Frederick Warbrook McGill

Making Informed Decisions

2016-06-03T11:02:00.002+01:00

If you are a parent and a teacher, which is harder to manage: the emotions, or the sapping of your energy levels?

I consider myself to be an experienced teacher, but when it comes to parenting, I'm a pure novice and have much to learn.

Parenting is harder than teaching, because it's personal. Even deeper emotions are involved ...

Making Decisions:

I'm no psychologist or medical expert, so I am well out of my depth and like most in life, we rely on the advice of other professionals. We assume others are best placed and well-informed. Thankfully, I consider myself to be a relatively wise old-man and can make informed decisions most of the time. Generally, making rational choices with little or no emotion affecting the decision.

Similar to parenting, in teaching, classrooms are full of negotiations, emotion and military-like behaviour management. Teachers are passionate, yet often stressed and are required to make constant decisions, working with young adults who are hormonal, distracted and under constant social pressure.

On being a parent, behaviours and emotions are all very similar, but the boundaries are very different to that of a teacher. Most of all, it's personal.

Difficult Decisions:

For the past 5 years since birth, our son has had a minor deformation which is hidden to sight. It has played on my consciousness as a parent from the very first day he was born 12 weeks premature.

This week, we visited University College London Hospital (UCL) to have a decision to operate (or not) reviewed by an expert. The last time we did this, was when Freddie was just 72 days old.

Don't worry ... in Italian families we say, if a baby does this: "they are blessed.". (72 days old)

Informed Decisions:

After a brief and very indistinct period in the waiting room, the doctor called us into a private office. The anxiety was very different to the first 3 months of our son's life and as an individual, I also was in a better place to be able to make an informed decision.

After an initial conversation and look over medical notes, the doctor examined my son. He was very brave.

The diagnosis offered was three-fold.

Firstly, any re-collection of an operation will be stored in a child's memory after the age of 3. Therefore, my decision to delay any procedure until my son was older and stronger, and to a point where he may forget about any traumatic event is unfounded.

Diagnosis:

Thankfully, the decision to operate is not essential or urgent and any procedure - at this stage of his life - is merely cosmetic rather than for comfort. Either way, making any decision as a parent is always going to be a tough call.

Should I make choice now, or wait until he is at an age where he can make the decision for himself?

Any decision to operate would be based on an informed and optional choice. It would not be made on the basis of the past. Nor on any of our earlier experiences of trauma as premature parents, commuting 85 miles away from home for over 3 months. Simply, the decision to operate is in our hands. It would be a personal and moral decision to do what is right for us as a family. To make an important decision as a parent, not as a teacher.

What is eating away at me is, what is the right thing to do? To repair or to remove the deformation in question. To remove is the easier option and can be achieved with one hours surgery as a day patient. To repair would be a little more complicated, with a 70% success rate that would require a longer operation and an overnight stay in hospital. Perhaps a further operation if complications arose ...

Either way, thankfully I do not have to make any decision today.

There are no heightened emotions, no long-distances to commute or exhaustion and job-loss to contend with. Thankfully we are in a position to have a brilliant NHS service offer us a choice, and as parents we have the right to make it.

Good Decisions:

To cap off a day full of medical memories, we decided to visit one of the hospitals that first looked after our son in 2011.

Not much has changed inside Starlight Neonatal Unit (at Barnet Hospital) and many of the staff have moved on to other jobs. Thankfully, there were some nurses still there (and on-duty) who remembered our son and our story. I guess this is very similar to being a teacher, re-living some of the days when you last taught a particular student and they come back into school (sometimes with their own children) to say hello and thank you.

Despite it being 5 years ago to the month, we met some of the consultants who initially helped us as new (premature) parents, those brilliant individuals who gave us the medical and personal advice during a very difficult time. We also managed to grab a lovely photo (below) of some of the amazing nurses who worked with our son.

These NHS staff who actually saved his life! They are the professionals who make decisions and help us to make them as parents too.

Now, wouldn't that be something is we could have the same in teaching? Just like it used to be ...

Freddie - standing beside his picture on the wall - with some of the nurses who saved his life - June 2015

*this blog is dedicated to the wonderful NHS staff at William Harvey (Ashford) and Barnet Hospitals.

5th Birthday

2016-05-22T19:06:00.002+01:00

What do you think when you look back over a child's life?

This weekend, I celebrated my son's 5th birthday. For those readers who do not know, my son was born at 28+2 weeks gestation - almost 12 weeks premature - and had less than a 50% chances of survival.

In the first few days, I'll never forget the words of a nurse who first reviewed my wife's health after a caesarian-section testing.

Where there is life, there is hope ..." - Lynette Roberts, Midwife at William Harvey Hospital. Ashford, Kent.

Prior to birth, Freddie was transferred from Royal Free in Hampstead, North London to the NICU (Neonatal Incubation Care Unit) by 'blues' ambulance, 85 miles away from where we lived.

