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Didn't want to hijack the other thread... I'm home (released from the hospital this morning) which is both a good thing and a bad thing. Both girls are still in the NICU, and will be for a bit of time (they won't be released until they reach 5lbs...not sure why...I think it has something to do w/the carseats). Harriet is officially off of the ventilator, and feeding quite well (bottles). Matilda is being given bm through a feeding tube for now, as she's still on the ventilator. I still haven't held Matilda, which really stinks So, things seem to be going quite well with my girls. My son is finally doing better. He's going to go spend the weekend with my SIL (he adores his older cousins) since we will be spending a lot of time at the NICU this weekend. He will be returning to school next week, and that'll give me a good chunk of time during the day to go visit my girls. I'm already fearing how i'll cope with having Harriet at home while Matilda is still in the NICU (the likely scenario is that Harriet will be released before Matilda). Will I bring Harriet to the hospital with me? Id hate to bring her in and out - especially in the cold - all the time. Will I leave her home with DH, mom, SIL, babysitter? What about feeding (hope to be bf-ing by then!) Anyway, thanks for thinking of us. Please pray that my little Harriet continues on this path & gains quickly, and that Matilda can start getting healthier & get off that breathing tube so I can hold her, she can start eating, and she, too can come home! I'll update more as I am able. Thanks again. Amanda, Mom To: DS Alastair Jonah (4) & "his girls" ~ Matilda Carys & Harriet Esme ~ 2/21/08 (EDD 4/28/08) | ||
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I am glad your girls are thriving. The NICU us the best place from them right now. I had to bring 1 home first then the other followed shortly after. I see you are in NJ - What hospital are your girls in? I was in Valley and Love it.
Danielle Nicholas 2/5/04 Twins Sophia & Isabella 2/8/07 Shop Closed 2/8/07 | ||
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this board's moving quickly today! bumping back to the front page. Amanda, Mom To: DS Alastair Jonah (4) & "his girls" ~ Matilda Carys & Harriet Esme ~ 2/21/08 (EDD 4/28/08) | ||
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congratulations on your new babies! maybe you can post this on the twins board. they might be able to give you more advice. http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus1843 wishing you and your little ones the best of luck!
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Apnea is very common in premies, my niece had it for a little while when she was in the NICU. She's never had it happen at home. (she turns 3 this week). I would not bring your released little one to the hospital, too many germs. i highly recommend checking out www.twinstuff.com, because lots of those moms have dealt with your issues, and it moves much faster than the BBC twin board. Good luck...I'm so glad your little ones are here are relatively healthy! Oh, and my niece (30 weeker) was never vented, but she was tube fed for over week...she wasn't old enough to have the suck/swallow reflex. julie
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What a bittersweet post, Amanda. Thanks for checking in as I have been thinking about you and all three of your little ones. I remember so vividly the day I was released from the hospital when Anastasia was still in the NICU. I stayed until almost 9 pm that evening and then I was back at midnight. I just couldn't be away. It was so hard! Hang in there. I think they often give the "5 lb rule" but many come home before that. Check you carseat. Many start at 4 lbs now (I think the snugride is one of them, but I'm not sure). Take it one day at a time. There are so many ups and downs with NICU babies, then it's like all of a sudden they say, take the babies home! You will work out all of the logistics as you go along. Are the babies able to share a crib yet? Also, ask about kangarooing when they are held, which is holding the babies on your bare skin. It's great that the babies are getting breastmilk. That will help them so much. You are doing a great job! Congratulations, again!
Marla D'Angela ^i^ 9-14-2000 Anastasia 4-12-2003 Eliana 3-4-2005 | ||
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Thanks so much for the kind words, everyone. It's been a rough couple days, for sure. Alastair has gone to SIL's house. I'm feeling a bit guilty about not spending time with him, but I know he's having a blast w/his cousins!! DH's car is in the shop, so he dropped me off at the hospital this AM on the way to work and we just came home now (8pm)...I'm exhausted, but really didn't want to leave. I guess some of you who have BTDT kwim. We actually do not have carseats yet. So, I will definitely look into getting two that can hold lower weights (lower than 5lbs, if possible). Thanks again, everyone. Amanda, Mom To: DS Alastair Jonah (4) & "his girls" ~ Matilda Carys & Harriet Esme ~ 2/21/08 (EDD 4/28/08) | ||
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Congrats on your girls. I can answer the 5 pound question for you since I'm a NICU nurse. They usually have to be about 1800 grams or more to wean to an open crib. They don't necessarily have to be five pounds but are usually close to it. Before 1800 grams they are just too little and use up to much of their calories trying to maintain there weight. Usually they encourage you to bring in items (blankets, clothes) to make it feel a little closer to home. I strongly encourage you to kangaroo your little ones. It really helps create a bond and the babies love it. I hope they have a speedy recovery. If you have any questions let me know. Amber | ||
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I've been thinking about you and your family. I hope they continue to thrive so they can go home soon! I'll be thinking and praying for your family! Glad your son is feeling better! Danielle  | ||
