Feeling scared and guilty

[jac33]

I had my baby girl on Friday night at 34 weeks 5 days. she's been in the neonatal unit since then, was in an incubator but now in a heated cot.

I just feel so scared when I see her and hearing her machines go off, she seems to have a problem with her respiratory rate.

I'm in agony with stitches but feel so guilty tonight as after visiting today I felt too sore for the car ride back to the hospital.

 

[25weeker]

Congratulations on the birth of your little girl.

Neonatal is scary especially all the alarms but you do get used to them. The respiratory monitor is the most unreliable and in our neonatal they used to count their breaths instead. The oxygen reading would also go all over the place when your lo moves about a lot. When the alarms go off look at your baby as that will give you the best idea.

Good luck xx

 

[Marleysgirl]

Congratulations - she's doing really well if she's in a heated cot already!

You *will* get used to the monitor noises, honest. You will learn to recognise the different alarm tones, and recognise what causes them (e.g. the wire to the pad coming loose!). You may even start to get into the habit of nudging your littl'un's knees when the breathing monitor shows a slow-down

 

[dolly1989]

congratulations hun i realy hope she can go home with you soon i remember the alarms an stuff was always going off and most of the time it was for no reason i remeber them going off wile i was sitting there holding my lil man an calling the nurses over all the time they used to say to me dont look at the moniters or listen to the alarms just look at your baby and you will see he is fine and if he wasnt fine i would no without the alarms so to try and ignore them as i wasnt going to be able to take the moniters home with me lolin the end i just ignored them and forgot they was there xxx

 

[stepmum]

I echo what the others have said, a lot of the time in our neonatal unit the alarms would go off for no reason or something silly like baby moving, this was with all the babies too not just Oliver, it is scary hearing those alarms all the time but just try and forget they are there. Congratulations on your LO x

 

[jac33]

thanks very much ladies, that's really reassuring x

 

[ermm23a]

Have they told you she is having problems with her respitory rate or is that just what you are thinking?

A lot of times when I'd be back there with my little man, one of the stickers that held the monitor sensors in place would slide off and the alarm would sound and I would freak out every time until the nurses explained to me that it was normal and not to worry and that sometimes the leads just don't pick up based on the way the baby has twisted/turned, etc.

Try not to worry. The NICU can be very intimidating. Just ask them to explain to you what everything is and how it works. It made me feel better knowing what all the equipment was.

 

[lindseymw]

As others said, you do get *use* to all the noises & alarms. The breathing monitor was the worse, it always kept going off (for the wrong reasons).

Don't feel guilty about not getting to the hospital, you have been though alot & need time to recover yourself. Theres not a lot you can do for your LO while they are in Hospital, concentrate on getting you back to full health as well for when LO comes home.

Oh & congratulations!

 

[GemFrel]

Congratulations on the birth of your LO.

Like others have said, the maxhine will become less intimidating in time and you will get used to all the beeps and buzzers.

They are being looked after round the clock so don't feel guilty about not visiting due to you being unwell yoiurself x

 

[Starchase]

Congratulations honey, what did you call her and how much did she weigh?? Superb that she is already on the heated cot shows she is managing just fine.. she will be home before you know it

Xxx

 

[jac33]

named her Ellie-Rose after my mum and gran, she was 4lbs 15oz. can't believe that's been a week already. she's doing really well just needs to learn to feed and gain some weight

 

[Starchase]

What a beautiful name and such a good weight too, well done to you both

Xxxx

 

[katy1310]

Congratulations Sounds like she is doing really well if she is into a heated cot already.

As the others have said, the neonatal unit is a very scary environment but you do get used to it and you get used to the alarms. I was so scared at first and used to panic every time an alarm went off, but like the others have said, the nurses told me to look at Sophie rather than the alarms and I'd get a better indication from that. One nurse even turned the monitor away so we couldn't see it because we were panicking so much!

You really do know by looking at your baby if there is something wrong - not including when Sophie was really tiny and in an incubator and occasionally forgot to breathe and had to be tickled for a few seconds, (she was a 27 weeker) I can remember only two times that she was actually struggling and I knew because she went bluey grey and floppy as well as the alarms going crazy. Both those times were in the 2 weeks before getting her home, when she was 10-12 weeks old, and they were both during feeds and she was just having trouble co-ordinating breathing, sucking and swallowing.

I hope your LO doesn't have too long a stay

 

[jac33]

Ellie-Rose is doing well, still in a hot cot and on a machine to monitor her but is taking a bottle fed now and again, they are increasing her bottle feeds to 1 for every 2 tube feeds, she's lost 3oz so is now 4lbs 13oz

 

[Starchase]

That is brilliant news before you know it she will not need anymore tube feeeding

Xxx

 

[dagedaiiy]

. she will be home before you know it

Xxx

 

[jac33]

spent last night in the hospital with ellie-rose in the mother and baby room and today she gets to come home after 17 nights in the scbu.

so happy but also a little scared

 

[Lottie86]

I remember that feeling, it's weird as you are so excited on one hand that they are coming home and and on the other hand you're really nervous as there are no nurses on hand to ask questions to or to reassure you if you're having a mini panic about anything.

Once Ellie-Rose has settled into life at home I'd love to hear how she's getting on. I looooove her name btw, gorgeous!

 

[nineena]

Congratulations on the birth of your LO, sounds like she's done really really well. I can remember being absolutely terrified when we were finally able to bring Ella home, dont think i slept for the first few nights, woke every time she made a lil noise and kept checking she was breathing haha.

You will settle in VERY soon though and i'm sure Ellie-Rose will too because she'll be where she belongs with her mummy xx Congrats again x

 

[stepmum]

Congratulations on bringing her home Hun, hope you are both settling into it well xxx