: Frederick Warbrook McGill - 1lb 9ozs - 21st May 2011

Despite the apparent emergency, he was delivered the next afternoon at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent. I recall it vividly as the medical staff worked away to the radio with the Black Eyed Peas: 'I gotta feeling' playing.

We were ready to fill the only incubator available - across the South East - and have the safe hands of the only medical team available at the same time. In London just 24 hours before, it took almost 8 hours for the consultant to find us a team on stand-by with an incubator also available at the exact same time.

Over the course of the first 30 days, we traveled to visit our son everyday. I had just taken voluntary redundancy from a job I was not enjoying, driving an exhausting 3,000 miles over the course of one month. The decision was worth it and almost made the torture endured at work, insignificant.

Having succumbed meningitis, two hernia operations, 4 blood transfusions and countless procedures to save his life , Freddie was transferred to Barnet Hospital, just 4 miles away from home! It was just another 6 weeks later, about the time of the riots in 2011 and after a total of 12 weeks (82 days) at hospital, Freddie was finally allowed to go home on oxygen support.

It was his original due date - his 0th birthday - on 11th August 2011.

It was a difficult period that I will never forget.

What choice does a father have: face an emergency, or an 160-mile commute to and from hospital?

5 Years Later ...

This weekend, 5 years later, I celebrated my son's 5th birthday with my wife and family. You can read my thoughts here about my first Father's Day out of hospital; the first was of course by Freddie's bedside.

In September 2015, his first day at school was a real landmark, and it still amazes me to see him develop like any other child despite his initial start in life.

Freddie - 5 years later

Report Card:

Recently, Freddie's an informal message of support appeared onto his learning-portfolio. It wasn't an official report as such, but the teacher had clearly gone out of her way to update us on how well he is doing.

Freddie you have made so much progress in the last few weeks.

You are beginning to write sentences independently using your sounds to spell. You use finger spaces and spell some of the words correctly. You are writing digraphs and using capital letters at the beginning of sentences. You enjoy reading books, listen to questions and can talk about a book. You are pleased with yourself and know you are good at writing.

You are growing in confidence every day. You stick up for yourself, say what you want to do and help other children. You told Teo that he was in the wrong position when ordering numbers as a class. You know number 3 is bigger than 1 so told him to move.
You love telling me what you have learned, showing me what you have done and you are proud.

You chose painting and mixed colours and made a picture with a rainbow. You explained how you made dark red. Your drawings are becoming more detailed and you said I painted sun and clouds and a rainbow. It was sunny and hot that day and you enjoyed drinking from your new water bottle because you were thirsty.

My favourite thing you did this week was you drawings of robots and spiders. You enjoyed drawing and changed your picture saying wait I need this or now I am adding this (changing your plan and using your own ideas). You showed me how good you were at counting an irregular set of objects, counting backwards and writing numbers to 5 and adding to sets of objects by counting to find a total. You kept saying "I have added 2 more, now there is 7 look. 7654321!

I asked if I took two away how many now and you understood and took two away.

You concentrate for a long time and aren't distracted. You enjoy your handwriting activity and form the letters correctly following the instructions. You listen carefully to stories and during assemblies. You listened to mr Barnes read you a story.

You also were confident during PE jumping off tall apparatus by yourself. You used your fine motor skills to punch wholes and thread through them during funky fingers. You were patient and took turns. Also you talked about how the caterpillars are changing and like looking at them.

Freddie was born Saturday 21st May 2011 at 17.42pm, weighing just 730 grams (1lb 9ozs). He was classified as 'extreme preterm' as well as 'extreme low-birthweight.'

It costs £3,500 per day to look after a premature baby in Neo-Natal Intensive Care.

He was in hospital for 82 days, which equates to a total of £287,000! (6 weeks in Intensive Care and 6 weeks in Special Care).

Donate here to Bliss Charity.
You can read Freddie's blog and re-live his first 85 days of life.

Spring 2016: Freddie At School

2016-05-14T15:51:00.002+01:00

Freddie turns 5 years old next weekend. We are ready to celebrate with all his new-found school friends and family. Oh, how the memories fade from his days in neonatal, but you never quite forget the experience and it will always be etched on my psyche.

He makes me smile and I am very proud of him and his development. He is thoroughly enjoyed his reception year at school and I cannot believe it is almost over. Soon he will have officially started primary school!

This is what Freddie's teacher recently wrote about him:

Freddie you have made so much progress in the last few weeks.

You are beginning to write sentences independently using your sounds to spell. You use finger spaces and spell some of the words correctly. You are writing digraphs and using capital letters at the beginning of sentences. You enjoy reading books, listen to questions and can talk about a book. You are pleased with yourself and know you are good at writing.

You are growing in confidence every day. You stick up for yourself, say what you want to do and help other children. You told Teo that he was in the wrong position when ordering numbers as a class. You know number 3 is bigger than 1 so told him to move.
You love telling me what you have learned, showing me what you have done and you are proud.