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Thank you so much for the info. I have been kangaroo-ing (is that a word?) Harriet pretty much the whole time i'm there. I held Matilda for the first time today, but only for a few minutes (she's having trouble regulating body temp outside of the incubator). I like the suggestion of bringing stuff from home...I have a few blankets here that Matilda's nurse suggested I sleep with to get my "sent" on them. I'll be bringing those by tomorrow am. thank you for the clarification on the 5lbs "rule". As a NICU nurse, you may be able to answer this (I know I can just ask tomorrow, but, I may forget. My mind is allover the place!) Since I'm pumping & Harriet's taking a bottle/being tube fed, and Matilda is being tube fed exclusively, will they be able to latch correctly? Or are we looking at bottles completely? And, at what point would we try nursing w/Harriet (she's successfully drinking bottles - the itty bitty ones, though) Thanks for any advice/imput Amanda, Mom To: DS Alastair Jonah (4) & "his girls" ~ Matilda Carys & Harriet Esme ~ 2/21/08 (EDD 4/28/08) | ||
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My son was tiny (just over 4.5 pounds) due to IUGR (not a premie though). I pumped exclusively for 3 months because he couldn't latch on and he drank from bottles. One day, when he was 3 months old, he suddenly latched and we continued to nurse until he was 11 months old, when he weaned himself. I just wanted to let you know that it is possible for a baby that is exclusively bottle fed for several months to learn to latch and nurse. As far as carseats - per the hospital, we had to buy a special carseat bed, because DS wasn't oxygenating well enough in a standard infant carseat. It cost about $60 or $65 (back in 2005) and we bought it through the hospital. It allowed him to lay perfectly flat on his back, whereas a regular infant carseat can cause/allow the head to flop forward and make it difficult to breathe. You might want to wait on the carseats until closer to their release, just to see their status/needs. The carseat bed was good up to 9 pounds, but only 20 inches. DS outgrew it (length-wise) within a month.
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My twins were 26 weekers, and in the NICU for 3 months. One issue with carseats is not the weight, but the positioning of the baby. Little preemies sometimes have trouble breathing really well when seated in the carseat. At our NICU we had to bring in the carseats and try them out while on oxygen saturation monitors before they could be released. In order to be released, the babies had to be able to take all their feeds by bottle or breast, maintain their temperature in an open bassinet, and be apnea free for 7 days prior to release. My boys were both over 5 lbs when they came home but came home with no monitors. Check with your NICU about their policies if one baby goes home before the other. At our NICU you were not allowed to bring the released twin back into the unit with you to visit the other twin. We could have had someone in the waiting room with him, but we didn't want to expose him to all those germs. I'd definately plan on having someone at home with the baby who comes home while you visit the one still in the NICU. As for the breastfeeding, we did OK with the latch, but they both had a weak suck reflex so it took them forever to nurse. We ended up switching to pumped breastmilk in the bottle exclusively about 2 months after they came home from the NICU. But I do know quite a few people with preemies who were much more successful with breastfeeding than I was. I wish I had stuck with it a little longer - my two younger kids were exclusively BF and it was so much easier than dealing with bottles! Cathy | ||
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How exciting that you got to hold Matilda!! If Harriet is taking a bottle that well, I would think that they would have you start nursing her. You might want to contact the hospital's lactation consultant. Mine was useless in assisting me with the mechanics of nursing (I was a new mom) but she was golden to be b/c she told the NICU nurses that both the baby and I needed to start attempting to nurse. Harriet can still be given a bottle after nursing if the concern is getting enough. Alistair will be ok, but I know how heartwrenching it is. You are doing the best you can and it is obvious that you are a very loving mom. All of your children feel that. Hang in there and continue to post when you can!
Marla D'Angela ^i^ 9-14-2000 Anastasia 4-12-2003 Eliana 3-4-2005 | ||
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Breastfeeding a baby in the NICU can be very hard. It can take more energy out of them to breastfeed then bottle feed. I know our NICU has visiting hours so parents can not be there 24 hours a day. If Harriet is bottle feeding well they would probably suggest you try breastfeeding her 1-2 times per day. Just ask one of the nurses.....they usually have to get an order from the doctor. The nurses and lactation can help you. I know that a lot of babies bottle feed in the hospital and then at home they work on breastfeeding. Usually it's a quicker way to get them home. Good job on the pumping. There are so many positives to breast milk. Have they brought up cobedding yet? Amber | ||
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Hmmm, well this is interesting. I post on another board that Amanda posts on. I won't say which board, but it's a board you might go to if you were trying to name a baby girl, and someone there claims that this story is made up and that the new pic. in her avatar is actually someone else's picture... Betty  | ||
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HUH? Say what? Wow, that's one long lie. | ||
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I am not sure why but I had the same feeling about this - lies - how sad   | ||
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I guess I'll start being more suspicious, because I didn't see this one coming. Betty | ||
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sad Amy Bryan 2/16/93 Andrew 8/1/03 | ||
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