Update
The other “Nan” (I’m a Granny) and I drove up to GOSH at midnight last night, we were requested to do by our girls.
Henry was effectively swapped with a more critical baby, so baby a) was transported by the ambulance team from Homerton NICU, to GOSH, then our little one collected and travelled with DD and transported from GOSH, to Homerton.
We met with DiL in their room in GOSH and (literally) lugged their belongings down to the car.
What a motley crew we must have looked, poor DiL 5 weeks after emergency C section, “other Nan”, whilst only 46, with MS and me, 67 with mobility issues and knackered, dragging and pulling an assortment of carrier bags and wearing backpacks.
Anyway, DD arrived, escorted by an amazing ambulance team and a nurse, who remembered Henry and DD from their transportation from Homerton to GOSH just 4 short weeks ago.
Once at Homerton, around 1:00am, the only two things the Ward Sister said to DD, was, “How are you getting home tonight”, followed by “I wouldn’t sit in that chair all night, if I were you”.
Bear in mind DD is already anxious, is autistic, doesn’t deal with change well and was, at this point, entirely alone.
We arrived about 15 minutes later. Made our way to NICU, Nan and I took a seat in the family room and DiL went into NICU.
Ward sister immediately challenged her as to who she was and DiL messaged us to ask if we could and speak with Ward sister.
We made our way to the NICU desk (outside the rooms where babies were) and waited until a younger more junior nurse appeared and asked who we were.
Very politely I explained and asked to see the Ward sister. She disappeared for about 4 minutes, then reappeared stating that the Ward sister had spoken to both Mums and that they and Henry were ok.
I asked her, very politely, to please go and get the Ward sister. Around 5 minutes later Ward sister appeared, remember we’ve never met before, and marched over to me and said “Yes?”, no introductions, I introduced myself and other Nan, and asked if it was please possible for the two mums to stay overnight with Henry and explained the entire situation and ended with, “they live almost 40 miles from the hospital”.
She responded by first telling me Henry “wasn’t ill”, I was quite astounded and asked her what she meant?
Her response was “there’s babies in here, hanging on by a thread”.
I looked at her for a moment, then explained, Henry is only 5 weeks old, that makes his entire gestational age now 29 weeks, he’s got a brain bleed, needs heart, lung and brain scans, he has a stoma bag. He’s being tube fed and is on a ventilator.
She was awful, so we just went back on our own to the family room and 20 minutes later drove two very distraught mummies back to our home, where we arrived at 2:39am.
This morning, at 11:15am I drove them back, then immediately drove myself back home, without going into the hospital.
Girls gave me updates throughout the day and then arrived home by train around 8:00pm.
They had managed to meet a more helpful friendly nurse, but she didn’t know about the stoma or bag and had to call in a stoma nurse, who arrived with the wrong size bag and used it anyway.
Baby Henry is stable, he is making steady, but slow improvements, but both girls and both of us grandmothers are very worried about the quality of bedside nursing, compared to the 100% excellent care both Henry and the girls received at GOSH.
I’m pretty sure all the staff at Homerton are clinically competent, but their bedside manners leave quite a bit to be desired.
Positives are the consultant and registrar are both very good and good communicators.
Henry was moved from GOSH because he’s made good progress.
There is a plan in place, whereby when he’s weaned from the ventilator and taking some breaths supporting by CPAP machinery, and his brain bleed and heart are both stable, he can then be moved, yet again back to his birth hospital, literally 5 minutes drive from us and less than 10 minutes from their new home. This could be in as little as 3-5 weeks.
We shall all be forever grateful to ALL NHS staff, in all the hospitals who’ve played their part in getting Henry to this point.
We are all very aware that there are many hurdles ahead, that setbacks may and probably will occur.
Henry is a warrior with two amazing mothers.
Wishing all of you the very best. As always, grateful thanks for your positive, kind, compassionate and encouraging words and thoughts.
Night night 🩵🙏