You chose painting and mixed colours and made a picture with a rainbow. You explained how you made dark red. Your drawings are becoming more detailed and you said I painted sun and clouds and a rainbow. It was sunny and hot that day and you enjoyed drinking from your new water bottle because you were thirsty.

My favourite thing you did this week was you drawings of robots and spiders. You enjoyed drawing and changed your picture saying wait I need this or now I am adding this (changing your plan and using your own ideas). You showed me how good you were at counting an irregular set of objects, counting backwards and writing numbers to 5 and adding to sets of objects by counting to find a total. You kept saying "I have added 2 more, now there is 7 look. 7654321!

I asked if I took two away how many now and you understood and took two away.

You concentrate for a long time and aren't distracted. You enjoy your handwriting activity and form the letters correctly following the instructions. You listen carefully to stories and during assemblies. You listened to mr Barnes read you a story.

You also were confident during PE jumping off tall apparatus by yourself. You used your fine motor skills to punch wholes and thread through them during funky fingers. You were patient and took turns. Also you talked about how the caterpillars are changing and like looking at them.

We are very proud of him.

@FreddieWM - aged 5 - and daddy, @rossmcgill

@FreddieWM's First Day At School

2015-10-26T12:12:00.002+00:00

Back To School:

From the moment my son was born, all I ever wanted was for my son to be 'normal.' I can now count my lucky stars that he is just that. From hourly blood test, to weekly eye tests and monthly hearing tests, we were regular visitors to hospitals across the region throughout 2011-2013. It was difficult to predict any type of normality a few years ago. And now, I'm fortunate enough, despite a flawed (and in desperate need of an overhaul) admissions process, to be able to send my son to one of the many good local schools in our area.

Preparing for this moment has been an emotional rollercoaster...

At the start of the summer holidays (August 2015), we visited our local uniform shop to spend a small fortune! The countless garments required are unthinkable. It has also been very eye-opening to experience this side of education from a parenting perspective. The rules, the advice and guidance shared in letters has been welcomed, but also another thing to quickly understand. Thankfully, the school has made it very easy for working parents to be part of the 'settling in' period without the need for too much time off from work.

On Thursday 4th September, mum took Freddie to school. There were tears (from mum too), new names to learn and lots and lots of playing. I look forward to seeing how my son get's on at school and developing into a strong (and normal) young man.

Here are a few images of my (miracle) son on his first day at school.

Freddie's Story:

You can read Freddie's premature baby blog here http://freddiemcgill.blogspot.co.uk.

It costs £3,500 a day to look after a baby in Neo-Natal Intensive Care; Freddie was in hospital for 82 days! That's a total of £287,000! (6 weeks in Intensive Care and 6 weeks in Special Care). We wish to raise money for Bliss Charity, by making our friends aware of his story; to raise awareness of how common and traumatic, premature births are. Using our experience, we want to help other parents ...

Freddie's blog does just this and has had over 250,000 readers in 4 years. We have helped produce parent guides and videos for new parents because we had nothing when we were in hospital. If everybody who read Freddie's story paid just £1, that would be an amazing unthinkable achievement to save the lives of so many young children born too soon.

If you would like to make a small donation, you can do so, by visiting http://www.justgiving.com/FreddieMcGill or text “FRED82 £5” to 70070. We are 77% of the way towards paying for (just) 1 days care in hospital. If you need motivation, there are over 700 photos of Freddie’s life, here.

Click the image to donate and help small miracles like my son, get to normal schools up and down the country!

Thank you.

@FreddieWM visits the @ScienceMuseum

2015-07-27T21:18:00.001+01:00

Today, daddy and Freddie visited the Science Museum in London.

Before heading to the museum, daddy to Freddie to Bloomsbury Publishing UK to drop off the final edits for his new book. It will be printed next month and available in September 2015.

We then got back on the tube and headed West to South Kensington. Here is a photo of Freddie sitting on the last carriage of the tube, enjoying a packet of crisps!

Outside the museum, there is a chap who is there every time we visit. He is covered in recycled plastic bottles. Freddie was keen to stop, but became very shy when he posed for a photo.

We didn't stay long at the Science Museum. Freddie just wanted to see the planets; there weren't very many! So, daddy managed to keep Freddie busy in the children's basement; and then in the Landscape zone. Finally, we looked at all the rockets and spaceships before taking this selfie.

We then grabbed an ice-cream and headed back home. We are enjoying the summer holidays together before Freddie starts school in September.

As you can see, Freddie is a big boy now. He's 4 and far-removed from his preemie days.

Spring 2015 with @FreddieWM

2015-06-07T22:42:00.001+01:00

This is a short update of what Freddie has been up to since January 2015.

Freddie continues to thrive and continues to develop like any other normal young boy. I doubt that anyone would ever know his difficult start in life just by his appearance and drive. He is a determined young man who loves playing with his friends, toys and his family.

