You know you're a parent of a preemie when..." (fwd)
I'm sure this has been posted before, but it makes me smile every time - it's so true! Which ones stand out for you? I like the ones about his age!
1 .You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.
2.You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.
3.You count his weight in grams.
4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!
5.You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!
6. The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!
7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply, "Which one?"
8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!
9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.
10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!
11. You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office
12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.
13. You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"
14. Your baby is months old before he can even go to the mall.
15. You have explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.
16. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that he is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of him in NICU.
17. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit.
18. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.
19. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.
20. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!
21. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.
22. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!
23. You never take your child for granted.
24. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away . . .
25. You know what "RSV" stands for.
26. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too large!
27. Your son gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour!2
8. People say, "He CAN'T be __ old...he's too little!"
29. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!
30. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born at the same weight.
31. You buy "Purell" in bulk
32. You can stare at your baby for hours when he sleeps
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Re: You know you're a parent of a preemie when..." (fwd)
My son was in the NICU for three weeks and my daughter was a preemie. So half of the list applies to one child and the other half applies to my other little one.
I was so nervous my daughter wasn't gaining weight when I was breast feeding and brought her home. So we weighed her on a food scale in the house. I was so happy she had gained 4 ozs. I ran to take a picture of her thinking how much she had grown. Now looking back I think...she was so tiny then.
OMG this list is so true...just a few to add:
1. You get dirty looks from people for taking that "newborn" out in public...when they are 4 months old!
2. You look at preemie diapers and remember when they covered your baby all the way up to their nipples.
3. Seeing them sneeze sends you into a panic.
4. You grin when they scream or cry really loud, because it means their lungs are working just fine, and you remember when their cry was so small it could barely be heard.
5. You get furious when people elect to have an early induction, or try to put them selves into labor early, because you would have done ANYTHING to keep your LO cooking in there for as long as possible.
Sometimes I feel like a poseur preemie mom since my LO was just barely a preemie at 36 weeks, but these ones definitely rang true! Oh, and my little peanut weighed 6lb 5 ounces today! She gained 11 OUNCES IN 8 DAYS! I can't believe it!