Premmie Mums #2

welcome Shelly

Welcome Shell!!!
Kitten, how are you???? How is your gorgeous one?

hi all,

sorry i havent been on for a while im up in syd for a weekand a half visiting fam and friends with nixon. its been great, tiring but catching up with everyone. we went to c my nan in the home today. nixon is her first GREAT grandson so got some pics, she didnt want a thing to do with him when we first got there but then once she was holding him didnt want to let him go!

Happy going home day Ronan! im thinking of you guys and how exciting going home day is! hope he settles well for you.

Simone, everything ive been reading you write sounds like how i felt with Nixon inm hosp. its so hard to leave ea day without them, and days you cannot get there or for long.

hows this, saw a gf last friday who is due 22nd aug. she got to c nixon for the first time, got a text yesterday and she had er baby at 32weeks, almost same size/length hc as nixon i just couldnt belive she's gone through the samne thing. They think she may have been 34weeks cause he is so well, breathing on his own and all!
She told me hearing what i went through and seeing Nixon really helped her get through her labourm i was so touched to hear that, she knew from what i had told her what goes on and what size he may be etc.
so she has the hosp jpurney now too, no doubt i'll be talking to her more ive told her to ring whenever she feels she needs to chat, we'll prob have a special bond.

anyway gotta run down the shops get some stuff for MIL and SIL tomorrow

hey girls, Anneliese was weighed 2 days ago... 1960g!! And its weigh day again tomorrow, she has to be over 2kg!! But i've had it to the eyeballs with some of the nurses, made my usual mid-morning call to see how bub was doing, and they a=said gretat, she's happily sleeping after having a bath. HER FIRST BATH, which i specifically requested on her sheet that i be there for. Now i missed it. I cried my eyes out. And last night i stayed in, wanted to be there for her 10.30pm feed, but at 9 i was so tired i told the nurse i was going home. She told me that she was too busy to bottle feed anneliese, she'll tube feed her. This nurse only has 3 babies to look after, all are on 3 hourly feed - one was at 9, next at 9.30, and my bubba at 10.30... then nothing til midnight!! What a lazy *****!! The other nurses thought so too, earlier in the night when she was doing nothing 'cept standing round talking, a nurse asked her to help by starting a feed, as she had a 2 hourly baby and a 3 hourly, and their feeds coincided. My nuirse said she was too busy to do that. What an idiot!! She's just an agency nurse from the Northern Hospital, but that doesnt give her any right to be such a self righteous b!tch!! Sorry to rant and rave, i think ive just had enough of the hospital, i cant wait to get her home. She's almost taking all of her feeds by bottle or breast now, a couple of feeds get finished by ngt occasionally. Fingers crossed, im hoping she'll be able to come home by sunday week, she'll be 35w by then...

Simone - I can't believe that they had her first bath without you there!! :angry: You must have been fuming! And to give Anneliese a tube feed when she is able to bottle feed is just plain lazy - they should not be allowed to do that. Gee I almost wish I was there so I could give that nurse a peice of my mind! I don't blame you for being fed up.

On the positive side though - her weight is great!

Hi everyone else!

Simone, is there someone higher up like a matron of the NICU that you can complain to? Because I would be. They treat you so poorly there, I got a rough deal with one of the nurses when Coby was in NICU, and I wished that I complained now......

Hey, the nurse was only an agency, and some of the other mums (and nurses i think!!) made a complaint, and she has been taken off the employment list. Cool! The nurse i had yesterday was great, i felt like i was her mummy for a little while. When it was feed time she asked how i wanted to feed her. I wanted to breastfeed. When i had finished that, she asked if i thought she needed a top-up, i said prolly 10-15 mls. She asked if i wanted it through the tube or in a bottle, i said bottle, so she asked if i wanted to prepare the bottle, or if i wanted her to do it. I asked her if she'd mind doing it. "Not at all," was her reply. Just stuff like that. And Later on when she heard us talking about that lazy nurse from hell, she said that they're our children, we should make the decisions. I thanked her. It put a smile back on my face. And even more so today when Anneliese weighed in at 2.072kg!! And the nurses waited for me and let me weigh her. First time!! And now she haas 2 bottles/breast feeds to every 1 gavage feed. Another step forward... not far to go now! Todays day 22, hoping she'll be home by day 30...

Simone- it sounds like Anneliese is doing really well!
Sorry, not feeling up to talking that much DH is being a bastard!

