Day 90

Zoe Hope has enjoyed another good day in her cot. She is still in the intensive care room with all the fabulous nurses who have cared for her excited to see her graduated to a cot. She is still on low flow and is maintaining high saturation for her eyes. Zoe Hope was dressed in a 00000 sized body suit today (very big but so cute). We can now take in some of her premie clothes to wear. She should be on 2 hourly feeds by tomorrow and is coping so far with the change of feeding. we hope this continues. Overall a positive day. Please pray that Zoe Hope copes with all the changes she has had this week and that her eyes continue to improve with the oxygen.

Day 89

Today Zoe Hope graduated into a cot. This is just fabulous. She is still on low flow and her feeds have been progressing so that she now has to wait a little longer for milk. She is currently on hourly feeds.

Mum was trained by Nurse Ann today to do Zoe Hope's push feeds. Now mum can give her milk to her through the gastric feeding tube when she is there.

The Occupational therapist also spent some more time assessing Zoe Hope today. She is doing well and showing signs that she should be considering her being extremely premature. We were happy to hear this news.

What another fabulous day Zoe Hope has had and may they continue to be good days at Zoe Hope's pace.

Sadly today one of the nurses Amerdeep who has been looking after Zoe Hope is leaving the Westmead NICU unit and transferring to the Royal Women's. We wish her well in her move and will miss her very much as will all her current colleagues.

Please continue to pray for all the sick babies around the world and all the medical staff who attend to them each day.

Day 88

What a day! Zoe Hope has now been on low flow since 2pm yesterday. She remains stable and doctors are very happy with her. She was getting a little tired this afternoon however doctors have said that if need be she can go onto high flow which gives a little pressure with oxygen. She had her eye test today and the doctors are pleased that the disease is showing some improvement. She will still continue having her eyes checked for the time being to see that the eyes continue to respond. Still needing her sats up but with a lowered target so maybe a little less oxygen for now. Zoe Hope was so calm during this procedure today. Good on you Zoe! Zoe Hope has also had her feeding changed. She has been on a continuous feeding tube for quite a while now so she will now be weened from this feeding method. She will move towards feeding every 2 hours and then 3 hourly over the next 3 -4 days depending on how she responds. Overall doctors and nurses continue to be pleased with Zoe's progress thus far. This is quite a lot of change for Zoe Hope so please pray she continues to thrive.

Day 87

Today Zoe Hope has graduated to low flow. Both nurses and doctors will watch how she handles being off the CPAP remembering she needs high saturation for her eyes. Her eyes will be checked again tomorrow. Zoe Hope will also be assessed by the Occupational Therapist tomorrow to see how she is developing and moving. Both mum and dad had a fun afternoon with Zoe Hope pulling out her feeding tube yet again. Nurse Krista was quite shocked as it had not been noticed. We are sure Zoe was laughing. She has really begun to show some attitude especially with the CPAP on for so long now. Hopefully she will realise it was for her own good. Nurse Krista had to change the bedding twice today because Zoe was up to mischief. Mum had kangaroo care which was bliss. Zoe is now beginning to make little sucking noises with her lips. It is rather cute. Dad enjoyed bantering with Krista who gave as good as she got. We had such a lovely afternoon. Thanks Krista!

Day 86

Zoe Hope's current weight is 1762grams. She is doing really well on the low flow oxygen so doctors have allowed her to have 10 hours on and then CPAP for 6. Zoe Hope enjoyed a lovely bath today and has graduated to a larger bowl for this. She enjoyed the water however, was glad to be back in the crib surrounded by warm towels to get dry. She had a nice cuddle with dad and was all dressed up in a yellow bonnet and dress. We continue to pray that she stays in good health and keeps growing. We can sit and do sit for hours and just watch her every breath and movement. Isn't she just precious!

All worn out!

Day 85

Another peaceful day was had by Zoe Hope. She has rested well and enjoyed being snuggled up in her crib surrounded by pink bedding.

She continues to be on CPAP for 6 hours and low flow for 8. There are no other changes except that her milk has gone up by 0.4mls/hr.

Day 84

Zoe Hope has purchased a clip on bear to support Bandaged Bear Day attached to Pink the big teddy next to her crib. She has had another great day with doctors happy for her to try low flow for 8 hours and CPAP for 6. She had another Kangaroo Cuddle with mum who enjoyed listening to Zoe's little squeaks and hiccups. Zoe Hope continues to grow and blossom more and more as each day passes. Please continue to pray that we all keep our strength, patience and good humour. It has been twelve weeks since Zoe Hope was born. Wow that is amazing to see how much she has changed during that time. Each day remains a blessing and we thank God for being on this journey with us all and our families, friends and followers.

