Hi everyone.

If you don't already know me and our story, my name is Ruby, and I'm Cassian's mum.

At 34+5 I was diagnosed with preeclampsia for a second time and placed on blood pressure medication.

However we managed to make it to just past term at 37+3 when my water broke and Cassian was delivered by cesarean as planned, just a little early.

Due to being early term, unfortunately he has had some health issues and spent the first four days after his birth in the Special Care Nursery (SCN) at Lyell Mac due to low blood sugar.

I was discharged home without him then he was discharged the next day.

Five days later the home visiting midwife flagged concerns about Cassian as he wasn't gaining any weight and seemed quite unwell still.

We were referred back to the SCN and while they did some scans and put him on oxygen, they weren't too concerned.

However while there, Cassian had what looked like a seizure, and his oxygen levels desaturated. At 8pm I called for an update; the doctor said they expected him to remain stable and they would see us in the morning.

We went to bed with my phone on loud but didn't expect to hear anything else until morning.

At midnight the on call doctor phoned me and asked us to come down to the hospital as soon as possible as they wanted to transfer Cassian via medstar to WCH as he had had 20 pauses in breathing over one hour.

We arrived at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at around 1:30am. By 4am Cassian had two IV lines in, oxygen monitors, an oxygen cannula, and a million monitors going at once.

The doctors commenced extensive testing and he spent a further 3 days in the PICU before being moved to a ward, which is where we currently are.

He was diagnosed with laryngomalacia (a floppy airway) and they are investigating sleep apnea; his consulting doctor believes that as he was born a little early, part of his brainstem isn't fully developed yet, so he literally forgets to breathe in his sleep. It's a common occurrence in premature babies, but can also effect term and full term babies as well.

We are looking at another week in hospital, and while we are managing to keep up with rent, there are a few additional expenses that come with having a medically complex child, and so we are asking for help.

Parking at the women's and children's alone is costing us $100 a week, plus the cost of petrol.

On top of that, several of Cassian's doctors have recommended that we invest in an Owlet Smart Sock, as when he is discharged, he will be sent home on an oxygen tank for several months until his brain and airways develop properly.

The Owlet monitor is a little sock that goes on baby's foot and monitors their oxygen levels and heartrate, providing an extra level of safety. Unfortunately, these devices are around $450AUD and that's just not something we can afford right now.

That's where this fundraiser comes in. We are hoping to raise enough to purchase the Owlet monitor and cover another week of parking and fuel, and hopefully soon this nightmare will be over.