Taking bubs home

[sshellzp]

Hey guys, was just wondering if anyone could tell me how it was when you took ure premmie babys home. my daughter was born on monday, 13.5 weeks early and am worried what it will b like to bring home a baby 3 months old but only weighing as much as a new born full term baby. What was it like for you??
Shell

[onabreak]

Hi. My daughter was born 11 weeks early and spent about 8 weeks in hospital before we could bring her home. It was so exhausting sitting next to her for 8 hours a day and only being able to hold her for an hour or so each day as it was very tiring for our daughter. She was able to come home 3 weeks early before her actual due date. She had put on heaps of weight and was feeding well to come home.

The day we got to bring her home was the best day as it was Christmas Eve and our little daughter was going to be home for Christmas. We got a baby capsule to put her in and she disappeared in it she was so small, she looked like a little doll in there. We finally got her home, I had a bassinette set up in our room so we could be near here. She was just so tiny. It was so exhausting getting up every couple of hours to feed her but we survived this. I wasn't able to breastfeed her as I couldn't produce enough breast milk, probably cause they didnt get to build up properly because she was born so early. We had to put her on furmula and she was happy. She put on heaps of weight and grew very quickly.

It was so hard at first but it does get easier. They catch up on there milestones really quickly. My daughter Caitlin is now nearly 15mths old. She is like any other 15mth old baby, walking, talking and being very cheeky. Really she should only be 12mths her corrected age. She has caught up with height and weight.

So just be patient it will all work out in the end that you will have a perfect baby and that they grow up to be healthy active children. It was the hardest time in my life but it was all worth it. We became great friends with the nurses who looked after her. So each night when we left the hospital we new she was in good hands.

Your baby might of come early but boy do they grow up very quickly:D

[sopolicha]

My daughter was born at 34 weeks and only spent three weeks in the Special Care Nursery so I really can't compare to Emerald.

Personally I think the adjusted age thing is a crock, every child develops at their own rate anyway and their milestones are just that their own, not what some book says they should be doing.

When my girl came home she was just over 2kgs, and my paediatrician at the time told me that I would just have a little baby for longer, which I now think is nice.

Before you know it she will be home and a bit later on you will be wondering how she fitted into those teeny tiny clothes.

My best mate told me that I should get her some Baby Born dolly clothes. I laughed at her at time but I think now that it was probably not the most stupid thing to come out of her mouth.

Is she breathing on her own?

Good Luck and there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[JenNT]

Friends of mine had a baby recently at 24 weeks, He weighed 780grms and is now off cpap,off hgf and in his own open cot.He is 70 days old now and doing extremely well with no known abnormalities thank god.Its pure and simply a miracle.
He is expected to be in hospital until his due date in March.
Hope little Emerald is doing well.....you're lucky to be able to cuddle her, took my friends a month before they could touch him.
Hope it all goes well for you:) cheers Jen

[sshellzp]

Thanks so much guys, its comforting to realise that she will come home eventually.
Yes shes breathing on her own and isnt on cpap for the moment which is good. Shes the smallest baby there at the moment so hopefully she put on weight quickly.

[mumma of 2]

my name is Sheridan and my son was born three months early at the royal brisbane hospital on the 1/11/05. he was very small 978g and on the ven. then after a while they placed him on cpap but it was just to soon and then he went back onto the ven this went on for a long time. he had a level 4 bleed to the brain 2 blood transfustions a low salt level and a heart murmur. the road to coming home was long he was able to come home on the 20/1/06. the hospital got me to say in over two nights so that i could get use to having him on my own and to be able to feed him and boost my experience with him before comeing home. that is the best thing. i thought i would be a mess at home (not sleeping and stuff to make sure he is breathing etc) but i wasn't so you just have to have confidence as the babies to feel your feelings

Good luck

Sheridan Dodson

[caitsmum]

Sheridan

Great to hear that you have your baby home at last. How is it all going? I had a 28 weeker five years ago. When she first came home it was nice not going up to the hospital everyday. I hope that all goes smoothly from now.

Therese

[mumma of 2]

Blair is doing really well he is now 3.3kg up from 978g so that is doing really well. But my daughter really hates that he sleeps so much she really wants to p[lay with him.

I got really sick of driving to the hospital and back all the time as the Royal is 45 min drive from my house so your it is really good to have him home.

he is a bit of a vomit bucket. only vomits when you don't have a nappy on your arm!!!!

Thanks Therese

Cheers Sheridan

[caitsmum]

Sheridan

3.3kg - he must seem huge now. I still look at the palm of my hand and wonder how my daughters head ever use to fit in it. As far a the vomitting - oh I can empathise with that. We had a pile of old towels that were just for soaking up vomit. They were rank by the time she stopped the vomits.

Your daughter sounds like she is glad to have you both at home all day too. Good luck

Therese

[shanias_mum]

Hi all - Shania was born 28 Aprill 2003 weighing 4pound 1/2 ounce (1.83kg) she was born at 35+2 gestation. She spent only 1 1/2 days in a humidi crib then went into a water bed for 3 or 4 days then into a normal crib.

It was the best day when they took all her leads and monitors of her. She was fed through a nasal gastric tube for bout a week, she didnt take to the boobie too well, but they gave her some formula in a bottle of some breast milk.

Just before 3 weeks old she was big enough to come home - the best day of my life. I had to leave her there after the first week and had to make daily trips up to the hospital. leaving her there was the hardest and most painfull day of my whole entire life - i cried all the way home! :( We put her in her car seat and she looked like a doll!

Before they let me take her home i had to stay in 2 nights with her so they could monitor how i was coping with her. It was hard at first when you get home, but its like that with any baby. It was a bit weird taking her home before she was even due, but i dont really think it made much difference, cept that she was sooooo tiny and i thought i might break her! :D

She is now nearly 3 (cant belive it :eek: ) time goes so fast, she is very intelligent and you cant hide anything from her! lol She was walking by 8 months and runny by 9 months!!! :o No one would ever know that she was premmie just that she is a little girl.

[MummyCharmzy]

my son was born at 31 weeks and spent 6 weeks in hospital.

my daughter was born at 35 and spent no extra time in hospital

this time I'm expected to deliver no later than 30 weeks, they are hopeful I'll make it to 28 (I'm 23 weeks at the moment) so I'm interested in what gestation babies this early come home as well as my son wasnt as premmie as this baby is likely to be

[sshellzp]

Im not so sure about that. My DD was born 13.5 weeks early and is 7 weeks old now and not even close to coming home as she isnt bottle feeding yet (feeding her thru a tube from her nose to her stomache) and cannot keep her body temp stable (is only 1655 grams) It depends how your baby does when they get out, its not the same for all. They told me to not expect her to be able to come home till her due date.