[1stTimeMomOf2]

My twins were born at 29 weeks 3 days. They are now 2 weeks old. It's been quite an emotional roller coaster going back and forth to the NICU to visit them, pumping my milk for them, and constantly missing them. How many of you out there can relate? How long did your babies stay in the NICU??

[quagmire8]

I cant completely relate from the parent's side, but i can offer some sympathy. I work as a RN in the NICU. I love my job, but one of the worst parts is the day when mom gets discharged and her baby (or babies ) has to stay. i have cried many tears with parents on mom's discharge day. I can say that it does get better and time does go quicker the longer they are in there. The babies usually start off growing slowly and gaining weight slowly, but once they hit 32 weeks or so they just blossom! they start gaining about an ounce or two a day, which adds up really quickly! Also, the bigger they get, the more that you as a mommy get to do for them. In our unit, we like our parents to take temperatures, change diapers, bathe, and help bottle feed (once the babies are able to do so). You are doing a wonderful thing by pumping! You are the only person that can provide the perfect food for your babies, and they benefit so much from it! I know it is a scary place and a scary time in your life. If there is anything I can do, feel free to PM.

[Michelespreemies]

First of all I want to congratulate you on the birth of a miracle!!

I can relate. My youngest was born at 28 5/7 weeks ( I usually say 29 weeks) and spent 86 days in 3 different NICU's. I was feeling like I was on another planet in the beginning.
I remember when I had my emergency section they wouldn't let me see her and she was in a complete different part of the hospital. I finally got off of all the wires and tubes and meds and I saw her about 20 hours after she was born and I broke down because as I walked into the NICU I didn't know what baby was mine. I cried for over an hour because I felt like a horrible person because she was my baby and I didn't recognize her. I sat with her for every waking moment i could, but since I had arrested in the OR, that was minimal.
The day I was discharged almost 1 week after she was born I was a wreck again. Throughout the week I was coming to grips of the situation and the severity of everything, but then the doc came in my room with no notice and pulled my staples out and said you are going home and you are to stay in bed... I screamed NO!! I had no one else to hold on to, but my baby at that time... I sat there with my baby all day and then finally at 10 pm they called my room mate to come get me because I refused to leave. I was there the next morning and everyday like clock work. I was there from 8 am til mid night everyday until I did get sick and my incision gt infected. I missed a few days and I again was a wreck.. BUT I learned to look at all the good that was happening. I learned not to dwell on the down's, but all the up's and good things that happen. I would start to crack jokes and take over her care. About the 3rd week I was taking care of my daughter in the NICU more or less. When she had her set backs, and there was alot of them, I would cry inside, but never let her see me upset. I always just kept going and reminding her that she was a miracle and that she would make it out of her cage (Isolate). At 4 1/2 weeks old she was transfered to the Step Down Unit and there it got awkward...There were only 6 babies there at that time and the nurses were not out numbered as they were up stairs. There she was starting to feed orally and attempted to breathe open air. There is where we started to notice her weird movements.. A HUGE setback... But still was discharged at 6 weeks from that hospital with a monitor... But to back up some.... The day I was all packed to do my overnight and eating breakfast to head to the hospital I get a call to come get my child.. They had discharged her early....

I went and scooped her up so fast!!!

The next week she ended up in the NICU across town at the Local Children's Hospital and there I went again!! All but 1 night I was able to sleep in the NICU with her. The one night I couldn't she had been intubated for a procedure and they weren't able to extubate her because she was having breathing difficulties and was not breathing on her own. I never left that hospital for almost 4 weeks... When she came home with new meds and a few new dx's I was still happy to have her home.. I felt this HUGE brick lifted off my back...
About 1 week later (on her original due date, it was changed at 24 weeks..) I had to go to Tampa (approx 250 miles north) for my grandfathers funeral and Low and behold... She started to have difficulties yet again and ended up in the clean floor at the local Children's Hospital... This was the easiest stay I think.. She was in a private room and I had my mom there with me... I was in charge and I think I was alot stronger this stay...

All in all.. My advice is just to be strong and very persistent... Don't be quite if you truly believe something or have that deep feeling that something isn't right... Keep your head up tall and don't be afraid to bust out into tears ant any moment...

I have given birth to 3 preemies... 1 of them stayed in the NICU and she was there for 86 days total.. She is now 4 1/2 and getting healthier everyday....

[lavatea]

My son was induced in August. I was 34 weeks 6 days. I had pregnancy induced hypertension so he was born small for his gestational age. He spent 3 weeks in the NICU. It was very hard. It was hard to find time to go up there, hard to pump every 2-3 hours, and it was hard to even spend time up there once I got there. I found the NICU to be very depressing, even though Aiden wasn't sick. He only had to stay for as long as he did in order to gain some weight and learn how to eat. I can't say it got any easier the longer he was there. A big problem I had was that his sister couldn't go with me to the NICU so I was torn between spending time at home with her and spending time up in the NICU with my new baby.

I hope your twins get to come home soon.

[1stTimeMomOf2]

Thank you so much ladies! I try so hard to stay strong for them and for DH but I do have my days when all I want to do is sit in bed and cry (and judging from your stories I'm sure you had them too). They are getting stronger and bigger each day, hopefully they'll be home in a month or so (they're due date is April 22). ((Hugs)) Thanks again!

[ashtay]

Hello, I can also totally relate to everything you are feeling. My twins were born at 28 weeks gestation. They spent 70 ays int he hospital total (8 weeks in the NICU and 2 weeks in a special care nursery closer to home) I spent as much time as possible with the when they were in the NICU (and hour from home) and I was there all day and ito the night whenthey were moved closer to home. They came home 2 weeks before their due daye with oxygen or other monitors. They were 5lbs 1oz and 4lbs 13oz at discharge. They are now happy healthy almost 4 year olds....The trauma of these days will become less bothersome in the future.
I went on to have a full term baby boy 16 months ago and due to medical issues he ended up in the very same nursery and NICU...i thought my time with the girls was bad but i found his 4 days there even more traumatic.