Graduated from Preg Over 35 to Parenting Over 35 :)

nikkiuk · May 2014

Hi ladies So I really shouldn't be here until July when my C-section was scheduled. On Sunday night, baby had other ideas. My waters broke at 11.30pm and Zachary Joseph was born by emergency C-section two hours later at 1.28am. Nine weeks early, weighing in at 3lbs 12oz. He's currently in NICU but after two days he has already achieved most of his milestones so while it's estimated he will be home in 4 weeks, it may be sooner. It's a pleasure to be here as I begin again with #3 at 43. Zach is my husbands first baby (he is already an amazing dad to my older two) so it's just an absolute delight to watch him experience the whole 'new daddy' thing even with the added stress of a NICU baby.

Guennie · May 2014

Welcome! I am sorry you had to have an emergency c-section so early but glad your baby is doing so well! I hope he will get to go home sooner than estimated, I know it's hard leaving baby in the NICU. Hugs!

mwhipple77 · May 2014

Hi! Welcome! And congrats! I'm glad he is healthy and progressing as he should. Keep us updated on him. Scary stuff you have been coping with recently!

shelley1002 · May 2014

Welcome and congrats! Sounds like Z is a tough guy already.

nikkiuk · May 2014

Thanks ladies. I'm home today which is great but there is a 16 inch hole in the house waiting to be filled by the bubba. I hope he gets home real soon as it's heartbreaking to leave him behind. Good news from the doc before we came home - there are absolutely no health concerns, he is now purely there to learn to feed from a bottle and gain weight/grow. So it's just a waiting game now.

Geeps2 · May 2014

Welcome Nikkiuk. Sorry that you have had such a scary time but that is great news that he is doing so well. I look forward to hearing all about his homecoming. I couldn't imagine having to leave him behind. May he come home very soon!

DTNZ4Ever · May 2014

Welcome and glad your DS is healthy.

URMySunshine77 · May 2014

Congratulations on Z's birth! I'm sorry for the NICU stay, but it's great to see that his health is strong. :-)

MommyAtty · May 2014

Great news!! So happy to hear he's in such great shape.

wildflower75 · May 2014

WOW! Congrats!!

URMySunshine77 · June 2014

How are things going, @nikkiuk?

nikkiuk · June 2014

URMySunshine77 thanks for asking

I would love to say that Zach is home but unfortunately not and probably not for another two weeks at least. The NICU ride is a rough one and I think we've aged significantly in the last two weeks!

Zach is still not feeding from a bottle but the suck/swallow/breathe reflex usually doesn't start until around 34 weeks so that's something that will, hopefully, start to happen soon. Right now he just gets confused when he's given a bottle, bless him. So the feeding tube is still in and I hate that more than anything. They won't let him come home until he is taking every feed from a bottle.

He's really suffering bad from reflux which is super common in preemies. They have just put him on Prilosec to try and calm his poor little tummy. We're hoping that kicks in quickly but it takes a while to work. The reflux is causing 'Bradys' when his heart rate drops and he stops breathing. He can't come home until that is resolved.

He is getting a multi-vitamin added to his milk - I think it is really aggravating his already-sensitive tummy. I'm pushing for that to be stopped for a few days as he seems very uncomfortable when he's feeding on milk with the multi-vit added. Some nurses agree with me, some don't. My gut instinct is to get him off the vitamins to see if it helps as it won't harm him to try.

He's still on caffeine to stop the apnea which works great but is almost certainly making the reflux much worse. He should be off caffeine by the end of this week. His weight gain is great though and he is really piling it on as he's on high calorie milk. Last night he was 4lb 6oz so we're getting closer to the magic 5lb mark. He won't be allowed home until he reaches 5lb.

So all-in-all we are making little steps forward but it's just a long, slow, torturous waiting game. No doubt, it's the most stressful thing we have ever been through. He was only 33 weeks yesterday so while we are impatient to get him home with us, we try to remember he still is very premature.

shelley1002 · June 2014

Reflux is awful to being with (both my boys had it) but to add it to everything else I can't even imagine. Hope he continues to improve and can be home with you soon.

springbeduk2 · June 2014

I'm sorry he's still in NICU for a while (and that various aggravating things there are adding to the stress - like mentioned in your other post)! I hope they will try stopping or changing the multivitamin. Also I hope your recovery is going OK even with all the back and forth which can't be ideal after a csection!

MommyAtty · June 2014

I'm sorry this is such a rough slog. But let me give your Zach a big high five. For a baby so premature, he is ROCKING! (We are battling reflux in our 3week early LO too. It sucks.)

nikkiuk · June 2014

Thanks again, ladies. He is just 1oz away from the magic 5lb marker almost 34 weeks so those milestones are coming faster now. They increased his caffeine for a few days as the Bradys were increasing but they are taking him off it again next week as it's almost certainly aggravating the reflux, which they think (although they can't be sure) in turn is also causing the Bradys. So right now we're caught between a rock and a hard place. He still isn't feeding from a bottle but sucks like crazy on his pacifier and while it's a different type of suck, it's a positive sign that he might 'get it' soon. So, we plod on

URMySunshine77 · June 2014

I'm sorry that I missed your previous message! I'm glad that Zach is improving. Can't wait to see the update that he is home!

nikkiuk · June 2014

@SuburbsMrs - HI! I think I just saw you post over on the Preemie board

I should have updated this post. Zach came home this week after 36 days He's on a breathing monitor for his apnea/reflux and Omeprazole to block the acid. This whole reflux deal SUCKS.

I'd forgotten how tiring babies are. We're wrecked!

MommyAtty · June 2014

But home!!! Yea!!!

springbeduk2 · June 2014

Hooray that he is finally home with you! Boo for the reflux. Is it predicted to get better as he gets a bit older?

nikkiuk · June 2014

springbeduk2 I hope it gets better! The doc thinks Zach will only need the apnea monitor for a month or two so I guess when the reflux stops, the breathing will be much better and the apnea will stop. I think it's just a waiting game now for those muscles to mature - he's three weeks away from his due date still so yeah...waiting is all we can do. The Omeprazole helps and he's eating like a champ in between drinking too fast and ending up with a tummy ache.

The joys of parenting lol

Guennie · June 2014

So glad he's home with you! I know all the extra efforts make it even more exhausting, hang in there!! I'm sure things will improve as he matures. Reflux is a pain preemie or not. Our daughter is still on Zantac at 7 months. I just tell myself I'm thankful we can do something to help her.

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Graduated from Preg Over 35 to Parenting Over 35 :)

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