As most of you know Kaycee Brooks is 18 months old (corrected age 14 months, meaning if she was born on her due date this would be her age now) She is a surviving twin and was born at 25 weeks and 2 days. Her sister, Corrie (said like the boy’s name Corey, not after my favourite soap … ha) sadly passed away in the womb at 25 weeks.



Kaycee has spent most of her life in hospital. In total she has spent a mere 9 weeks at home on and off, the longest stretch being 10 days without a Hospital admission. She has given the hardest strongest fight of survival and still to this day (01.03.2012) Kaycee is still fighting and literally living life on the edge.



I thought it would be nice to let people know her full background and share her life experience properly, just for future reference for Kaycee to read back on when she’s a big girl and also to help or guide, anyone who will either experience any part of this situation.



The reason for me publishing a blog, with a donation button on is not out of pure cheek, not us being a charity case but simply to raise a bit of money for Kaycee, her future, her care (if we need to seek quicker care privately) travelling and living expenses whilst we hold vigil besides Kaycee. I do not want anyone to think we are begging, I just feel with all the support we have people will understand, and not take pity but want to support us. We are hospitalised and we aren’t living in “real life” and people are always always asking what can we do to help. So I spoke to a support worker and she suggested this and to be honest it has took me a good number of months to actually do this, to sit down and re-live Kaycee’s life and to relive my experience with my other daughter Corrie.



It does bring back a lot of painful but happy memories but also angers me at the same time because I do see it from other peoples points of view, when I sit down and think of our situation and see that we have and are in such a bad position in life. But we have been dealt with these cards in life and we have to deal with that.



I am only as strong as I am because I have the most amazing daughter anyone could ever dream of having and I think this applies to most premmie parents or long term sick children. You truly are blessed to have a special child. I totally believe that we are blessed and I do not wish to change anything in my life. I just wish better health for Kaycee and may be one day be that in 1 month’s time or 10 years we will live a normal happy life as a family at home. But in the meantime I will make sure every 24 hours of my daughter’s life has a special memory. Not only does she inspire her army of fans but she is a true inspiration to us as parents. And the most warmest thought is I have two of these girls, and although Corrie isn’t here, I know she is exactly the same as Kaycee and wherever she is she is being a cheeky girl and making everyone love her just as much as Kaycee is doing down here with us.



I am truly truly blessed to be her mummy.



About Me

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There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.

Here we go again!!!



Back at Oldham we had to give them the benefit of the doubt.  Everyone was tip toeing around us as it was cause we had really kicked off beforehand, but I think anyone would to be honest if they could see their child so ill like Kaycee constantly was.   Kaycee hadn’t been fed properly for 9 weeks whilst she was being cared for in Oldham.   To give credit to them they had listened and Kaycee was watched more closely.   Everything seemed to be going fine.  

Christmas came and things were running great.  Kaycee was on full feeds, out of an incubator Christmas Eve and in a Cotbed ready for Father Christmas.   Everything was fantastic.   We had a lovely day considering the mayhem on the day.   But all in all we really had a nice Christmas 2010 with all the staff there.  

Boxing Day came and we encountered our first problem.    I had been expressing my milk for Kaycee as they are always trying to promote breast feeding as it’s the best for your child etc etc, and because Kaycee hadn’t been fed for 9 weeks I had masses of the stuff.  I filled the entire freezer with milk and everyone used to joke and call me Daisy the Cow.   A nurse came in and asked me could I express some milk for Kaycee as they were none in the fridge.  So without thinking I went and did the same.   Whilst I was expressing I thought I would pull some milk out of the freezer so that I wouldn’t have to do it all the time as my milk was starting to disappear because it was nearly 4 months now that I hadn’t held my daughter properly, so my milk supply was starting to get low.    I was horrified when I opened the freezer.  It was EMPTY.   I stopped expressing and went over to the nurse and asked where my milk had gone.  She told me that I hadn’t expressed any.   I told her about my supply and her face dropped.    Not one person came up with an explanation to where my milk had gone.  ALL the nurses denied wasting my milk when I had seen bottles in the fridge and had to throw some of them cause they weren’t dated when they pulled them out of the freezer.   I was so upset.  I know it doesn’t seem massive but it was to Kaycee because normally you introduce normal milk mixed into my breast.  This meant Kaycee had to go from breast to milk without weaning her onto it.  And wow what a horrible time for Kaycee that was.   

Kaycee couldn’t tolerate it and the dieticians and everyone tried everything Kaycee’s bum looked like someone had poured acid on it.   Her belly was hurting her too and she kept being sick.   It wasn’t nice to watch.   She got that tired with it all she had to be moved back to room 1 and put back on Cpap, “for a rest”.      Eventually they started her on a lactose free milk and she started to absorb it and tolerate it.   Things started getting back on an even key.   I never did get an apology or an explanation as to where my missing milk went.  

After this things were a bit smoother.   We had a scare of H1N1 on the ward and everyone had to have their swine flu jabs.  All the babies were given an injection to protect them too.    Kaycee was back in nursery and I couldn’t believe it.  She was taking 2 bottles a day and coming along nicely.   That good that on the 1st February we had a pre-discharge meeting.   We had the community nurses coming talking to us about what they would be doing at home etc etc, and we got a plan in place ready for Kaycee coming home on the 1st March.    


We couldn’t believe it.  Kaycee would be going home aged 6 months old.   Of course this was really too good to be true.

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