Tiff - Maria is doing really well, I have to get her weighed next week, but on my scales at home she is 7.5kg cloth weight, which is about 400grams more than 3 weeks ago. She is getting 3 or 4 new teeth at the moment (not sure how many as she will bite if I put my finger in her mouth) so with the 4 she already has that will be plenty for a while. Panadol has been my friend and sleep has gone out the window for a while, but it is settling down. She is also going through a growth spurt. She fed every 2 hours last night and today has eaten a wheatbix with milk and 3 table spoons of stewed apple for breakfast followed by a mini fruit muffin + yoghurt and mashed banana for morning tea, followed by mini banana sandwiches and shreaded ham for lunch, followed by orange and kiwi fruit for afternoon tea and lastly a pureed vegi + tomato soup and pasta combo for tea and a fair bit of my pumpkin soup as well. This as well as the normal breasfeeds is just amasing for Maria. I expect her to start growing out of her 00 clothes soon at this rate.

We got Maria's professional pictures back today. They are great, if anyone in Sydney wants a great photographer email me and I can give you her details.

Hey everyone, got some awesome news... Anneliese's ngt is out!!! She pulled it out the other day, and the nurse said that she wasnt due for a gavage feed for a while anyway, they'll leave it out to give her a break, and when her next gavage feed comes they'll try breast/bottle feed (depending if i'm there or not) and she's been bottle/breast feeding for 2 straight days now!! AND she hit 2kg!! 2.072kg to be exact, she put on 112g in 3 days and 120 in the 3 days before that. So im going to talk to the dr today, because i cant really get in there anymore (dh is working realy long hours in noble park, and mil goes back to school and cant drop me in like she was doing) and see when she can come home. She's 34w gestation today, but she's done so well, hopefully she can come home in about a week... i miss her already. Dh let me have some time alone with her yesterday, as i dont know when i'll see her again. But there's my lil woohoo - no ngt atm!! and hopefully she keeps this up and doesnt need it back in.. she's tube free now!! She feels like a real bubba :D

what wonderful news

Hey Louise,
Glad to hear that Maria is doing well, despite the mouthfull of teeth!
The photo in your ticker looks absolutely beautiful.
I need to see more!
AHHHH Panadol, she is every mother's best friend I think! I have relied heavily on her for the last few days.

I find baby nurofen is better when they are teething, works much quicker than panadol. I have to keep both around anyway as my eldest is asthmatic and not allowed nurofen.. Still prefer panadol for colds and flus :)

Simone that's wonderful news about Anneliese! Hopefully she will be coming home soon, sounds that way to me!!

Hey Bel,
How is the gorgeous Coby today?
He was SO cute the other day, I could have just eaten him up!!!

I have a little woohoo for Kyla!
She did her first unaided roll onto her tummy today! She is also waving and sitting unaided for a short time!
YAY

WOOHOO Kyla!!!!!

What a clever little petal!
Yay for the proud mummy too!

Well we have been waiting since Thursday and Ronan still isn't home! They did a download on him to see how is breathing was going to see whether or not he needs oxygen and the data was incorrect by my assumption. The data was saying that he did REALLY bad and desatting to 70% when i know he wasn't.. I told them to do another download with another machine and the results have come back GREAT! He desatted no lower than 88% but stayed above 95% majority of the time.. When it was saying he was desatting to 70% he was pink in colour and was thrashing his feet about and i even got the nurse to check him because i didn't believe what the machine was saying and she agreed with me, that he was FINE..

With two nurses backing me up they decided to do another download and whilst the results are in they need 1000 people to look @ it before we get an answer as to whether he comes home on the oxygen.. Personally we don't care if he does but get on with it! Throughout the 17wks we have been there they have gotten results on ALL of his tests within 2 days but they have dragged it out for another 5 days and we are sick of the wait! He has been off oxygen totally for 3 weeks now and even had a Hernia operation and coped 100% without the need for it afterwards..

I told the doctors today that they are really unfair to parents because they are told their baby can come home on a particular day and then they change (which they changed it from Thursday to Monday) and we are still waiting and hubby took holidays especially so he can spend some time with his son.. We keep getting different comments about when he can come home and i don't get it! I have been getting really annoyed over the past 5 days because they are taking their sweet time on getting things finalised and there is no need for it.. I don't know if they are testing our patience but i think spending 17wks in the hospital is dam long enough and there are no other medical reasons why he can't come home.. arrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh :(

Oh Rac - how frustrating! You've had such a loooong haul of it.
I understand how you feel - they kept doing that to us too with Kyla and it really starts to get to you (especially when you see everyone else leave before you!).
I'm really glad to hear that the op went well and that Ronan has done well since.
I hope that they stop dragging their heals soon and let your little one home!

hopefully he will be home tomorrow

Racs, thinking of you and hopeing Ronan they can give you a day Ronan is coming home and stick to it. Man that must be frustrating.
Welcome Shell

Well Nixon & I are back from Sydney, we had a great time, i saw my sis every day most times we were bf our bubs at the same time!
Nixon is good i think he may be 4kg now, gets weighed Friday.
But Ive just come down with a cold and hoping Nixon doesnt pick it up. I know he needs to build up his immune system but dont want him to feel like i do right now. Going to docs this arvo.
Nixon's reflux is getting me down a bit, he chucks 5-10 times a feed, he would be putting on much more weight if only he could keep things down.
Ive been using the brauer colic relief which seems to help the pain factor... i know every bub is different but anyone find something in particular work well for spewey babys? He is coming to docs with me anyway so will speak about it then too.
Carrie- Whoo Hoo for Kayla how excited you must have been!

