Introduce your VIP (Very Important Preemie!)

[MommyCandice]

Had my little man yesterday. I was due sept 12 but apparently drs were saying sept 17th. I was scheduled for a csection sept 10th. Friday aug 15 we decided tk go visit my ohs parents who live an hour and a half away for the weekend sjnce we didn't have my other 2 kids and we knew we would not see them again till the ecs. So we got there about 9 am and j had slight cramping then I started losing bitsof my mucus plug. So at 130 am aug 16 they were contractions every 7 mins. So we went to hospital and I was 1 cm dilated. Not good since I was to have a section. Tgey moniter the contractions and they were getting more painful so they checked again and i was 3 cm dilated so they said j had to have a csetion. Soon j was prepped and ready to go.
Dominic christian alexander was born aug 16th at 651am. His gestation was 35 weeks 3 days. He was 18.5 in long and weighed 4lbs 12.8 oz. He was sent to nicu. He was doing well so after 12 hours they moved him from under the heat lamp to a.little bassinett. The big thing though is nursing. I got to nurse him the first time at 100pm aug 16. He nursed very well about 10 minutes per side. When I tried nursing at 8 pm he wouldnt do it. Same with thr 12am feed we did and the 8am feed and 12pm feed. I feel like a horrible mom. I just wish he would eat. The sooner he eats the sooner we can go home as that is the only concern thankfully. I.managed to get him to feed at 4pm this afternoon. The key may be I need to wake him fully first. The problem is he isnt fweling hungry as he has a constant sugar water iv drip. Pumping is not going well either. Hw isnt jaundice, his sugars are good and so are all blood work and vitals.

Firdt pic is today aug 17th. 24 hours old.
2nd pic is after a couple hours when I first seen him.after delivery and recovery

 

[SucreK]

Hi everyone! My girls were born at 33+4 on February 6, 2014. Lena (twin A) was 4 lbs 4 oz. Nora (twin B) was 4 lbs 8 oz. Lena spent 16 days in the NICU growing and feeding. Nora needed 2 surgeries and then had to battle a nasty wound infection. She came home after 74 days in the NICU.

I'm attaching a pic of my husband holding them right after birth (they fit in one receiving blanket!) and a pic taken at their 6 month check-up (4 months adjusted). Nora is on the left in that picture, and Lena's on the right. Nora weighs 19 lbs and is in the 88th percentile for a 6 month old. Lena is 21 lbs and in the 97th percentile. They are my wonder twins.

 

[PinkPeony]

Hi everyone! My girls were born at 33+4 on February 6, 2014. Lena (twin A) was 4 lbs 4 oz. Nora (twin B) was 4 lbs 8 oz. Lena spent 16 days in the NICU growing and feeding. Nora needed 2 surgeries and then had to battle a nasty wound infection. She came home after 74 days in the NICU.

I'm attaching a pic of my husband holding them right after birth (they fit in one receiving blanket!) and a pic taken at their 6 month check-up (4 months adjusted). Nora is on the left in that picture, and Lena's on the right. Nora weighs 19 lbs and is in the 88th percentile for a 6 month old. Lena is 21 lbs and in the 97th percentile. They are my wonder twins.

Just saw this SucreK! They're gorgeous!! Amazing weights! Good job momma!

 

[Kiwiberry]

Hello ladies!

Our little angel Riya is here!!! She was born at 5:45 am, today October 7th. She weighs 2 pound 9 ounces and was born at 27+6 weeks. So far she is in NICU and breathing room air on her own with some help from the C-pap machine. She is so adorable and could not wait to greet the world. I was in labor for 27 hours and was able to deliver vaginally with no stitches!! They do not know why she was born pre-term, but we are more than happy she is here!

Her EDD was supposed to be December 31st, 2014.

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[MiissMuffet]

My wee Deakon was born at 34+6 after my waters broke 2 nights before. Via c section due to me developing an infection. He weighed in at 5lb11oz (2590g) and was in NICU for 14 days. Now 3 weeks old I can't believe he's here and he's not even due yet! So Inlove

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[Kiwiberry]

Here are some updated pictures of Riya bean. She is now 34 weeks gestation!

 

[Fliss]

Gorgeous babies mamas xxx

 

[BSelck24]

My little man is here! Zackary Allen Kuenz arrived on January 2nd, 2015 at 23 weeks 1 day. His due date was April 30th, 2015. He weighed 1lb 9oz (680 grams) and was 11 inches long. I began having contractions on 1/1/15 and had an amino which determined I had a severe infection and needed to deliver the baby that night. He was born at 1108pm on 1/2/15, just a half an hour after my mother arrived at the hospital!

My husband was rushed down to the NICU with him as soon as they got his intubation tube in. I was able to deliver vaginally and my water broke on its own. I was given pinto in to speed up the delivery as the infection would've killed both the baby and I. I was given an epidural in case my body did not know to deliver the placenta right after the baby since I was delivering so early.

But my body knew just what to do and has even allowed me to pump breast milk for my little miracle.

He just passed his one week birthday and we celebrated with cheesecake!

I am determined to stay positive and am so blessed to have an amazing support system that consistently prays for Zackarys continued growth and health

So proud of my baby! Cannot believe I am a mom!

 

[myra]

Welcome to the world Zackary!!!!

BSelck-I won't lie and say that this will be an easy journey, but that im sure you know. But in the midst of all the "downs", you'll also have some of the most amazing "ups". It's burned in my memory the first time my son turned his head in his incubator to really look at me. I can't remember exactly how old he was- maybe about 3-4 weeks and when he made eye contact with me and KNEW that I was there, it was one of the the most beautiful moments that I've experienced- and one that I may have easily missed if everything was "normal" and he was born on time and came home "like all the other babies".