He has had his 3-4 year-old vaccinations and continues in very strong health.

He is developing his social skills, thriving on having lots of people around him - other than his mummy and daddy - he gets most excited when friends come to his house to play. We have been on many day trips to museums, farms and national museums as Freddie love of play and learning grows stronger.

As I write, Freddie has just returned from another visit to hospital. This time for falling over and bumping his head. He had a small open wound and needed 2 butterfly stitches. This whole-experience reminded me of how vulnerable kids are and how strong a bond is for a child. Freddie was very brave and one of the nurses even remembered his name from all those years ago in neonatal!

Here are some photos selected of Freddie from January 2015 - June 2015.

Freddie's 4th birthday party - watching a puppet show!

Posing for the camera in the garden.

Sitting in Hampstead Park with mummy on Boxing Day 2014.

Posing with daddy after he was nominated for The Sunday Times #Debretts500 Most Influential People in the UK 2015! You can see Freddie is really pleased!

With daddy's glasses ...

Freddie loves pink doughnuts!

But Freddie's favourite thing, is lying on the sofa with his blanket ...

At Highgate Park with his best friend Noah; eating an ice-cream ...

Having a shave with daddy ...

Posing with daddy on the sofa ...

Happy 4th birthday Freddie!

Playing with his air-rockets in the park.

Walking in the fields of Trent Park with Uncle Sparky, mummy and daddy.

Freddie is now 4 and is due to start school in September and I promise to update his blog before he starts school. If you are a premature parent reading Freddie's blog, I hope we are giving you hope.

@rossmcgill.

Winter 2014

2014-12-24T16:07:00.002+00:00

I've been meaning to update Freddie's blog for several weeks. I continue to receive emails for families who read Freddie's blog as a source of inspiration, so this gives me the passion to keep it alive and updated.

I write this on Christmas Eve 2014. On that note, I do hope Freddie reads this one day ...

Freddie is a joy. He is playing, laughing and cracking jokes, as well as having myself and my wife running all around the house playing trains! He is obsessed with Thomas The Tank Engine. Over the past 6 months, Freddie has thrived at nursery and we have managed to find him a school for 2015. He has rarely been ill, other than a winter cold and managed to pass his final hearing test as a neonatal child.

Here are some photos of Freddie from June 2014 to December 2014.

A day out at The Imperial War Museum

Final hearing test under NICU

A first winter outing as a family for lunch

At home unwell - November 2014

Freddie loves his Spiderman mask!

Ice Cream at Highgate Woods

Merry Christmas 2014

A day out with Daddy on the London Underground

With Alex and Leo (NICU twins)


And a reminder of scale

I promise to update @FreddieWM's blog much sooner. Wishing all our readers a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Best wishes, @rossmcgill and @jennimcgill.

@FreddieWM is 3 years old!

2014-06-03T22:18:00.000+01:00

Rewind 3 years: <<<<

Who'd have thought our miracle boy would reach such a milestone?

On 21st May 2014, Freddie reached 3 years old. He is growing from strength to strength and is a joy to watch develop. He is thriving at nursery school and is becoming a real chatterbox!

Here are some photographs from April 2014:

Freddie meets Percy at long last

With cousin Ellie

Rather eccentric outfit!

With best mates Alex and Leo

At day at Daddy's work!

Here are some photographs from May 2014:

Harmonica duet

Skateboarding

Rowing

Shopping

Cutting the grass

In Mummy's heels!

Here are some photographs over Freddie's birthday week celebrations:

@FreddieWM's Mothers Day 2014 for @JenniMcGill

2014-03-29T15:00:00.000+00:00

Off for a haircut... Mothers Day and best friends 4th birthday party.

I have to look nice!

My 2nd ever haircut

The 1st time I've been to a Barber shop

I'm really enjoying this

Then off to the shops to buy flowers for Mothers Day...

Waiting for Mummy...

There she is!

I love my Mummy :)

June 2011

Spring 2014 photos...

2014-03-16T18:59:00.001+00:00

Here is a short update, about how @FreddieWM is getting on at nursery and at home.

and some recent photos...

It's cool to drink Milk!

Window-shopping at the Apple Store; watching Bob the Builder

With best friends, Alex and Leo

Acting as Fat Controller with Thomas The Tank Engine

Unwell and having a nap

At home with @FreddieWM - Autumn 2013 updates

2013-12-16T16:46:00.002+00:00

Apologies to all regular readers of Freddie's blog. This next update, has been far too long in coming and is overdue. Thank you for reading.

Freddie has settled into his new nursery and is his reports are stupendously positive! We also took the time on 17th November, to remember his premature start to the world, reflecting on stories from World Prematurity Day. Freddie's story also continues to grow as requests for articles and photo-permissions are received.

Before sharing photos of Freddie from the past 3 months, I'd like to share his first report form nursery.