Fundraiser - Bandaged Bear Day

Bandaged Bear Day

Today is Bandaged Bear Day.

Zoe Hope's bear blanket and photos were there along side a collection of very special and significant bears to the Morrow family in order to raise money for the Westmead Children's Hospital.

The Children's Hospital Westmead cares for sick kids. There are many children in need of special medical treatment who require day to day help to get well or just to get through the battle of illnesses until they are at peace. God Bless these precious children.

Thank you to Katrina and the many volunteers for supporting a good cause.

Have you a special bear? Take it out of the cupboard and spend some time telling someone about your bear. It is good therapy no matter how old you are.

Day 83

Zoe had a good day with lots of sleeping and good saturation, just what the doctor ordered for her eyes.
She is now on 6 hours of c-pap and then 6 hours of low flow O2 via nasal prongs, last being far more comfortable. Dad had a quick cuddle tonight and he would just like to remind you all about his beautiful little daughter Zoe Hope.

Day 82

Another great day for Zoe Hope. She had a very busy morning this morning being a Fairy Princess. She had lots of photographs taken today by a professional photographer who volunteers for Miracle Babies. thank you to Daniel and the Miracle babies team for allowing this special occasion to happen. We dressed Zoe hope up in a nice dress from the NICU and lovely Nurse Armardeep helped change all her bedding as she missed her nappy whilst mum was changing it. The Nurse Suzette helped take our the feeding tubes that were due to be changed so that the photos are of our little Zoe Hope's face - no mask - no tubes - just Zoe. What a delight to see. We shall post some of these once the photos come back from Daniel.

Today doctors are going to give Zoe Hope a break from CPAP every 6 hours. She must however keep her saturation levels high for her eye therapy so she will go on low flow. This will be continually monitored.

She also has a bone scan today to check her bones as she was born so young she is at a higher risk of bone disease often caused from a lack of calcium. This is a standard check - x-ray.

Well after such a busy day she has been sleeping soundly.

Today we would like to encourage you to pray for all those people who give up their own time to help support others in need.

Day 81 (see notes)

It appears the hospital is a day ahead so we have again adjusted the days. Sorry for any confusion. We went through both notes and blog however can't find where the error occurred so are now back in line with the hospital.

Anyway about Zoe Hope's day: today she has had a great day. She had Kangaroo Care with mum and loved every minute. Mum dressed her in this little dress.

The NICU has lots of little items of clothing/ bedding that volunteers make so the babies can all look great. Thank you to all the volunteers who continue to make a difference in the workplace with the bright colours and much needed items for all who spend a great deal of time there. Thank you also to the nursing staff who have an extra job of washing and drying these items so they are ready to use again and stay in the NICU unit.

Zoe Hope had her eye test late today. She still has grade 2 ROP but is hasn't progressed further. The doctors have asked she continue with what ever method keeps her saturation levels high. This means she is most likely to stay on CPAP a little longer. She will be re assessed next week. Although a long process this treatment is required to keep her eyes healthy.

Overall she has had a good day.

Day 79

Yesterday we posted Zoe's weight incorrectly so her current weight is a big 1635grams.
Go Fairy Princess! That's right she has put on quite a bit this past week. It must be all the good milk and sleep she has had.

Late tomorrow she is scheduled to have her eyes checked again. We pray that the result will again show them to be stable. Once the result is know we will see whether the CPAP will continue or not.

Overall she has had a great day and a lovely cuddle with mum late this afternoon.

Thank you for your support, prayers and friendship. It is appreciated.

All dressed for bed

This is Zoe Hope after her bath today. She went quickly to sleep hoping that CPAP wouldn't go back on. Not so lucky today. Anyway she is in her first little premie outfit mum and dad bought for her. They were so excited to dress her and lucky it was put on today because it may not fit next week the way she is growing.

Day 78

Zoe Hope had a great day today. It was her bath day and because earlier this morning she pulled all her feeding tubes out and made a mess of her crib she had to be changed bed and all. Hence we just bathed her quickly today. After that she had a nose rest from the CPAP and was happy to look around and listen to mum and dad talking to her.

She was weighed outside the crib for the first time today. She now weighs 1580grams. What an achievement. Nurse Alice then let mum and dad have a quick hold before she went back into her crib and onto CPAP.

Please continue to pray for Zoe Hope's eyes and lungs and that she stays healthy.

Day 77

Zoe Hope has had another good day today. She is sleeping quite a lot which is great.

She continues with the CPAP for now until her eyes are again reviewed sometime next week.

Nurse Rosemary had her nicely wrapped this evening in pink.

Please continue to pray for Zoe Hope and also pray for the families in NICU that are far from home whilst their babies are

Day 76

Zoe had another good day on c-pap, more important is the 1500g mile stone she reached today. That's over 3 times her minimum weight, go girl. Mom and dad both had a little cuddle tonight, though short it was good to hold her for a little while.

