mums of premmies, i need help!

[Liz]

Yeah, there is a push for formula feeds/comps. They are supposed to get your signed consent so remind them of that! I refused to sign but there was still pressure from them. Always ask for alternatives, express express express and save any colostrum you can get.. this will help stabilise sugar levels and is better for bub's tum. Insist on any suck feeds being from the breast too... not from a bottle. I didn't allow any bottle feeds either (I was a tough customer )

Perhaps while you're on bedrest, jump on the phone and get to know a local ABA counsellor that can assist you with feeding/expressing issues. There is a lot of conflicting feeding advice in hospital, a lot of which needs to be ignored!! (well.. I ignored a lot of it anyway hehe)

Will be thinking of you!

[Santosha]

Have PM'd you hun.

[butterfly_warrior]

Sleeping baby now...

The thing to remember is that the SCN staff are going to be focussed on the baby. Not you, not the family unit as a whole, not ensuring that you and your baby bond appropriately.

It sucks, and I don't know that there's a way to change the system. But it does help to go in knowing that's the way it's going to be. I didn't know at all and had only about 7 hours between waters breaking and Sam arriving so I had no time to prepare myself physically or mentally for what we were about to face.

If your baby's in an open crib and you want to hold them - DO SO! Don't let the nurses tell you that you can't. If they start on about monitors and stuff, insist they help you around them. We were allowed to have Sam in my room for breif periods when he wasn't on monitors, and I really wish I'd done it more often, rather than only when we had visitors (they did insist that he wasn't picked up and handed around to visitors though, which is understandable).

We did have some initial bonding issues, but I feel that came mainly out of him being an IVF baby, rather than being a prem baby and the initial separation. The inability to breastfeed certainly had an impact there as well. We have certainly overcome them now and all is well. Sam is happy, healthy, thriving... he's gone from being barely on the 3rd percentile for weight at birth (I was just impressed he was on the charts at all!) to now being on the 75th at nearly 9 months old.

BW

[skybie]

wow thanks girls!
ur all so amazing. will get a hold of an LC and talk to her about starting to express soon so that i have a decent supply by the time she comes.
its so confusing in here, different docs telling me different things, well one thing remains the same, the longer she stays in the happier they are.
had a rough night last night cried myself to sleep, i think it was just the whole situation and being very overtired!
hoping for a better night tonight
CTG's are gorgeous, bubs very happy inside and likes to get excited. she's not engaged and my cervix is still long so they really dont think she's going to come on her own.
ill keep u posted and thank u so much for answering all my questions! im going to have to remember to be strong and not get pushed around
xxx
Skye

[Liz]

How strict is your bedrest? Would it be possible to get a wheelchair and go and meet the nurses in the SCN and get a feel for where bub will initially be taken? (I'm assuming you're at the hospital from your post)

[skybie]

How strict is your bedrest? Would it be possible to get a wheelchair and go and meet the nurses in the SCN and get a feel for where bub will initially be taken? (I'm assuming you're at the hospital from your post)

yep in hossy atm, not on strict bedrest but they dont look too happy when they see me walking around!! i cant help that im bored! the SCN is literally across the halll from my room and i requested a tour this morning when the midwife came in, so just waiting on that

[Liz]

Any news? Thinking of you.. hope everything is going ok