Intro - NICU mom here
My son was born 1/28/2011 and is still in the NICU. He was born at 26w3d gestation due to interval delivery of twins, pPROM and IC. I lost his twin at 19w and delivered him then. The doctors did not think that I would stay pregnant for longer than two or three weeks. My son, Samuel, waited 7.5 weeks to come to this world.
He's anticipated stay in the NICU could be as many as 12-15 weeks, but we have a son to love for the rest of our lives. Things could be so much worse. We're thankful he is doing well, considering. I'm EPing and he is steadily getting more and more food each and every day. His only major hurdle that we are aware of is his lung immaturity. He was breathing on his own with just a CPAP for almost two weeks, but he was reintubated today to give his little lungs a break.
We're optimistic and we know that no matter what, he will come home to a Mommy and Daddy who love him so very much. I know that I may not have too much in common with many of you, but I am glad to be joining on with you as our little ones grow.
Re: Intro - NICU mom here
First, I want to express how sorry I am that you lost one twin. I can't imagine the grief and worry you've gone through... It's good to hear that Samuel is a fighter and is doing well, though! Very uplifting. T&P's of support to you and your H as you deal with a preemie. We have some January mommas who had their LO's early and may be able to offer some words of advice or strength.
Stay strong, Samuel!
I'm so sorry for your loss.
Congratulations on the birth of your baby! I hope his stay n the NICU is short and uneventful.
Well said Fergie. Congratulations on the birth of your little boy and I'm sure you'll have lots in common with the other Jan mommas really soon.
I'm very sorry for your loss. So happy that Samuel decided to defy the odds and stay in for that much time!
Make sure you lean on the expertise of the NICU staff, they know their stuff and can really help to alleviate some of the anxiety that goes along with a prolonged stay in the NICU. They also genuinely care about how you and your LO are doing and will usually go out of their way to help!
It's good that he is being given opportunities to rest, that will help him continue to gain strength!
Best of luck to you all!
PS. The preemie board is quite helpful and supportive!
I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for your loss too, I can't imagine what that's like. I had pPROM at 23w1d and made it to 34w0d with DS. He was in the NICU for 47 days and it was the toughest and most painful experience to go through. I didn't care about being in the hospital for 11 straight weeks all I cared about was him and having him home. No one told me with pPROM how our LO's have lung issues, I wish I had someone tell me that while I layed in the hospital. He was on the cpap for about a week or so but on the cannula until a few days before he was released. They were flirting with the idea of sending him home on oxygen because he just didn't have the stamina to keep his oxygen saturation up but for some reason he managed to pull it together a few days before his release. I'm not sure if you're on the facebook group for pPROM mom's but here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=66565645322
I've met a lot of great moms who are so supportive on there and helped me through this and who are still helping me. I hope your DS gets stronger each day and is home with you soon