Nixon is starting to give me really big smiles now its just great!

i should go back to bed, but i probably wont...

Hey there Nic! Glad you and Nixon had a great time in Sydney and got to see your sister lots.
Re: the chucking - is it coming up with wind?

Hope you are feeling better soon and that Nixon escapes it!

Hey Carrie,
Um somtimes he chucks with a burp but mostly it just comes up. sometimes its really projected and others just spills out. Sometimes he starts the hiccups and the first 4-5 will just ooze out spew with them.....
had check up at MCHN today and he weighed 3990grams. I was quiet dissapointed as its only 310g in 3 weeks, grown 2cm and head 1cm. I am sure its because he is throwing so much up. Now i have to try topping him up when he spews alot so im thinking all im going to be doing is feeding, burping, changing, feeding burping all day long (as if i dont already feel like thats all i do!!)

on a positive he is sleeping pretty well, not every night but most nights he is sleeping 6-7hrs. Last night was a record he went down at midnight and slept till 8.30am!

Nic - Wow his sleeping is great!
Kyla was also really bad with the reflux - she would do BIG chucks that went all down my back and hit the ground.
I found the reflux really stressful as Kyla was forever chucking up when we had just worked so hard at getting the milk into her. Plus she was forever in a bib with wet clothes!
My pead never seemed worried about it - as long as she was putting on weight and was a 'happy chucker' it didn't seem to worry her. Kyla has only ever put on a max of 20g a day. The pead said to me that usually around three months the reflux and colic would improve and that I could try all the tonics (which I did) but that they wouldn't do much. So I hung out for the three months (corrected) and she actually did improve. She now still does little chucks if she strains after a feed and somtimes with burps, but the big chucks are few and far between.
I know it's really frustrating...but hang out until the 3 month mark and hopefully he'll start improving (when the spincter between the stomach and oesophagus matures more). Unless he is off his feeds or seems to get upset by the chucking.
Things that helped me (gentle burping so the burps didn't come up with too much force), infacol (to help with burbing so she wasn't straining and colicky), not putting her on her tummy after a feed, and having lots of bibs and flanny nappies to wipe up the chuck!!
I know this isn;t probably that helpful - but in my experience the pead was right...it was just a matter of time. As long as Nixon's putting on weight - try not to worry (easier said than done I know).

ETA: Nic are you and Nixon still going to the restaurant tomorrow???

hey everyone,
cant do personals, sorry, would take me forever typing one handed... she's home. My lil princess is finally home, at 27 days old (34w3d gest) weighing 2.250kg. Its so nice, i feel like her mummy now...

Congrats on Anneliese being at home hun.

Hi all - Just wanted to say that it was great meeting you Nic (and Nixon), Simone (and Anneliese). You both have absolutly gorgeous babys!!

Hello,
Thanks Carrie! I look forward to meeting Kyla to sometime.
Thanks for the gift for Nixon & maybe next time he will be a bit more settled! It was quiet awkward trying to feed him/chang him there!
Yep we've just been going through lots and lots of bibs and cloth nappies! Yesterday was a bad day spew wise. I think every feed he was quiet bad last night before bed i had to top him up on his top up feed because he was so spewey and unsettled. But then he slept from 11.30-6am and back down till 11am and feeding him now! i know the paed will prob say the same thing if he is gaining weight then not much to worry about.

Had Anneliese weighed today, she weighs 2.41kg! Has been discharged from Hospital in the Home, nurse says im doing a brilliant job... Still mourning my pg, i would've been 35w today. :( But instead i have a beautiful lil priness in my arms. :) She's awake atm, smiling at the walls!! Nickers, Nixon is gorgeous, and thank you so much for the gorgeous present Carrie, i've put it away for Anneliese when she's a lil bit older...

Patrick has put on 260 g WooHoo!
Even though he nows weighs 3280g a little weight gain is a big deal

Ronan seems to be up & down with his weight and we have no idea why.. He feeds so much to the point he falls asleep and can't take anymore and usually sleeps for around 4/5 hourly.. He weighs 4.2kgs atm but he will be weighed tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what he is.. :D

Jess that is fantastic about the weight gain.. Every little bit helps!

