How Long

[Laura2919]

How long did you LO's spend in NNU and what did they have whilst there??

My girls spent a total of 28 days in 3 different Neo Natal Units.

Chloe was ventilated whilst being transferred and then C-Pap for One day and then in air in her incubator, she also needed 5 sessions of photo therapy because of her jaundice and at 2 weeks and 2 days she was moved into an open cot and moved to the low dependancy room next door.

Jaycee was ventilated whilst being transerred and then ventilated for an hr afterwards as she was so small. She was also put in a plastic bag for a little while too. She was on C-Pap for 3 days and then self ventilated from then on, she had 9 sessions of photo therapy because just when they thought she had got rid it crept up. she was moved into an open cot at 2 weeks and 2 days and moved into the low dependancy unit next door. Jaycee would have been incubated for longer but they needed the cots for twins born at 30 weeks on valentines day night. they said if she couldnt cope she would have an open aired heated cot but she managed just fine.

They came home at exactly 28 days old weighing Chloe 4lb1oz and Jaycee 3lb10oz

xx

 

[AP]

Alex was 2lb 4oz, was in intensive care for 9 days (felt far longer), high dependency for a few days where she did VERY well without oxygen
She had a rediculous amount of photo therepy for jaundice, so much so she was VERY tanned!
https://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...4_99651179317_514829317_1892449_3604497_n.jpg

but it all went backwards and then Special Care for the rest of the time on CPAP and oxygen., and into a heated cot and then normal cot.

She needed 2 blood transfusions.

She was in for about 11 and half weeks.

A few weeks later we had to return because she required laser eye surgery, (ROP), where she was knocked out and put on a ventilator again. That was not nice at all, I thought that had been and gone!

You'd think she'd be a wee fragile thing but shes a flippin nutcase and is laughing at me for no reason as i type this......

https://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...8_277312899317_514829317_3184743_798048_n.jpg

 

[Laura2919]

Awww loving the pics. She is gorgeous

Chloe had that little thing with all the colours they put in their incubators. Mainly to tell the difference haha!!
Poor little thing. She has done soooo well.. x

 

[TwoBumps]

Ben & Joshua were in for 8 weeks exactly. They were in intensive care for about a week, special care for about 2 weeks and then low dependancy for the rest. They both didn't need ventilating at birth but then needed cpap after about 12 hours. Unfortunately they hated the cpap and kept pulling off the mask!!! They got more and more tired and Ben was ventilated first and then Joshua. Ben then suffered a punctured lung and had to have a chest drain put in.

They were ventilated for 5 days and then went onto oxygen.....Ben then stayed on oxygen for another 4 weeks or so and we thought Joshua would never come off it as he refused to give it up!!! Thankfully everyone on here was right and one day he just started to wean off it and there was no stopping him after that!!

 

[TwoBumps]

Oh yeah and they had so much photo therapy that I lost count!!! They must both be little sun worshippers as they both loved sunbathing with their little shades on!!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Andrew was in NICU for a total of 78 days, until 2 days after his original due date, progressing slowly from ICU through High Dependency into the Nursery. He almost came home on oxygen but decided with just days to go that he was fed up of the tubes, pulled them off, and threw them out of the cot.

 

[Anna Barry]

hahaha, fair play Andrew i hope Neave takes a leaf out of his book and throws hers out the cot would love to think she will go home tubeless!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Marleysgirl]

We'd had the chat on the unit about Andrew coming home on oxygen, and had just given them the go-ahead to assess our home etc for home oxygen, as Andrew was hovering around 0.2 ... But before they could organise anything, he pulled the nasal cannula out and nobody noticed for a while! That night we had a good nurse on duty (as opposed to a "lazy" one - no offence meant) who was happy to leave the cannula blowing at the top of his cot rather than fixed to his nose, and she watched his sats like a hawk. He de-satted ocasionally but not dramatically, and always self-corrected.

The next night I was rooming-in, and they wanted him on oxygen for safety, but I wasn't happy - said I'd rather not room in if that was the case, as he obviously wasn't ready in their eyes. They compromised and said I could room-in if he was attached to a Sats monitor every 2 hlurs and checked by nurses. Well, we had one check but then the staff changed shifts and nobody else came to check! As I didn't call for help. the following morning the day-staff presumed all was well and left him off oxygen permanently, and off the sats monitor too!

Between his discarding of the nasal cannula and my not letting them overly monitor him, he was deemed to have weaned off oxygen.

 

[Marleysgirl]

aargh, double post

 

[Laura2919]

I was very shocked when they said my girls could come home. I werent expecting it at all xx

 

[bumpsmum]

They do move quickly once the consultant has declared them 'fit' for home. Told us on the thur and we roomed in fr-sat and home sunday was all a bit of a blur thinking back.

Matthew was born 33+4 by emerg c-section due to pre-eclampsia/kidney failure and IUGR he was 3lb 11 at birth but dropped quite a bit his first night (cant remember specifics now). He was in intensive care/high dependency fo 3 days then SCBU 12 days (moving from incubator to cot on day 10) then 2 nights rooming in -17 days in total, we expected a full 6 weeks.

