Comments on: 5 Things You Need to Know About Preemies

By: Janine

Janine — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:42:58 +0000

In reply to Tricia. That is amazing to hear about the skin-to-skin contact. I'm so glad to hear that he is healthy and thriving now! Thanks so much for sharing!

By: Tricia

Tricia — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 05:39:36 +0000

Hello,
Our baby was born 6 weeks early. My water broke at 30 weeks with no warning. No contractions. Was hospitalized for four weeks. On strict bedrest. At 34 weeks i was induced. The fluid level was very low for the baby. He was born with a weight of 4lb 12oz. He was in the NICU for two and a half weeks. He had respiratory problems and was on a c-pap. I cried many times watching him feeling helpless. Only being able to hold his free hand. I was able to hold him at 4 days old. Was the best feeling ever. I still tear up thinking about it. I held him skin to skin. His heart rate regulated to normal. When otherwise was all over the board. I’d heard the benefits of skin to skin before. It really is amazing how it works. Once home I’m very careful with washing hands. And the hands of anyone who is around. The care and nurses in the NICU are very caring and understanding.
I had never had a baby come so early. This was my first out of six babies. They were very strict in the NICU with washing. You had to scrub from elbows down and take off any jewellery. Finger nails had to be short. We were told to be careful with a preemie for up to a year. Chances of RSV are really high. Our little blessing is now almost 5 months old and doing well. We are all enjoying him.
Thank you for letting me share our story.
Tricia.

By: Janine

Janine — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 16:08:25 +0000

In reply to Angela Byrd. Hi Angela, Thank you so much for your input from a nurses perspective. I know that those statements that you pointed out about babies being left to die and babies being discharged to early are shocking but they DID happen and I have linked to those incidences. Your hospital sounds wonderful and I know that most are, but it is better to know the policies than to regret it afterward. I hope that you did find some useful things to think about and to send parents to like the Graham's foundation and Braxton Hicks experiences that I mentioned as well as others have written about in the comments. Thanks again for your input.

By: Angela Byrd

Angela Byrd — Fri, 04 Jul 2014 13:45:11 +0000

In reply to lyss. I clicked on this post because I am a NICU nurse with 15 years experience and I was curious to see what it was about. I thought there might be some information I could share with parents I encounter everyday. I am happy that your child did okay, but not sure what you mean about babies that "are left to die or sent home when they need care". I can assure you that I have never seen this happen. The only time a baby is "left to die" as you say, is when that infant is simply too immature at birth to be able to survive. These would include infants who are less than 24 weeks gestation or weigh less than 1 lb at birth. Typically if an infant is born vigorous at birth, meaning they are making some effort to breathe, than care is provided. Any time a mother comes into our hospital in preterm labor, our neonatologists are consulted to talk with the family to let them know what to expect. Parents of micropremies (26 weeks and under) are allowed to make the decision on what care they would like provided at the birth. Some parents make the decision that because the prognosis does not look favorable, then they would rather not put their child through a traumatic resuscitation and a very lengthly and expensive hospital stay. And I have never known a child to be sent home that still needed care, regardless of a family's ability to pay. I am pretty sure that would be illegal, at least in America! I know that all NICUs are NOT created equal, and they can be quite overwhelming. I am very fortunate however to work at a NICU who focuses on family-centered care. That means we have private rooms for most of our families, we focus on skin-to-skin care to be provided by parents, we encourage parents to provide as much of the infant care as possible (within reason, depending on the fragility of their baby), and we have a developmental team who helps care for the emotional toll on the family. Is it expensive? YES! But it is also intensive care and in most cases for a very prolonged period of time. Unfortunately healthcare costs in America are through the roof, but thankfully it is some of the best healthcare in the world. The doctors and nurses don't get that money by the way, it goes toward services provided, equipment, medications, tests, procedures, etc.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:47:28 +0000

I have 2 preemies! My oldest was born at 36 weeks after a 10 day antipardum stay because I stopped producing amniotic fluid. I got steroid shots for her lungs and even though she was blue and not breathing well at birth, she never went to NICU and was able to come home on time.
My second miracle was born at 35 weeks when I started not producing fluid. I was on bed rest with him at 24 weeks and got steroid shots as well. He was also able to come home on time.
We have a third miracle who had no complications during pregnancy and was delivered via c-section at 39 weeks when I went into labor. Every pregnancy can be different!

By: C.P.

