Best things about having a preemie

[AP]

(I nicked this from the Bliss website!)

Being in the neonatal can be a real rollercoaster journey. I seen this idea on the Bliss website and it was pretty uplifting reading the replies!!!!

We think about the scary times, but what was the best part?

Edit: Please don't reply if you haven't had a preemie, this question might sound a bit strange but it's something only a mother to a preemie would understand!

Mine:

• Getting to spend that lil more time with Alex
• The neonatal staff easing us into parenthood, showing us how to do things and giving us precious lil tips!!
• The precious cuddles!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Mine, and these are very personal to me, so no judgement please!

• Being eased into parenthood slowly
• Not having to go through that huge uncomfortable pregnancy stage - now I've seen the size of him at 8lb, I wonder how he was meant to fit
• Having longer to get to know my baby
• Having a more substantial back-up team of specialists when we did come home
• He's still easy to carry, even at 5 months
• He's not like 95% of other other babies, which means he's special - and a conversation starter with strangers

 

[AP]

Marleysgirl I have edited my original post - i understand someone might be offended that wouldnt understand where we are coming from!

Its easy for us to look at the negatives and the pain of being in the neonatal ,so it can be uplifting to look at the bright points!

xxxxx

 

[DonnaBallona]

Wearing the small clothes for longer. . . Brooke is still in 0-3 and i LOVE it!!

Seeing how she would have grown, changed and developed from outside of the womb, when she should have been doing all those things inside me where I couldnt see them. . .if you know what I mean?!

and everything everyone else has said. . .its mad!

 

[Fluxuspoem]

For me it was the fact that I have a newborn baby for so long. The grow so fast that if she was full term I would be so sad that the first month went so quickly... also that special bonding that its created between baby and mum that is even stronger with a premmie. Last, the fact that premmie babies are fighters and very special and strong human beings and I am so blessed to be the mummy of one x

 

[AP]

i like how EVERYONE in the doctors knows Alex, because of her story. the mere mention of her name and they'll do loads for her, when normally my surgery are morons.

 

[Sam9kids]

Ive had 3 premmies, 2 of them in scbu

Ive loved having those quiet one to one cuddles
Seeing how strong they are

 

[Bec L]

Agree with the whole thing of them staying little babies for longer, and the fact they stay in smaller clothes

Also just that every single tiny bit of progress whilst they are in SCBU is so celebrated ie for us when Poppy managed her first breastfeed, when she came off phototherapy, when she went into a cot, got back to her birth weight etc. I am sure milestones also mean a lot to non prem babies but I just think the little things are extra special for the early ones

 

[Dona]

For me it was watching them grow outside the womb - like Brooks Mummy said. Also how strong and resilient these babies are - nothing phases them. I totally agree with everyone else too.

Sandi - cant believe you had to edit your thread.

 

[bumpsmum]

Matthew is so good and easy going and not fussy about anything, he takes medicine no bother, lets Dr's examine him without a fuss and like Sandi dr practice cant do enough for him, I think that because what these babies had to go through at the start they accept change and routines so much easier and go witht he flow if that makes sense...........

Also all the special 'firsts' and having that newbrn stage for linger, I love how full of beans Matthew is but any time I see a newborn Im like 'AAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWW' and secretly miss it. xx

 

[DonnaBallona]

every new post under mine I read and was like "YEAH! I soooooooo agree with that!"

Def what Bec L said though-every single little milestone was SUCH an achievement! I remember Brooke put on a oz ina week once and we were all like "YES!!" purely because she didnt lose any-just gained it,even if it was a teeny amount

ooh thought of another-being able to take random comparison pictures when they're able, and then looking back and thinking "my goodness.were they ever THAT small?!"

xx

 

[Anna Barry]

For me it is keeping our babies longer, being able to watch their early development, being thrilled when they gain an ounce, feeling very proud when they reach their own premmie milestones, coming out of the incubator, not needing a hot cot, coming off cpap!
I think this experience has made me appreciate her all the more and has put my whole being into perspective.xx

 

[Foogirl]

I always look for a silver lining, and found so many positives from going through our journey.

Meeting Abby early - I was desperate to meet her and told he so every day when I was pregnant.
Learning to look after a bairn with trained nurses for 6 weeks.
3 weeks of one to one breasfteeding counselling.
All the additional "firsts" we got to experience.
Abby was already self settling by the time she came home and was still on her 3 hourly feed routine.
All the additional follow up is great.
Getting to do the newborn thing for sooooo much longer!

