Preemie/ NICU/ NICU grads check-in

mvhyde · January 2016

Hi,
I know there is a Preemie board, but I know ya'll better (in internet terms), so I thought we could get through this together. I mostly need some support and will use you as my talk (chat) therapy support group. I guess we could do an intro with
Why our LO are in the NICU
How long they have been/ were there (if they have been discharged YEY!!)
Milestones that need to be reached before discharge/ Any lingering issues post discharge

ETA also feel free to add any struggles or questions you want to ask.

mvhyde · January 2016

I don't have a smart phone and besides they don't advise their use in the NICU, so I haven't been very active online.

LO was a born 33w5d so was moderately premature.
She is still there, so 6 weeks
She needs to take a bottle or nurse on her own, but we are struggling with her allergies. First it was BM + dairy fortifier+ dairy formula, then I went dairy free and they added Elecare (Neocate), now she is on just Elecare. Every time her allergies take a few days to appear then she gets tired, loses weight and needs to get feeds via the NG tube.

amandavan83 · January 2016

My daughter was born at 32 weeks and just graduated from the NICU last Thursday! It was a long almost 7 weeks. Her biggest hurdle was feeding by mouth. It is amazing having her home but it is an adjustment from the rigid scheduling of the NICU and trying to find a balance at home.

teachmegs817 · January 2016

I delivered at 34w3d, on 12/16. My little guy spent 9 days in NICU and went home on Christmas Day. He was considered quite healthy for being preemie and was being monitored in NICU only for the fact that he was 6 weeks early.

He did spend a day under the ultraviolet lights for jaundice and almost had to go back under, because he wasn't gaining weight. He was 5.1 at birth and got down to 4.10. I was so against supplementing formula for him, because I was certain my milk would come in and I was fine with pumping if BF didn't take off well. Sure enough, within 4-5 days, my milk was coming in pretty regularly and I was able to give him more food to eat. He slowly gained weight for 3 consecutive days and was discharged at 4.13. He now weighs 5.7

I will say that the NICU team did an amazing job with keeping him on a 3 hour schedule, and we do pretty well with that same schedule at home. Granted, there are days when the times change, but typically he is up and ready for his next wave of feeding/diapering/snuggling, every 2 1/2-3 hours. Sometimes he will go 3 1/2 hours between a feeding. As much as I want to keep him on the 3 hour schedule, I pay attention to his cues more than anything and am understanding that, he's growing and he may want to eat/wake every 2 hours or sooner.

I have since stopped BF and strictly pump and have now started to supplement with Enfamil Supplementing formula 3 times a day. I feel less stressed and more free to do about my daily activities with pumping and using the formula. LO started having some stomach issues with gas and even though the pediatrician assured me, he shouldn't be constipated from breast milk, I know he was. He went from having a bowl movement every diaper the first 2 weeks to having one ever 3-4 diapers and scrunching his body up in pain and grunting in between feeds. I also wasn't sure how much milk he was getting from me and I felt like all he wanted to do was eat and I couldn't keep up with pumping. Plus, when I'd pump after BF'ing, I'd barley get 2 oz's. That's what he eats during each feeding. So if I was too tired and wanted a break from BF, DH or I would not have been able to feed him from a bottle because I wouldn't have had enough milk stored. Now I pump 4 times a day and get 4-6 oz's each time I pump. I've begun to freeze milk for when I go back to work and am still always ahead in my fridge for the next day, in case I can't pump.

mvhyde · January 2016

@teachmegs817 Do you pump overnight? I think the idea of bringing LO home and pumping is really stressful to me. I am still exclusively pumping, even though she is completely on the special formula (I am hoping she will outgrow her allergies and I am also removing allergens from my diet).

I don't know how I will handle it when she gets back. I want her home, I just don't know how I will do everything for her and pump, but I am pumping 7 times a day. I might cut down to 5 or 6.