Thats right Racs... Not good about Ronans weight being up and down, but it should work itself out in no time! 4.2 kgs....that is a fantastic weight though!

Hi all,
Just letting you know that Kyla and I are off to Adelaide tomorrow until Saturday week. I may get on my sister's computer there but if not I hope you and your bubs have a good few weeks and I'll talk to you soon!

Carrie,
Have a lovely time!

Well his weight so far has been the following;

First weigh - lost 6 grams
Second weigh - put on 20 grams
Third weigh - lost 20 grams

So he hasn't gained or really lost much at all, it's sort of not going anywhere.. :confused:

Carrie have a fantastic time in Adelaide.. :D

Hun maybe it's just because he is getting used to the 'outside' world. I'm here if you want to talk.

Carrie, have fun with your sister in Adelaide!
Racs, How has Ronan been going at home anyway? It would be a pretty big thing for him because all he has know is in the hospital. Although 6grams and 20grams is a loss really its quiet a small amount isnt it. 6grams could be the difference in scales from the hospital.
I'm off to our first mothers group today! should be good, i think there will be 9 mums and bubs there. Nixon will be the eldest along with another little girl born 3weeks early on the same day. But size wise and everything else we should fit in a bit better then if we had of started a group a while ago.Nixon was 3.99kg last week. he will get weighed again next Monday (he will be 3 months old wow!)
[B]Simone-[/B] i know how you feel about not being pg anymore, its a strange feeling because you have your gorgeous baby with you but still feel like you should have finished the pg off.
Jess- Thats great Patrick is putting on weight. Is he still in 00000 or started venturing into 0000 now!
Tiff- How is Ivy & Noah going? Do you still take them to the Chiropractor? going to give it another few weeks but if Nixon's reflux hasnt got any better might think about giving it a go.

Nic have a great time at Mothers Group.. WoW 3 months already? then again Ronan is 4 months himself which is hard to believe.. It will be interesting to see how small Ronan will be against some of the babies his age..

Well he has put on 60 grams in the past 2 days and now weighs 4.3kgs so i must be doing something right.. :D

Rac - you are doing fine, bringing a baby home is hard and takes a while to get use to. As for his weight, Maria is 10.5months old and has yet to get to 8kg and she is classed as doing ok as well, so I wouldn't worry too much. Just try to get as much rest as possible, I always find that if I don't get enough sleep or am too stressed my milk supply decreases as well.

Hi Nic,
Thanks for asking but things here are not going well. Ivy and Noah are very sick. They have a terrible cold (which I suspect is bronchiolitis). Both Noah's eardrums burst on Sunday and Ivy's left drum did the same in the wee hours of Monday morning.
Ivy's reflux is up and down but at the moment she is vomiting blood, so I am scared alot of the time. We have been to the GP who treated me like I was a neurotic mother and told me it was nothing to worry about. I am not convinced. It is near impossible to get in to see our so called paed (who today has informed us that she is merely a hospital based paed and has no rooms)and I am apalled at the lack of follow up that we are getting, considering they were 30 weeks gestation born. My other twins were 35 weeks born and we saw the paed every six weeks or so until they turned one!
To top it all off, Ivy had an allergic reaction to something and now has this horrible itchy scaly eczema all over her little body,this has calmed down alot from the puffy, swollen hot red reaction that it was at first, she is just miserable. I am fighting with DH who refuses to take time off to help me. They have been sick for almost two weeks now and I am at my wits end. I don't know who to turn to. In desperation today, I called the ECHN, who told me to take them up to the local hospital. I don't think so. We phoned the NICU where they lived for the eight weeks before they came home and they told us to take them to the GP GRRRRRRRRR. I feel like I am just getting nowhere. So, I am off to the GP AGAIN today, so they can tell me that they have a bad cold and that I am a neurotic mother.
I feel like screaming at them! I have done this before! I KNOW when my babies are sick, listen to me!!!!!!!!! I guess I will have to wait until they are REALLY bad to get some help.
Sorry for the rant.

PS Rac, I think you and your little man are doing remarkably well, all things considered. Don't be hard on yourself, it is extremely difficult in those first weeks when you bring prem babies home. Hugs to you and Ronan.

Oh ETA: Sorry Nic, I didn't answer your question. I LOVE my chiropractor. He adjusts Ivy and Ivy is a different baby for at least 24 - 48 hours afterwards. Before this stupid cold, he would adjust her and she would sleep for hours afterwards and the vomiting and pain would just reduce so much. It's a bit iffy at the moment but I put that down to everything else her little body is going through. gotta go, they're screaming again.