And on a more personal level, being able to properly recover from my operation. It was brutal enough without a newborn to look after.

I learned things about myself, and my marriage that I might never have discovered.

I'm in two minds whether I'm relieved I didn't go full term as Abby would have been a big'un and July was incredibly hot to be that pregnant. But I did really miss being pregnant so I think on balance I'd rather have gone on longer!

Her story is interesting to people. Even just the question "how old is she" can lead to a 20 minute conversation.

She was sooooo teeny tiny that people ooohed and ahhhhed everywhere we went.

I'm sure there are plenty more too!

 

[bumpsmum]

Her story is interesting to people. Even just the question "how old is she" can lead to a 20 minute conversation.

She was sooooo teeny tiny that people ooohed and ahhhhed everywhere we went.

DITO at first I was really paranoid that people thought I should not be out with such a tenny weeni baby but people were just generally interested. Now when people ask how old he is, they just nod ans smile as he must more or less look his age. Its sad to say but I kinda miss the attention he got x

 

[grumpymoo]

Ok, I will be honest. When I read the title of this thread I thought forget it, best things?!!!

But I have just read everyone's replies and they were lovely to read. It has made me think i need to be more positive about our experience with Rose in those first few months

Thanks girls x

 

[Laura2919]

For me I think its them being babies for so long.

Mine were tiny for the first 6 months of life then they just sprouted and now they arent far off walking x

 

[Laura2919]

Ok, I will be honest. When I read the title of this thread I thought forget it, best things?!!!

But I have just read everyone's replies and they were lovely to read. It has made me think i need to be more positive about our experience with Rose in those first few months

Thanks girls x

I see where you are coming from in ways!
I mean all the fear, pain, shock, and more feelings couldnt really be described as best but the way I look at it is we were given these special babies for a reason.
They have had their fair share of fighting and trouble and now they have been given to people are gonna care for them the best.

Its an experience you only can imagine once you have been there and done it.

My girls are more special to me every day because I watched them be two tiny babies in incubators with tubes coming out of everywhere to being these two little terrors with teeth who bite your nose when giving them a kiss and laughing out loud..

Its a special thing and your daughter is a special girl.. love to you and your daughter is gorgeous by the way xx

 

[TwoBumps]

What a great thread!! As everyone else has said our babies time in SCBU is soooo scary and such a rollercoaster that it is hard to look at the positives!

For me the best bits about having premmies are-

* They are like a newborn for soooo long that you really get to enjoy it
* Nearly everyday they seem to reach a new milestone and no matter how small it is it is absolutely amazing!
* They are little fighters and nothing bothers them....they just take everthing in their stride
* This one is entirely personal to me so please don't judge me.....but I absolutely hated being pregnant and although I would never wish to have a prem baby I was relieved that I wasn't pregnant anymore!
* When they did eventually come home they were (and still are) really really good babies! They were in a great routine at the hospital and they stayed in that routine at home. They go down to sleep at night with no fuss and are really undemanding babies! A lot of my friends who have had one full term baby have had a really hard time getting their babies into routines and doing all the things that the boys were already doing when they came home from hospital!

Its lovely to be able to look back now and see the positives but I never want to go through it again!!!

 

[Foogirl]

Ok, I will be honest. When I read the title of this thread I thought forget it, best things?!!!

It's tough to do. After the first couple of weeks of drowning in a sea of self pity and being down, I decided I absolutely had to start looking for the upsides to the situation we were in. It took some doing, but I found something to be thankful for every day.

I am a great believer that the only way to go through life is to remember that whatever happens, you have a lesson to learn from it and each lesson makes the next hiccup easier to deal with.

Each upside is very personal to each person - although many are similar, I guess it depends on how you look at life and the things you find easiest and hardest. Like TwoBumps - if you have had a terrible pregnancy then it is entirely understandable you'd be glad it was over. On the other hand, if you loved being pregnant then you wouldn't be.

However, this is entirely different from hearing other people, who haven't been through it, say we were lucky because of these thiings! That'll get them a slap

 

[AP]

I know it was going to get an initial "wtf" reaction, but I seen the thread on Bliss and thought the same myself, but to read all the bits made me feel much positive about everything, a hard as it can be!