we will head out to the Fairgrounds after the Stillborn children remembrance ceremony in Lewisville. Saturdays are not promising days for a trip to the Fair as Wake Forest is hosting back to back home games which means that parking will be at a premium.
Speaking of football, Wake Forest faces a must win game against North Carolina State Saturday Afternoon if Wake wants to contend for the Atlantic Division. Last week’s heartbreaker loss to Boston College did the team no favours. The team is in a groove offensively now and Riley Skinner has never been better but just for a mistake or two, Wake could have been 4-0 now.
Finally seeing some activity again at the ballpark. All of the financing is in place now and bills have been paid so we should see the first game at the ballpark at the start of the regular season next year.
Finally, NHL hockey has started again. Let’s see how Canada’s teams fare this year. of course, one question this season is whether Phoenix will still have a team by year’s end.
Starting to feel like autumn now and that is a good thing.