Yesterday Michelle and I were given news that had the potential to be heartbreaking. The consultant in charge of the ICU told us that for the moment, they had done all they could to treat the NEC infection that Bailey has. The antibiotics course that he was on were nearly at an end, and although the bugs that cause the disease are all but dead, the inflammatinn remains, and will probably take a few weeks to subside. The rest, in the words of the consultant was up to " Bailey and the man upstairs". He went on to say that Bailey has a strong will to survive, and we suspect that he means that many babies in Bailey's condition would not have made it this far.

Bailey has a strong will to survive and he will do all he can to beat this disease. The medical staff will support him with pain relief and other drugs to give him the best possible chance.

In general terms Bailey has not improved greatly, nor has he deteriorated. He is gradually getting rid of excess fluid, which will lessen the weight of his body and make it easier for his lungs to breathe in a less heavy chest. His belly is a little less swollen and the colour is less angry than it has been which shows that the infection and inflammation is slowly going. His breathing requires much less mechanical support than it has, even with chronic lung disease. These are small steps forward and will. little by little, put him in a better position to beat the main problem that he has. The fitter he is in other areas, the more he can concentrate on the NEC.