Key-worker:

"Freddie has settled in well to the yellow room. He enages in lots of activities and expresses his pleasure in doing so, by smiling; laughing and talkign about what he is doing.
Although Freddie was slightly anxious being separated from his mum and dad when he first came to the nursery, I have spent time in building a relationship with Freddie, to make him feel more secure, confident and happy in the yellow room. "

October:

In early October, Freddie continues to enjoy his favourite chair in front of the television. We know we will soon have to limit this exposure; but the lure of childrens television, is too much. Even, Daddy has to stopped himself from watching some of the shows!

As the good summer weather continues, we take the opportunity to visit our local park as much as possible. Freddie explores the trees; ponds and local playgrounds.

A new set of wheels allows Freddie to get mobile. It is a hard task for Daddy to keep up!

Freddie catches up with his best freinds, Lily and Burghley. They have just moved to a new house and their garden is huge! We enjoy looking at the apple trees and playing on the trampoline. Freddie watches Peppa Pig together, even though Burghley says it's for little babies!

I have decided to write the rest of the blog, from Freddie.

I love playing on the swings the park and with all my toys at home.

My mummy and daddy even took me to the cinema for the first time. Daddy fell asleep and after one hour, I was feeling bored of sitting down, I started to run around; so we had to leave. I was also starting to get (yet) another cold!

I really liked eating popcorn. It's my favourite new food!

For Halloween, my daddy bought me a mask and my mummy bought me some skeleton pyjamas!

I even started to learn how to use daddy's iPad. I bet when I am older, I will laugh at the technology he uses :)

I am really good at saying 'Boo!' and I scare my mummy all the time.

November

In November, we were all quite ill, even my mummy who is never ill. Daddy knows some very important people at Bloomsbury Publishing, so they sent me 4 or 5 new books to read. One book was called Spider Sandwiches!

Daddy also published his first book. You can see me below trying to eat it! It is a red book ...

I am also eating fruit now. I like apples and bananas and my mum looks as though she is very, very happy.

My mummy and I made our first cake together. The picture below is one of me looking quite clean before it got even more messy! I had to have a bath afterwards and the cake tasted really nice.

I also like to wear daddy's glasses. They make my mummy laugh.

Look at all my cars. I lined them up on the floor with my daddy.

Then, on the 25th November, my mummy kept laughing at my daddy. Apparently, it is funny when you turn 40 years of old. I have no idea what that means, but my mummy and daddy dressed up like they were in the 1970s. I've never heard of it. They both looked weird.

I even got to see my Grandma!! I love my Grandma.

December

In December, we have had lots of fun. My mummy and daddy keep talking about Santa Claus. I don't know who he is, but my mum and dad are very happy; laughing lots and spending lots of money. We even bought a tree for our house!

Only taken last week - sick with a chest infection!

We will update you in 2014 with our holiday season photos and plans for the new year.

Freddie continues to bloom and show all the signs of a healthy and happy little boy.

We count our blessings.

Happy Christmas and Happy New Year!

A @FreddieWM update by mummy @JenniMcGill

2013-09-07T22:43:00.001+01:00

I have written a little bit of background information about Freddie to help his key worker at his new nursery.

History
Freddie was born 3 months premature, he was only 1lb 9 at birth. He spent his first 3 months in hospital and another 2 on oxygen at home. He had lots of colds for first year and a half. He was given an inhaler to help with his immature lungs when he was 2. This made a dramatic difference. He no longer needs the inhaler and fingers crossed, rarely gets ill. This may change again in the winter. He has caught up his development and size; you wouldn't know he was so small now. Saying that, he is a little smaller compared to other children his age. All I know is, that he is a very happy, energetic, little boy now. I would like him to be treated like everyone else. I do get a little worried when it comes to keeping him warm. Making sure he has enough clothes on in cold weather. This is just from 2 years of him being unwell.

Sleeping
Freddie sleeps from 730/8pm to 730am. When back at school it will be 730-6/630am. This is the best it's ever been. He sleeps for 2 hours in the day, 12-2pm or 1-230pm. Rarely later than this. He doesn't like the bed-covers over him. He takes a while to wake up in the day, he can be upset when he wakes up.

August 2013

Talking
He loves singing. His favourites are; 'row row row your boat', 'wheels on the bus' and 'head and shoulders knees and toes'. 'Twinkle twinkle little star'. He can say lots of words and 3-4 word sentences. He says cheers lots, hello and goodbye, red bus, come on mummy, sit down mummy. Fish, peppa pig, quack quack, dog, cat, cow, No and yes.

Nappy
He wears size 5 pull up nappies. He doesn't like having his nappy changed, who would? He sits on my knee when I put his nappy back on. We says 'up up and away', when he stands up. This makes it fun and he enjoys it. He does the same with shorts and or trousers. He likes to sit on my knee to put his shoes on.

