I thought I had given up being nervous about doctors and hospital appointments after the amount I had to go to when I was pregnant, thought I’d learnt to take everything in my stride, yet I woke up feeling quite nervous about the Froglets first appointment with the neurologist.

Mr C was nervous too, we keep expecting someone to tell us that they got their predictions wrong and that actually he should still be in hospital.

I don’t think it helped that we really didn’t know what to expect, what they were going to do or what they would be looking for.

The waiting area was bright and colourful and had lots of toys and things to look at. There were a few pediatric consultants there covering a wide range of issues and children of differing ages with their parents were waiting. The room is designed to make the kids feel better but you can tell by the parents faces, ours included, that it doesn’t help them.

The froglet was weighed before we saw the doctor, he’s nearly 11lbs now. I know he’s growing, my favourite baby grows are starting to get too tight on him, he’s starting to look more like a baby boy rather than just a generic baby, lets face it most babies just look squished and pretty similar.

The consultant was very friendly, he listened to his heart and lungs. He checked if he was following him with his eyes and if he had started to hold his head up. Very similar to the things the doctor does at a 6 week check. He asked us quite a few questions about what he was doing, had he started smiling? Was he feeding ok? Does he sleep? Do we have any concerns?

He’s started to give us lots of smiles and tells us tall tales, cooing and gurgling. He can hold his head up for a little while and gets stronger every time he tries. He loves his play gym and has the strongest grip. He feeds and sleeps really well, he’s such a good baby, he’s doing everything you’d expect to be doing at this stage.

The consultant used the official term for Sams diagnosis, I had to get him to repeat it and still had to google it when I got home to check what it was. Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy. Try saying that after a couple of vodkas! He also said that there is 3 grades to brain damage and Sam falls into Grade 1 which means that it could be development milestones he may struggle with. We may not even notice a difference as all babies develop differently.

We left feeling relieved.

It’s easy to forget the trauma sometimes when you look at him. I have to stop telling people who meet him exactly what happened to him so they can begin to understand just how special he is and how well he’s doing.

The consultant will see us again in 3 months.

Until then I will continue to feel extremely lucky. I’m not sure I’ll ever stop!