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April 2018 Moms
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NICU Question

sparklingdiamondsparklingdiamond member
in April 2018 Moms
I have never had a baby in the NICU, so I thought I would ask because I know a few of you have mentioned your babies had to be in the NICU.  

Do you typically just hang out at the NICU all day every day or you can only be there during certain times?

Are you allowed to hold or touch your baby very often or does that depend on their individual condition?

I know absolutely nothing about the NICU, so any info you could provide would be awesome!
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Re: NICU Question

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  • sparklingdiamondsparklingdiamond member
    @doubleblessings1124 Are you able to nurse at all?  I guess that depends on the condition of the baby as well?
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  • rklinge0rklinge0 member
    We were lucky where dd was born because if we would have known about the diagnosis more than likely she couldn't have been born at that hospital.  The hospital we were out had room for one parent to stay on a couch in the nicu room with the child.  They even let us stay on the mother and baby ward for a few nights because there was room.They wouldn't let us sleep in the NICU until I was officially discharged. 
    We were allowed in the NICU anytime of the day but had to be buzzed in.  We were told we had to limit visitors so only 2 adults at one time and no one under the age of 16, dh's younger brother wasn't allowed to see the baby. 
    We weren't allowed to hold our dd for 3 days because they were administering antibiotics due to low temperature and she had to lay still.  We were allowed to touch.  Once the antibiotics were administered, we were okay and attempted to latch.  If you are choosing to breastfeed, they will start you on a hospital grade pump while in the NICU.  
    We have also been in the PICU, too for major surgery  (OHS) so if you have questions about that, too; I would be happy to answer anything.  
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  • doubleblessings1124doubleblessings1124 member
    Yes, babies have to be on minimal oxygen, 2 liters or less and not showing signs of increased respiratory distress. Babies are usually ready to eat starting around 34 weeks but we have moms put them to breast for non nutritive suck at 32-33 weeks.
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  • psuxray07psuxray07 member
    We were allowed to come into NICU whenever we wanted, and stayed for several hours at a time, and basically left to eat and sleep while I was still in the hospital.  

    Pretty much everything the other ladies said!  I saw a lot of babies alone up there all the time and it made me sad.  As soon as I was allowed to hold and feed him, that's pretty much all I did!
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  • sparklingdiamondsparklingdiamond member
    I worry because I know CDH babies require long stays sometimes and lots of care, so I am afraid I won't get to hold or breastfeed her for a long time.  
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  • shireeallasonshireeallason member
    @sparklingdiamond My DS was in the NICU and we were still able to establish our breastfeeding relationship. There were times that he couldn’t be held, but my NICU nurses brought me a hospital grade pump so that we could still be together and get that liquid gold factory up and running. 
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  • mcb2016mcb2016 member
    My baby had a short nicu stay. He really needed to rest and they encouraged us to just come for feedings since he was sleeping the whole time. He actually needed to be woken up to eat. He was so sleepy. I wanted to sit by him the whole time but I really did need to rest too. I must have been a hot mess because they very kindly suggested I skip a night time feed because I was exhausted and recovering from a csection and pre e. I felt so guilty but I really needed to sleep.

    The nicu nurses were very helpful with breastfeeding. And I did pump right away. Every tiny little bit of milk I made they made sure to give him. We had to keep feedings to 30 minutes I believe. We did have to supplement formula.  I ended up having a very small milk supply and he had blood sugar issues.  


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  • riversdoctorriversdoctor member
    okayrunner said:
    I have no experience with a NICU, but I did just ask my SIL if she had any experience with CDH babies. She is a NICU nurse at Mayo in Rochester, MN. She said she's cared for lots of CDH babies. She said Mayo has had recent success with a fetal surgery that uses a balloon in the trachea to build pressure for the lungs. It's called FETO surgery. She said her last three CDH babies went home on room air. It's not the closest, but this may be something for you to look into.
    If you do end up working with Mayo they are FABULOUS!  

     my friend went in after seeing several local docs and who determined she was fine and couldn’t explain her symptoms and at mayo she was diagnosed and treated with a benign idiopathic blind spot, but they also found an aneurysm that everyone else missed!  They saved her life!!
     I’m very close so let me know if you get up here and need anything!  
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  • sparklingdiamondsparklingdiamond member
    Yes, I actually was reading about the balloon.  I think they only do it in severe cases, but I thought it was so cool that at least there was SOMETHING that could be tried.
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  • g_amossg_amoss member
    Like @riversdoctor I’m close also (just under 2 hours away). If you end up at Mayo, I will gladly help with anything.
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  • -T--T- member
    The 1st NICU we were at had 4 babies to 1 room so we could not sleep there but there were no visiting hours. We could spend all day, every day if we wanted. The second NICU was private rooms and I stayed and slept there most of the time. I could touch him but he was on ECMO and intubated so I held him for the first time when he was 21 days old. I spent a ton of time in the pumping rooms since he wasn’t nursing. As soon as he was extubated I was able to hold him a fair amount. He was still pretty critical so there were many times I still was unable to hold him. 
    We were given a tour before delivery so we were able to ask questions since every NICU is different. 
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