Sitting in bed holding my tiny baby against my breast, I yawned. In the few weeks since Jack had been born in July 1997, he'd demanded food around the clock. You're a hungry little chap,' I smiled, placing him back into his cot. But as I clicked off my bedside lamp, I worried.
Jack was always so pale. And no matter how much milk he guzzled, his weight just kept going down. He'd been 7lb 130z at birth, but had lost several ounces since then and doctors shared my concerns.
'You need to bottle feed him, I was told. I'd breastfed my daughter Louise, then four, with no problems, so my mother's instinct told me that something else was wrong. Still, back at home, I warmed up a bottle of formula for Jack, but nothing I did seemed to help him.
'Jack has chronic kidney failure,' a doctor eventually told me after tests. He had posterior urethral valves, which meant blockages had damaged his kidneys before birth.
'Is he going to die?" I asked, tears prickling in my eyes.
Doctors reassured me that he wasn't, but that he would need a kidney transplant eventually. He was only seven weeks old and was too small and weak to undergo the operation yet. But as his kidney function declined, so did appetite. In January 1998, at NCT six months old, Jack was fitted with a feeding tube and had to WAS go on a dialysis machine at home, which did the job of his kidneys cleaning his blood.
The whirring and beeping kept me awake all night and I worried constantly about him. I still worked part-time as a district nurse, but was struggling to cope, especially with dividing my time between Jack and Louise, making sure she received my attention too.
Esta historia es de la edición October 30, 2023 de WOMAN'S OWN.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 30, 2023 de WOMAN'S OWN.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
DINNER FOR 1!
Eat well, even when you're dining alone with these quick and easy meals
CELEBS PAY ME THOUSANDS!
Victoria Dioh, 51, has a unique job and her services are popular with the rich and famous
TOGETHER BUT APART
Miranda Levy, 56, says living separately from her partner keeps her relationship fresh
A LIFE AFTER CANCER
Despite getting the all-clear from her doctor, Gill Simmons, 59, struggled to move on
Is it ever OK for guys to walk around topless?
The sun is finally making an appearance, which means some men begin ditching their T-shirts in public…
STABBED BY MY CRAZED EX
Zoe Dronfield, 47, thought she had found her 'saviour', then their relationship took a terrifying turn
AGE GAP LOVE❤❤
After Kate Moss was spotted holding hands with the late Bob Marley's grandson, 28, we look at celebrity couples who think age is just a number
Ruth and Eamonn's SHOCK LEGAL BATTLE
As if navigating a divorce and adjusting to single life after 27 years wasn’t hard enough, Eamonn Holmes faces fresh heartbreak as he and estranged wife Ruth Langsford will likely have to battle it out for custody of their beloved dog Maggie.
'I CRIED EVERY DAY'
This Morning’s Josie Gibson has had a tough time
STACEY TORN
The star can’t make her mind up when it comes to her future on Loose Women…