C.P. — Sat, 14 Jun 2014 06:24:00 +0000

Four years ago in May, I was blissfuly pregnant with my first child. I knew she was a girl, I knew she was due at the end of the July, I knew her room was not quite ready, and I knew everything the books told me I should know about the immanent change about to happen in our lives. What I didn’t know was that on May 26th, I would be having that little girl nine weeks too early and that the beginning of the scariest months of my life were about to begin. They took a purple, lifeless, 4lb baby who was not breathing away from us and the room I had her in because unbeknownst to my hubby and I the first attempt at intubabtion had failed. Her airway was just too small. As they walked away they told me they would know where we stood in the next hour. The longest hour of my life. Needless to say I was in shock. Even on the way to the hospital I would never have believed you if you told me I was having a baby that day. But I did and I was in shock and I was afraid. Then I was angry and hurt. They would not let me hold her and apart from letting me take her picture I was not even allowed to touch her for four more days. Each day they told me “well, maybe tomorrow…” I know some mothers have had it worse, but those four days were extreme torture for me and everything I thought I knew about having a baby was gone. Even calling her a miracle made me angry. Sure, it was a miracle I made it to the hospital, maybe it was a miracle we left when we did, but I kept thinking a miracle would be if I wasn’t in this situation … a miracle would be getting to take her home. Instead of getting to take my baby home, I got to be the only mom in the maternity ward whose baby was not rooming in with me, I got to watch them put my baby on life support and stick needles and IV’s into her little arms and legs until there were no fresh veins left, I got to hear innocent but insensitive people suggest I use the time to relax while my baby was in the NICU, I got to make decisions and sign consent forms for risky surgical procedures that may or may not be needed in the next few precious hours, and I got to have an emotional breakdown every time she turned purple and stopped breathing and nurses rushed over to the sounds of alarms going off and shouting for someone to help them. So, no, I did not “get” to have a full term pregnancy that some mothers complain about, but most of all I did not get why this was happening to me! I didn’t understand why I felt so cheated and sad or that I was mourning a pregnancy that ended too soon and that all these feeling were normal. I needed help too and I prayed a lot! And God answered me. Besides the miracle of being allowed to stay in the rented rooms after being discharged and almost sent home without my baby, I did “get” a few things in all those weeks of heartache and fear and uncertainty. I remember the nurse who had been looking for me found me at midnight in the hallway as I was walking back to my room after the 10th milk delivery of the day and asked if I would like to hold my baby tomorrow… I almost collapsed and I remember letting out this uncontrollable sob as if there was any other answer but yes!! I found out the next day, the moment I was finally allowed to hold my daughter, that it didn’t matter that there were more wires than baby, it felt amazing. I found out that I was capable of so much more love, strength, courage, and commitment than I ever thought possible. I learned that bonding can take place even when touch is impossible. That I could I get up every two hours and endure the pain of hunching over an isolette to sing, pray, or just look (never touching, looking or talking all at once) That I could stand in one spot with legs long since asleep and two arms stuck through plastic holes in the incubator wall cupping the top of my DD’s head with one hand and her bottom with the other. That I could speak up when I disagreed with a doctor or nurse because my mom instincts were stronger than their opinions. I learned that saying goodbye to the NICU did not mean it was over. Even when your baby is healthy the affects of the NICU stayed with us for a long time. I learned that proudly bringing a baby home who still may forget to breathe occasionally, who must sleep at an incline for a year and be on adult
medication for reflux and whose future was uncertain made for an intense mixture of joy and fear. I heard the ringing of alarm bells for months after making the transition home. I slept fitfully with her by my side for months and called the NICU at all hours just to talk or cry and ask if it was normal that I stood at her bedside counting her breaths night after night. I experienced the isolation of spending fall, winter and early spring camped out at home with few or no visitors, not being able to attend church or just going out to show her off. The isolation of needing support while needing to stay away from people and their germs. I learned to find new milestones to celebrate, even if it was a single gram gained after too many grams lost. I learned to ignore statistics because preemies are capable of amazing feats of strength and endurance. And finally, because even thought this all sounds so brutal and intense, my miracle was so much more than any one thing I learned or experienced. Truly believing with all my heart that my baby was here to stay, knowing that my baby girl has accomplished more and overcome more than I could ever imagine in the first few months of her life alone is a humbling and a precious gift most mothers do not receive, and for that I am truly grateful.

By: Janine

Janine — Fri, 30 May 2014 03:36:26 +0000

In reply to Mindy. Great advice!

By: elizabeth bailey

elizabeth bailey — Thu, 29 May 2014 19:33:30 +0000

my second son was born 2 months early i thought my contractions were also false labor went to the hospital an they tried to stop the labor with some pills and because baby was still early the gave me steroid shots to make sure his lungs were developed. the thing that stopped the labor was an epidural because the pain was so bad. one week later while i was in the hospital on strict bed rest they couldnt find his hertbeat so they did an emergency c section an he went to the nicu right away. but they did such a horrible job on my c section that i was high on something because i felt them cutting me and in so much pain after that i dont remember anything. the nurse didnt want to give me a full dose of pain meds after i came to. but my son was in the nicu for 3 weeks luckily we lived nearby, but i was still so hard i cried everytime i went as well. an i was breastfeeding so i had to pump an then take them the milk so they could give it to him. it was very hard for us but he made it through an is now 4 yrs old. an thank goodness we were so broke we qualified for medicare.

By: Mindy

Mindy — Thu, 29 May 2014 16:55:32 +0000

Our son was born at 29 weeks 2 days – weighing 2 pounds 7 ounces. He was in the NICU for 2 months, and it was quite a learning experience for us. Thankfully he made it through his time there with only a few setbacks and bumps in the road. We are blessed with a wonderful, busy, energetic 6 year old.

I think my advice for families is to ask questions (doctors, nurses, support staff – no dumb question!!), take time to feel, accept help that is offered, and take time for yourself (sleep, eat, time away).

By: Michelle

Michelle — Thu, 22 May 2014 22:18:42 +0000

Wow, I wish I’d found a post like this when I was searching for info about premies after my 3rd was born at 35 weeks. (Or maybe it was after my fourth was born fifteen months later, also at 35 weeks. Those two years or so are a fuzzy blur in my memory.) Everything I did find was about health issues that didn’t apply to our situation — nothing was about the nuts and bolts of the NICU.

Before hurrying to check out, find out what your insurance coverage is. Our HMO covered all costs for my stay for three days after my c-section, but the doctor tried to push me out early with threats of infection if I was at the hospital instead of at home. It took a NICU nurse who knew how things worked to explain to me that I was going to be there anyway, I might as well be having someone else keep track of my painkillers and meals.

We got very lucky with baby #3 and the hospital let NICU moms camp out in empty hospital rooms as long as the babies were there. So ask and find out what the options are.