ETA because I can't format correctly

Kelley421 · January 2016

Hi ladies! NICU grads here- babies born at 30w. My boy came home at 3w4d and the girls at 4w4d old. Two have small PDAs but haven't caused any concern. The NICU stay the first few days was scary, but then they were off oxygen and after that it was just time to feed and grow. They have been exclusively breastmilk but I am now working through my freezer stash since they are taking so much more! Once that is done I will supplement formula.
They are all 5.5+lbs now (born 3lbs5oz mid-November)
@mvhyde I pump overnight- every time babies eat I pump when they are finished. I usually nurse during the day and then give expressed milk at night by bottle to help my sanity.
The biggest thing to me with newborn/preemie is to do what feels best to you. If it gets to tiring to pump, then drop down the number of sessions or stop. Baby needs rested momma most!
The MON feeds I was grumpy and just couldn't stand to nurse, so I don't. I had a couple times recently I didn't pump after they ate, which isn't helping my supply, but I just couldn't stand it.
My struggle now is the anxiety with going back to work looming, DH has gone back to work and I rely on others to help, and just the general lack of adult conversation.
I feel like all I do is feed all day. Feed them, feed myself, wash bottles, wash dishes!

jbro88 · January 2016

Nicu grad here! My baby was born at 29 weeks in October. We went home Dec 11
after 51 days(37+6). The last few days were the hardest for me. I was so ready for him to come home, I couldn't bare to leave the hospital. I would stay for 10 hours at a time some days.

He's doing great! He hit 8 lbs this week (originally 3lbs.1oz). We are hoping to get him off the monitor this week. We went home with one for his suck apnea. He is such a little ham, double chin and everything!

He has an eye appointment tomorrow, hopefully his last for a while(No ROP). And a cbc to recheck for anemia. We are also making a stop by the lactation consultant I worked with in the NICU so she can help get him off the darn nipple shield!!! I hate it.

We are having a lot of difficulty getting him to sleep at night anywhre other than on me. Anyone else have this issue? I am scared to death letting him sleep like this but not sure what else to do.

teachmegs817 · January 2016

@mvhyde I pump around his 5-6 am feeding, then again around these times, 12 pm, 4 pm, 8 pm. It works out nicely and like I said, I'm getting 4-6 oz each time I pump. Not too sure how this will hold up once he starts eating 4 oz +. I may have to increase the amount of times I'm pumping, but for now, this works.

amandavan83 · February 2016

Any other preemie parents worried about germs? I am so paranoid about my DD getting sick and ending up back in the hospital. I worry this time of year with RSV and flu season. I limit visitors and we only go to the doctors for outings. She is growing and is healthy for a preemie but I still worry.

Karenin · February 2016

My LO was born on 2/7 and went to the NICU on 2/9, the day we were supposed to go home. She started out wonderfully but she stopped eating and had not passed a stool and her stomach was very distended. Yesterday and today were scary because she had tests to see if she need surgery on her intestines, but the problem ended up being a meconium plug that was blocking stool from passing. They got her to pass the plug today so she just needs to poop and eat and have her distended stomach resolve and then we can bring her home. I was heartbroken when she went to NICU because both of my older two LOs went right at birth for breathing issues and stayed about 5 days. While both are completely healthy, the NICU was emotionally draining and so having this baby go when I thought we'd avoided it was devastating. I'm grateful she's ok and know many other babies there have it much worse, but to have three children and have to go home from the hospital without your baby all three times is rough.

kodariah · February 2016

NICU grad

my little one was 40 weeks 5 days when he was born. My water broke and I didn't progress so I ended up getting a infection that ended up transferring to him so he was taken to the NICU for antibiotics, fluids, and 48 hour blood work. Unfortunately the infection was pretty hard on him making him severely dehydrated making him more sick. Since he was so sick he was so tired making it hard to feed him which was the only way he was going to get better. Lucky he was only there for 8 days but it was awful! I was breast feeding so I was at the hospital the whole time. My heart goes out to those moms that have babies there for weeks. I had a long complication filled labor and I would go through that again before I would want to have to see my baby sick in the nicu again. It's awful!!

mommap2 · February 2016

We spent 8 days in the NICU for breathing issues with my DD. I had hoped to avoid it this time, my DS spent 12 days there after is birth also In 2013. My DD came very fast and they think she didn't spend enough time in the birth canal with contractions to clear out her lungs. When they sent the NICU team to get her, she became very upset, and blew a hole in her lung. Luckily the team discovered it before they transported her. She did very well, the hole repaired it's self within 48 hours. She handled being removed from her oxygen very well, and took her feeds well. Having a child in the NICU is very emotional. We were very luckily to be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald house right in the hospital. Even after being home for 2 weeks my emotions are all over the place. God blessed us with beautiful children and amazing doctors and nurses who cared for them.

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