One thing I wish I'd done is to keep a journal or log of the positives- for me it was so easy to get weighed down by all the setbacks and challenges, that in retrospect I think maybe being able to go back and read about the positives during tough times may have helped out.

 

[myra]

Kiwi- I saw in another thread that Riya came home. Congratulations!!

 

[Meli_H]

Congratulations on the birth of your miracle boy
Stay strong and positive, as you seem to be doing. Keep it up.

My baby was born at 23 weeks, so I know EXACTLY what you are going through. Big hugs!!

 

[BSelck24]

Congratulations on the birth of your miracle boy
Stay strong and positive, as you seem to be doing. Keep it up.

My baby was born at 23 weeks, so I know EXACTLY what you are going through. Big hugs!!

Oh Meli! That is such great news that your baby was also born at 23 weeks and is doing great! What was the hardest part for you during your baby's long stay in the NICU? And when did your baby get to come home!!?

 

[Meli_H]

Hi BSelck,

My baby was in the NICU for 125 days--he was born 9/27/13 and his EDD was 1/25/14. He came home on 1/30/14.

The hardest part was his health issues. I did tons of research the 4 days I was in labor and they were trying to stop it.

I read about NEC and scared the crap out of us. Sure enough, he developed NEC and needed 2 surgeries to correct and heal him. He also had laser eye surgery.

Something I did that helped us, was to document his progress, his ups and downs, on a daily basis, and shared it on FB. We didnt even belong to FB until my miracle was born.

It was very helpful because we had a ton of supporters (his prayer warriors, we call them) and they gave us strength and positivity when we needed it the most. It was really uplifting to know how many people cared for him, loved him, and prayed for him, even though they didnt even know him! Some of these people didnt even know us! I truly believe the power of prayer is what healed my miracle. I know it also has to do with medical technology and the skill of his medical staff, but I know that God is the one who gave those skills to them!

Along with his daily updates, we would post pictures and people were so enthralled with my miracle and his journey. THe NICU he was at is 1 hour away from home, so we wouldnt get home until 10pm or so, and by the time we posted, it was close to midnight. We would get many comments starting around 1130pm "Where's the daily update??" "I can't go to sleep until I read how his day went". When he came home, I moved his daily updates to weekly and received comments like "His daily updates are like crack to me. What am I going to do without them" LOL

Feel free to ask questions; I truly became a NICU expert, having spent 10 hours a day/everyday/for 125 days. I never missed 1 day

BIG HUGS TO YOU, YOUR MIRACLE, AND YOUR FAMILY!

 

[BSelck24]

Meli thank you so much! We are so similar in that my husband posts daily updates on Facebook for our friends and family once we hear the doctors report each morning! We too call them our prayer warriors and have so many people in different states praying for Zackarys health at all times!

May I ask what NEC is? And how old was your lil man when he had to have eye surgery? My lil guys eyes aren't open yet so we know nothing about them yet! (I can't wait for his eyes to open! It's the next big milestone im looking forward too!)

My husband is also taking notes on his daily doctors reports so we remember his stats and how he's improving each day and what they are adjusting!

Of course I'm really thinking about when I can first hold my baby although I know it's far in the future. Do you remember how many weeks it was until your got to hold your son?

 

[Meli_H]

NEC is Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a condition where the intestines become infected and can begin to die.

I didn't get to hold until after his first intestinal/stomach surgery at 7 weeks old. and even then it was only for a few minutes at a time that he could tolerate without a d-sat or brady.

He had his laser eye surgery 2 weeks before discharge. They will start checking your baby's eyes weekly, soon, starting at about 26 weeks gestation. They dont expect to see problems until 30-34 weeks gestation, but they start watching them earlier, just in case. Those weekly evaluations are horrible; dont be there to see them, step out of the room, if you can. They are quick evals, but they use some sort of contraption that looks like medieval torture. They use numbing drops but man, the way the poor babies scream, I'm not entirely convinced those numbing drops work....

 

[Meli_H]

If your baby doesnt have any major issues, like NEC, then I would guesstimate that you will be able to hold in within 3-4 weeks or so? Right now, their skin is like tissue thin, and easily ripped...

I think his eyes opened after 2 weeks....

 

[BSelck24]

Thank you for all the info!! I will definitely be out of the too for those eye exams! Also good to know about NEC and I will be on the lookout for that.

Zackary is coming up on two weeks old so I'm hoping his eyes open soon!

I will keep you updated!!

 

[Meli_H]

Thank you for all the info!! I will definitely be out of the too for those eye exams! Also good to know about NEC and I will be on the lookout for that.

Zackary is coming up on two weeks old so I'm hoping his eyes open soon!

I will keep you updated!!

Yes, please keep us updated. Stay strong! You can do this

 

[Meli_H]

More advise: Wipe down your cell phones with the hospital wipes when you get in, every single day. Cell phones are notoriously dirty...and you dont want to touch/use your cellphone, and then touch your lil guy, or touch something else that can infect your lil guy (or those caring for him..who can then, in turn, infect your lil guy).

BECOME A GERMOPHOBE.

It will serve you well, not just now, but in the future, when your lil guy is discharged. You are going to have to protect him at all costs--not just during flu season. If you dont get sick, then you cannot pass it on to the lil guy, right!

We have purell wipes and liquid on us at all times...in my purse, in the cars, in the diaper bags, and in 3 rooms of the house.

 

[Kiwiberry]

If she is breastfeeding then her milk will pass on the antibodies of whatever she is sick with.