Eating
He eats well, prefers to snack in the day, usually has one big meal a day. He eats cereal and or toast for breakfast. Lunch is usually a snack of toast and a yogurt and such like. He likes olives, raisins, cheese and ham. Dinner is a big meal, ranging from; spaghetti, fish pie, pasta, fish fingers, sausages and mash, scrambled egg, chicken casserole and or chicken curry.
Puddings; he loves cake, biscuits, ice cream, chocolate and yogurts. He likes fruit smoothies, yogurts and purée fruit, but does get them solid. We have tried to introduce raw fruit and veg loads, he doesn't understand what to do with them yet. I think he will in time.

Lunch with Daddy - "Water Daddy? Water!"

Playtime
He is sometimes shy with other children; for example, he may panic when another child is on a playground slide. It may take him time to get used to being around so many children/ people, he is used to being with one and going to play groups. He likes doing high five, that tends to make him more relaxed with strangers. He also likes kissing, ;)

Play
He loves being outside, running, playing with a ball and the park. He likes the swing and the slide. he loves jumping in muddy puddles. He doesn't like leaving the park, it has to be a well planned transition. Telling him what we will do next. He is getting better at this. He likes cars and trains. He loves balloons and bubbles. He loves the cartoons Peppa Pig and Ben and Hollie. As I have already mentioned, he also loves singing.

He is a size 4 and a half shoe.
He hates wearing a hat.

He talks a lot and is lots of fun and a happy healthy boy.

Lilly and Freddie - Victoria Park, Finchley

Summer holidays with @FreddieWM

2013-08-25T21:29:00.001+01:00

It was Freddie's 2nd birthday since I last posted any updates on this blog. We are still raising funds for his Bliss chairty donation. If you can spare £5, please donate as it will go to a very worthy cause. There is a link on the left-hand side of this webpage.

In August 2013, Freddie will be technically 2 years old in gestation, even though he is 27 months old. We have come along way since leaving hospital on his due date, 2 years ago on 11th August 2011. (Do you remember the summer riots in London? It was around this time and we were so anxious to drive home through the streets with Freddie weighing 4lbs 4ozs at 82 days old).

This summer, we planned a roadtrip to Scotland to go camping and visit some of Dad's family and childhood homes. As you will see from some of the photos, Freddie is growing into a beautiful, strong and happy young man.

Milk - 1st day camping

Loch Ken, Castle Douglas

Freddie loved the slides at a local park

Flying a kite

Improving football skills

A walk to Threave Castle

Threave Castle

Galloway Forest

Culzean Castle gardens, Ayrshire

Loch Lomond

Freddie on the banks of Loch Lomond

Freddie and Daddy - Loch Lomond

Daddy checking the directions to Dundee

Looking for spiders

Happy roadtrip

Throwing stones

Kite skills getting better

Awaiting the star show at night

Beautiful sunsets

Freddie enjoying playing in Daddy's car.

Dumfries sunset

Culzean Castle

Redheugh, Kilbirnie. Daddy's childhood home

Playing at a park in Saltcoats

Loch Lomond

Staying with friends in Blairgowerie

Daddy visiting Dundee United - Yeah!

The 3 of us


Happy and healthy Freddie

I promise to post more details of Freddie's development during the Autumn of 2013. Keep watching this webpage for more details and get in touch if you would like any 'preemie' advice.

@FreddieWM's School report

2013-08-20T12:26:00.001+01:00

Here is a short report detailing how Freddie got on at nursery school. His second day...

Fathers Day for @FreddieWM 2013

2013-06-16T17:16:00.000+01:00

Playing with water at the Science Museum

Looking at the aeroplanes!

Nap time...

@FreddieWM's 2nd birthday party!

2013-06-01T11:57:00.001+01:00

We had a great day with family and friends, (almost everyone!); and Freddie's mates came to our house for Freddie's 2nd birthday. Thank you to all those who came to celebrate with us and gave lovely gifts for Freddie. We all had a fabulous day celebrating Freddie's life. Who'd have thought, that Freddie 2 years ago looked like this!

And he'd already developed his Daddy's good looks on his 1st birthday one year ago!

Freddie has now developed a beautiful blonde hairline, as well as reaching 25 kilograms! We are pleased to report, that his is a happy, happy and healthy young toddler. Every day is a blessing!

Some milestones during his 2nd year, have been:

2nd hernia operation. Signed off by GOSH.
walking
running
almost jumping
talking; counting etc.
eating independently
making us laugh
copying actions and language

Below are a sample of photographs taken from Freddie's 2nd birthday party. We'll let the pictures do the talking...

Yes, Daddy is exposing his stomach to the world!

Happy Mummy with Freddie :)

@FreddieWM - aged 2

2013-05-20T21:45:00.000+01:00

2 years ago today, Mummy was rushed to hospital - 86 miles away from North London to Ashford, in Kent. Who'd have thought, 2 years later, we would have a bubbly beautiful boy?! We are celebrating his birthday tomorrow and having a party with friends this weekend - I will post photos next week.