Day 75

Zoe Hope had an interesting day today. She was trialled again on high flow which was to see if she could keep her oxygen saturation high. This didn't show a good percentage so she is again tonight back on CPAP. It was worth the try remembering that she needs the CPAP for stability in her saturation to benefit her eyes.

She is having good sleep so we are sure that this is accounting for her growth and stable weight gain.

Today the Miracle Babies support group was on again and mum got to share with other parents the journey in NICU. It is a very testing time for everyone involved and it is really nice to be able to download with other parents in similar situations although every ones journey is different. We are so lucky to have volunteers from Miracle Babies who too have been in this situation and still give up their precious time to support us.  Thank you.

Day 74

Zoe Hope has had another good day today. She is not liking the CPAP but needs it for her eyes.

She and mum had much needed Kangaroo Care today.  Both enjoyed it immensely. Zoe then spent about 10 waking minutes listening to mum talking and singing nursery rhymes to her.

Doctors are particularly pleased with her consistent weight gain and we pray that this continues.

Day 73

Today was a big day for Zoe Hope with her eye check. She coped reasonably well considering the procedure. Mum watched today and it isn't nice but is necessary. Zoe Hope still has stage 2 ROP and this means that the disease hasn't worsened. She will be monitored weekly and will remain on oxygen therapy for the meantime.

Overall she has had a good day. She continues to grow and thrive.

Zoe Hope was very privileged to have Nurse Bernadette look after her today. Nurse Bernadette is also a "miracle" baby. She was born at 27 weeks 24 years ago also at Westmead Hospital. She too travelled a long and hard journey with her family and is now a trained nurse and specialising in the NICU.

Please continue to pray for all the babies in the world especially the children currently affected in Japan.

Day 72

Today Zoe Hope is again resting well. The doctors are still keeping her oxygen saturation levels stable by keeping her in CPAP. She is able to get her oxygen turned up or down depending on her saturation levels which need to stay 98 - 99 percent at all times if possible.

Her next eye check is tomorrow and we pray that the ROP disease hasn't progressed any further.

Day 71

Zoe Hope has had another great day today.

She had an adventure over night and was moved across the hallway into another ICU room. Her first move in 10 Weeks. She doesn't seem to mind the change.

As you can see she enjoys her dummy. This photo was taken after her wash today. She was tired.

She is still on CPAP continuously however gets to have a little bit of time off just to rest her nose.

Her new weight is 1420grams. We are hoping to break 1500 this time next week.

Please pray that Zoe's eyes have stabilised and not worsened.

Day 70

Zoe had a good day, after the results of the 24 hour c-pap test it has been decided to keep her on c-pap for the time being in order to keep her saturation at a maximum and more important to keep it consistent. Zoe hope also received the dreadful rota virus immunisation today, this is the last for now. Zoe is growing stronger each day, keeping this in mind the road ahead for her is still long, please keep praying for her.

Again thanks for all your support, it all adds up big and small.

Sleeping Beauty

"I love my dummy and can feel my nose when having a rest from CPAP"
photo: 9th March 2011

Zoe Hope's 1st Barbie

Zoe Hope is on slow flow photo taken Wednesday
9th March.

Day 69

Today Zoe Hope is back on full CPAP for twenty four hours due to fluctuating oxygen saturation. This could be because of her immunisations. Never the less Doctors need to keep her oxygen levels stable for the ROP in her eyes. They will reassess her CPAP download from the monitors in the morning and see what path to take next.

She had had a good day mostly sleeping and enjoying looking around a little during her Cares time every 4 hours.

We continue to receive so much positive energy from all Zoe Hope supporters. Thank you and God Bless.

Day 68

Today Zoe Hope is now on slow flow every 8 hours and CPAP every 8 hours. This is Zoe Hope with mum for the first time without the CPAP.

Zoe Hope has had a fabulous day today not having shown any adverse reaction to her first immunisation. Tonight she is due for another needle and we hope this too has no side effects.

She is growing more beautiful each day. Her eyes were open more today as she looked around her crib. She is beginning to make squeaking noises (like a little mouse). So precious!

Have you seen a butterfly lately? Blow her a kiss for Zoe Hope!

Thank you God for each and every day as they are all so special in many ways.

Day 67

Zoe Hope had a lovely morning today. She recieved a gift from her brothers Tyler and Henry. It was a Techno Barbie. Her first of many Barbies but even more special as it is Barbies Birthday today. Fancy that!

Happy Birthday Barbie

She has had 6 hours on CPAP and then 6 hours of slow flow today. (She likes this!)