He initially did not need assistance breathing was mainly temp control and hypo-glycema (sp?) he was put on CPAP during the night tho but only for 12 hours. Matthew also had 'the tan' from phototherapy that he got for about 4 days in a row. The tanned look took a good 4 weekas to fade xx

 

[TwoBumps]

I love Andrew's weaning Marleysgirl!! Joshua also seemed to wake up one day and decide he didn't need it anymore but we were told he could only come off it gradually...increasing the time by 1 or 2 hours a day!! This was sooooo frustrating as they were putting him back on when he was sating at 100!! Luckily we also had a good nurse for a few nights and she was happy to leave him off and monitor his SATs carefully and he was deemed weaned and taken off his SATs monitor much more quickly than they originally said he would be!!

 

[Laura2919]

I love Andrew's weaning Marleysgirl!! Joshua also seemed to wake up one day and decide he didn't need it anymore but we were told he could only come off it gradually...increasing the time by 1 or 2 hours a day!! This was sooooo frustrating as they were putting him back on when he was sating at 100!! Luckily we also had a good nurse for a few nights and she was happy to leave him off and monitor his SATs carefully and he was deemed weaned and taken off his SATs monitor much more quickly than they originally said he would be!!

Something similar happened to Jaycee when she was in hospital in December.
She was admitted for Bronchialitus and RSV and she needed oxygen, its contagious so we had a whole ward to ourselves and there was one nurse who even though she was pretty high made sure the monitor was always on and she had oxygen, luckily when she went off duty and a new nurse came on they turned off her monitor and checked it once in a while and every time they checked it her sats were back up and she was ok. so they said there werent much point keeping her in and they let her go home. She would probably still be there now if that nurse had her way lol x

 

[seekingbaby#1]

My son was born at 28w6d at 1lb 13oz. He has been in the nicu for 3 weeks now. I'm hoping he gets home alittle before his due date (4/1/10). He's doing great breathing room air. He just needs to grow, its so hard leaving him in his isolette and going home. I still cry daily

 

[Dona]

Archie was born 13 weeks early weighing 2lb 6oz. He spent 6 weeks in intensive care and 95 days in total in the neonatal unit - 14 long hard weeks! I didn't miss a day next to his side. Even when we were going to the lakes for a days break I got my hubby to stop in on the way past. I too, remember crying every time I left him, especially when he was having a bad day. It's mad thinking back that I actually spent 6-7hrs a day up at that hospital. Its amazing what you can do when you need too. xxx

 

[CazH]

Freddy was in hospital a total of 65 days. 28 days in intensive care, 18 in high dependancy and 19 in special care. The procedures and medications and illnesses are exhausting!! From ventilation,cpap,jaundice,sepsis,ductus arterious, anaemia, stridor, apnoae bradycardia,septicaemia, hyperthingymybobs......... i am reading this from a list and dont have a clue what half of em are!!!! the drug list is like a stock take of lloyds chemist!!

 

[nkbapbt]

Lakai was born at 24+4 weeks on Nov 2, 2008 came home March 9, 2009. Due Feb 16th, 2009. He weighed 1.63lbs

He had:

Blood transfusions
PDA surgery (heart surgery)
Over 200 heel prick blood tests
Double hernia surgery
Laser eye surgery
G-tube placement surgery
Intubated for 71 days
CPAP for 2 weeks
Low Flow for a week
Scope in the ER for upper airway issues
Extubated four times before moving on to CPAP
Stage III ROP
Stage II kidney reflux
Collapsed lung
Grade IV IVH
2 MRI's
Numerous head ultrasounds
UTI
Numerous pain killers, insulin, caffeine, and antibiotics
So many IV's in arms and head...
Numerous XRAYS of chest
Physio consults
Feeding studies
Upper GI study
Barium study
Stidor
Floppy Epiglottis
Jaundice
High Blood Sugar

I think thats it?!

 

[Laura2919]

Lakai was born at 24+4 weeks on Nov 2, 2008 came home March 9, 2009. Due Feb 16th, 2009. He weighed 1.63lbs

He had:

Blood transfusions
PDA surgery (heart surgery)
Over 200 heel prick blood tests
Double hernia surgery
Laser eye surgery
G-tube placement surgery
Intubated for 71 days
CPAP for 2 weeks
Low Flow for a week
Scope in the ER for upper airway issues
Extubated four times before moving on to CPAP
Stage III ROP
Stage II kidney reflux
Collapsed lung
Grade IV IVH
2 MRI's
Numerous head ultrasounds
UTI
Numerous pain killers, insulin, caffeine, and antibiotics
So many IV's in arms and head...
Numerous XRAYS of chest
Physio consults
Feeding studies
Upper GI study
Barium study
Stidor
Floppy Epiglottis
Jaundice
High Blood Sugar

I think thats it?!

Wow! What an amazing little one to pull through all of that.

Definitely a strong fighter x

 

[nkbapbt]

I know...I was there and went through it (as much as you can, not being him and doing it for him!) with him...He is truly a little miracle.

I missed some.... (just looking at his Patient Assessment Report)

Chronic Lung dis (BPD)
Phuemonia
High Frequency Oscillation
Dermatitis
Hyaline Membrane Dis/Immature lungs
GERD
Paralyzed left vocal cord (Im not sure how I missed this the first time around!)
Osteopenia of prematurity

 

[Laura2919]

It is amazing what a baby can do really. I was sooo worried when they said I would need a c section as they needed to deliver the twins. I am glad I was asleep cos I think I would have been a wreck through it!
They can somewhat fight our little tots