In the meantime, if you do have a premature baby - let Freddie's journey give you hope! He was 1lb 9ozs when he was born 11.5 weeks early. 1lb 6ozs (690 grams) at his lowest weight. Look ayt him now!

The Freddie McGill Sunshine Fund - @BlissCharity

2013-04-25T21:33:00.001+01:00

The Freddie McGill Sunshine Fund has raised a wonderful £2082.25 helping Bliss to provide premature and sick babies and their families with the best possible care and support.

I would like to take this opportunity to say an enormous thank you for your continued dedication and support of our work in honour of Freddie.

Bliss is almost entirely reliant on the hard work of our supporters all across the country to ensure that the voices of premature and sick babies and their families remain heard. Your support helps us to continue our vital work in areas of family centred care, campaigning and research, to ensure that all premature and sick babies have the best possible chance of survival and reaching their full potential.

Please note that if you are raising funds online or you have recently made a donation, these will be added to your fund and will show on your next update.

You can make a donation in honour of your loved one at any time by donating here and we will make sure that your gift is added towards the The Freddie McGill Sunshine Fund. You can also ask your friends and family to donate towards your fund via our website.

Or you can call me on 0207 3785740 and make a donation directly into your Sunshine fund!

You can find out more about some of the things Bliss has been doing in your Sunshine Fund Newsletter

Best wishes,
Bliss Charity

Mummy @JenniMcGill notes on @FreddieWM's progress

2013-04-14T22:46:00.001+01:00

At the end of each holiday, before we hand Freddie to his Nanny, Mummy writes a short update on his progress. You can read all about this below:

"Freddie's progress over the Easter break.

The first week Freddie had a bad cough, so didn't sleep very well and vomited quite a bit.
We took him back to the GP and this time they were very helpful. They recognised that he still has very immature lungs as a result of his premature birth and prescribed him an additional breathing pump, this one is the type we have been waiting for, as previously he has been too young. The pump is to support his lungs, widening his airways, it contains a steroid. Usually given to asthma patients. He also has to take a sachet of powder granules before bed (called montelukast)
Both have made a huge difference, the coughing has stopped, he's sleeping right through the night 7pm-7am and has only had one vomit episode all week.

The Doctor has also referred him to a paediatrician at the Whittington Hospital.
He continues with the blue pump every 4 hours and the brown one, 2 puffs in the morning and before bed.

He hasn't been eating a great deal, he does snack lots, he eats one main hot meal a day and drinks milk in the morning and night. He has some before his midday nap too. I have reduced the quantity I am giving him, he always has his small bottle, except before bed at night. A cup with lunch, usually water or juice. He loves cold water and likes drinking from a straw. He's gone off yogurts, just has a tiny bit and gets bored. He likes the smoothies, he does like tipping half out if you don't watch him.

He is sleeping for 2 hours in the day at 12 o'clock. He is really good at the routine of napping, he kisses daddy goodnight and we go upstairs to drink some milk, he burps whilst saying goodbye to the planes at the window, then bed. He goes to sleep straight away with little fuss.

Playtime
He has a new sand pit in the garden that he loves, he gets very messy, but enjoys that.
We have also got a new table and chairs and an easel for drawing. He does like to draw on everything though, so pens have been banned.

He watches Peppa pig in the mornings and evenings, he loves Peppa. He likes his small Peppa pig books too. They are for upstairs.
He is enjoying books lots, he sits on my knee and we read together. He has a few new ones. He loves his new animal book, he makes the Lion Roar noise and says quack quack.

He continues to take his white (used to be white, gets washed twice a week, sometimes more depending) rabbit everywhere, he doesn't like any other soft toy. He even removes the others from his bed before he goes to sleep.

If you ask him to dance he does, which is very cute. He says quite a few words now too, cat, cake, no, grrrrr, chocolate, apple, hiya, peppa, bye bye and more.

He sits in his arm chair lots, if you give him a snack in a bowl, he will take it to his chair.

He doesn't like showers so much these days, he prefers a bath. We have been putting an E45 bath oil in the water and his rash has completely cleared up, with the occasional little rash.
He has started to enjoy using the little kids electric tooth brush.

We have been taking him to lots of ball play centres. He absolutely loves it, he is very good at climbing and has no fear of the slides, he goes down the big slides quite happily, Usually backwards.

His hair has grown lots and his face is changing. Looks very handsome, just like his dad. "

Sent from my iPhone

Spring updates...2013.

2013-04-11T23:19:00.000+01:00

Here are a few updates of what we have been up to with Freddie during February, March and Easter.

Fun in the park

At London Zoo

Reading with mummy

Playing with Kitty

5th April 2013

Mummy made my chair

I love crisps

You are under arrest

Yum!

After a messy time in the garden!

Planting tomatoes

A new hat - from Uncle Brian/Aunty Mair

Packed suitcase, ready to leave Grandma's

Hello Grandma

Bad hair day!