She had Kangaroo Care with mum today and had her eyes open for the first 5 minutes. Zoe Hope and mum were very happy to have quality time together.

Tonight Zoe Hope will have her first immunisation.

Please continue to pray for Zoe Hope.

Day 66

Zoe Hope had her eyes re-tested today. The results show that the ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity Disease) has progressed further but is still Stage 2. She has an area of vessels that were not showing up last week that are now at Stage 1. The specialist will continue to review Zoe Hope's eyes to monitor whether the disease progress' further. She will still undergo Oxygen Therapy in the hope that the vessels will change. The results are not unusual for premature babies born at Zoe Hope's gestation. She coped considerably well with the procedure and enjoyed mum doing her Cares before going back to sleep.

Doctors have scheduled Zoe Hope to have 6 hours CPAP and 2 hours off today.

She is begin her immunisations tomorrow.

Please continue to pray for her eyes and that she copes with her immunisations in the next three days.

Day 65

Zoe Hope has had a good day. She was swinging a little this morning with her saturation however has still been able to have scheduled time off CPAP. She has coped very well with this and to every ones surprise has saturated better off.

During the later part of today the nurses trialled Zoe Hope on Low Flow which is oxygen (still transported with very tiny prongs in her nose by thin tubing). Although a challenge she was able to do this for two hours. Good job Zoe Hope!

She is scheduled to have her eyes checked again tomorrow and we hope and pray that this is not too traumatic for Zoe Hope. Please pray that she again copes with this test. Hopefully we will know whether the oxygen therapy is helping the eyes to repair themselves without surgery.

Overall another great day.

Time off CPAP

Saturday afternoon 5.3.11

Day 64

Over the weekend Zoe Hope has had a few occasions where she has had a rest off the CPAP to see how she would go. Doctors have turned the CPAP pressure down again today and will watch to see how she progresses. They are hoping to put her on High Flow Oxygen soon.

Today her bath schedule was delayed as her body temperature was too low so we bathed her later in the day.
She enjoyed it immensely.

She now weighs 1350grams.

We are very excited about her current progress and hope and pray that she overcomes any new obstacles that come her way.

Thank you to all of you who are following Zoe Hope's journey. We are very mindful that she is one of the many miracles that happen in the NICU everyday. We thank the doctors and nurses for their experience, patience and knowledge as they too travel this journey with us all.

Day 63

Zoe Hope had a blood transfusion overnight and is a better colour today.
She is on a course of antibiotics for 48hours (precautionary).
She seems to be more settled and her stomach not as big today.
She is also more stable in her saturation.
Zoe Hope is back on full feeds as of today.
Her immunisations were due today so they are now scheduled for Monday.

Continue to pray for all the babies in NICU wards around the world and for Zoe Hope to continue to thrive.

Day 62

Zoe’s temperature was a little low today and doctors have been scratching heads trying to find the cause of it. Doctors had stopped her feeds for 6 hours today to give her tummy a ‘break’, currently she is on 3ml milk per hour. They have started  antibiotics tonight in order to try and stay one step ahead of whatever is lurking.  She is a little pale in colour and is due for a blood transfusion tonight. Zoe is still wriggling around and does not appear to be sick yet, so we will have to wait and see what happens in the next 24 – 48 hours, only time will tell.

Day 61

Zoe Hope has grown again. She is now 34cm long and weighs 1254grams.

She has had another good day and Doctors have turned down some of the pressure on the CPAP.

Zoe Hope and mum had a nice Kangaroo Care cuddle today. The nurse gave mum a mirror so she could see Zoe Hope's tiny face. (Precious!)

Zoe Hope is a lot more settled during Cares time and tolerating her feeds with the added vitamins.

Please continue to thank God for all that we have in our daily lives.

Day 60

Zoe Hope is stable and responding well to milk feeds.

She has coped well in the past 24hours considering the eye examination she had yesterday.

She is now 60 days old and due for her inoculations. (Yes even tiny babies need to be immunised the same as full term babies).

We are looking forward to her new measurements as she has grown so much in the past few weeks.

Please pray that her eyes will not deteriorate further and that she continues to get stronger every day.

Day 59

Zoe Hope has had a big day today. Her eyes were tested by an eye specialist This procedure is very stressful for babies and can set them back for a few days after.
She has been diagnosed with Stage 2 ROP.

This condition causes the blood vessels behind the eye to grow rapidly and can cause the retina to pull away. The treatment for ROP is through a very high level of oxygen to help them shrink. (Too much oxygen when she was so tiny has caused this however as they are older the oxygen helps to improve these vessels). The doctors will keep an eye on the vessels over the coming weeks and if they don't shrink she may need laser surgery on them.

Please continue to pray for our little Fairy Princess.