After Elsie’s birth, we learnt very quickly about infections. For premature babies who are already vulnerable, infections are a serious complication with frightening immediate risks and potential long-term effects. They have immature immune systems and fewer antibodies from their mother, and unfortunately infection in these precious little people is also common. Many of the interventions, … Continue reading Stream of conciousness – prematurity, germs and child care
Flame of hope
I have wiped tears from the keyboard and laughed out loud tonight while reading journal entries from the time that Elsie was born prematurely (16 weeks early) four years ago. So it's now that I'd like to share a short story—actually, it’s almost entirely snippets from my journal—that I compiled a couple of years ago about her … Continue reading Flame of hope
A sleepless night
‘But where are the boys who took me in the caravan?’ Elsie asked. It was 2am and we were lying on a narrow bed together in the emergency room at our local hospital. The ‘caravan’ was the ambulance and ‘the boys’ were the two middle-aged paramedics who entered our lounge room in their uniforms carrying … Continue reading A sleepless night
Birthday thoughts
Today I turned 37 years old. The journal entry on my birthday each year almost always begins like that, like each age is a huge milestone. And I guess if you've reached it, that’s what it is. Some years I then go into some sort of reflection of where I’m at in life and other times what … Continue reading Birthday thoughts
Tough day at the office
Elsie is holding her belly and laughing—a big belly laugh—at an episode of Shaun the Sheep that she has seen many times before. And seeing that, all is forgiven. We are home from our trip to the health centre, where I took her for her three-and-a-half-year-assessment. She starts three-year-old kinder at Easter and needs to … Continue reading Tough day at the office
Writing by Larissa Patton 