Painting class

2nd version of Passport photos

Me with cousin Ellie - April 2013

With Mummy in the park

Chilling...

The good news is, Great Ormond Street Hospital finally reviewed Freddie's 2nd hernia operation - albeit 3 months late - and we were finally signed off! Just one more operation to go...

We will be celebrating Freddie's 2nd birthday on 21st May 2013.

Read what happened one year ago.

@FreddieWM makes his 2nd publication

2013-02-10T19:19:00.002+00:00

Freddie now appears in his 2nd book publication for premature babies. A picture of the book is below and you can find it on Amazon here.

Freddie features on several pages in the book

We helped write this book for parents who find themselves on NNU, usually with no preparation, and are totally overwhelmed. This applies to premature babies as well as babies admitted for other reasons such as infections or serious medical problems.

We have included information from Freddie's blog, about what parents should expect and who they’ll meet. This is based on everything we said to Dr. Su Laurent on what we said, as parents and what we'd wish we had knew when Freddie was first admitted.

The book contains many contributions by parents who told their stories about what happened to them and their babies. The book lets new parents know how they may feel and how their baby may feel and what they can do to help their baby. The book also discusses what the future may hold and what to expect when parents leave NNU. The book is very honest about the prognosis of premature babies and contains lots of photos to help explain what to expect.

As there were virtually no books available to us when Freddie was born in May 2011 (in the UK), we hope that by doing this, this will support many future premature babies and parents through their time in NICU.

Thank you to Dr. Su Laurent for allowing us to share Freddie's story. We are so sorry we missed the book launch party and hope the photos' of Freddie's progress below make up for it.

Below, are some photos of Freddie during January / February 2013.

Freddie on Daddy's car - Dover - 1.1.13

Just a bit of a mess during dinner!

At art club, painting!

Posing in Daddy's glasses - Jan 2013

At the park - Feb 2013

With Mummy on the sofa - Feb 2013

At art-club with Kitty - Feb 2013

Mummy @JenniMcGill writes about @FreddieWM

2013-01-14T20:13:00.001+00:00

Freddie 18 months update:

Freddie has been amazing this Christmas holiday. He is developing really well, becoming a very funny character. He laughs loads!

Playing:
He is very interactive. Examples of this are; he plays peek a boo... we say "where's Freddie?" and he covers his face with both hands. He then reveals himself with a huge smile. 'We say, there he is'! Lots of smiles.
Daddy has also taught him to raise one arm in the air and say "GOAL!!!" This started whilst watching Match Of The Day.

He points at planes, birds and the stars/lights. He finds things when we ask him to. If you give him a coin, he will take it to the money bottle in the hall. He loves doing this. He has a new toy-garage, and he posts the cars and all sorts into the car-lift.

I took all his small socks that are too small for him, and placed them in a basket, he loves tipping these out, not has mastered putting them back yet. He likes it if you take all the bricks from the bag, he then sits in the bag. Not sure why, but he likes it.

Meal times:
He hasn't been eating very well. At the beginning of the holidays he was coughing a lot, not a cold, but more like reflux. This made him bring up food and milk a lot. He has Gaviscon before bed and this has improved. He is drinking a lot of milk and eating very little solids. This has been better the last few days, although he eats only a few mouthfuls at each meal time. He makes it known when he wants milk. He has 210mls when he wakes up. Breakfast at 8am: cereal, only a few bits and 100mls milk before his nap, and then a tiny bit when he wakes up.

Juice, he's loving this. I have got him a new drinking cup
His lunch is anytime between 12-3pm. It is varied between snacks and bits and bobs. He loves rice cakes. He hardly eats anything at dinner.

Sleep:
He is sleeping very well. Always has a nap 3-4 hours after he gets up in the morning. He has been waking up at 6am most morning, 630am latest, so naps at 10am-12. Occasionally for 2 1/2 hours.
He goes to bed at night really well. 7pm on the dot, no crying. He does wake up coughing which is like a reflux cough. I make sure I feed him sitting up now, so he burps ok.
I took him to the doctor today, they said that the cough is probably a left over virus and that his tummy and ears are fine. She gave him another inhaler and we have been using this first thing in the morning and last thing at night. This seems to be the time that he needs it. She gave him more prescription powders for night time. I think this should help.

He has lots of new toys. He likes to tip things out and build things up. He is a very happy boy.
(Christmas 2012 - written by Mummy).

@FreddieWM's 2nd Christmas, 2012...

2013-01-01T23:24:00.001+00:00

Here are a few photos of Freddie over the festive season (Christmas 2012).

Happy Christmas!

2012-12-24T19:35:00.001+00:00

Freddie leaves out a drink and mince pie for Santa Claus. Happy Christmas everyone!

@FreddieWM laughs his head off...

2012-12-22T09:35:00.001+00:00

YouTube Video