Happy 23rd Month

Vera is still in hospital. But we have every reason to celebrate.

We've seen her struggle with sleep for the longest time. Falling asleep has always been a long-drawn affair - of moaning (Vera) and carry-rocking (us) for at least half and hour.

For the first time in a long while, we witness how easily she falls asleep.

She yawns. We put the BiPAP mask on (with just a little struggle). She falls asleep in 5-10minutes.

Her breaths are slower. She perspires less. (We used to soak up nappy cloths of sweat from her back.) She seems to go into deep sleep faster.

It is too good to be true.

Plus, she wears the nasal cannular for oxygen (still with some struggle but not for long) without pulling it off anymore.

Must have been all that “training” she got in PICU. Perhaps she started to realise that these “things” made her feel better.

I really do hope what we've seen in hospital continues at home.

Downside: The pressured air from the BiPAP tends to force her saliva out, causing her to drool in her sleep. I guess that’s the trade off for improved breathing.

It’s been 8 months since we first tried getting her onto a mask. What a relief that we’ve finally crossed this hurdle.