Premmie Mums #7

it coluld be delayed shock helena, as you said throughthe whole NICU time you just run on auto pilot and even when you are home and things are still really bad you just go along and do what you have to do, and until you you have time to really think about whats hapened thats when it all gets on top or you

I know you love your kids i can tell that from reading your posts an i agree you do need time to be you not just a mum, thats not selfish at all you have been through a traumatic 14 months and i know you sill have a hard road ahead and you nee to be have time for you in order for you to be able to deal with whats going on

If you ever need to talk Im here i understand what your going through, and whats funny i am typing all of this to you and i really should take me own advice

Hi everyone, I'm sorry to post about what probably seems trivial compared to what alot of you have gone through, but I need some advice.

My Nicholas was born at 35 weeks after I went into spontaneous labour. He has done amazingly well from the minute he arrived. We are BFing, and he is now only having a comp feed 2-3 times a day, instead of after every feed. Sometimes he even refuses it YAY! He is actually feeding really well almost all of the time, but I do have to undress him for feeds to keep him awake. He is getting better at staying awake (my EDD was this Saturday) but on some of the occasions that I have left him dressed he struggles to feed as well.

I am happy to undress him each time, except that it really disturbs him, he hates it. And I hate to do it to him when he's had a really nice feed and fallen asleep!

So.....did any of you have to do this, and if so, for how long? I know it's not a big deal, but I don't have anyone else to ask. Because he's doing so well, everyone forgets that he was prem and assumes that he's just like a 'normal' baby.

Oh, and also, how long does it take them to get rid of the mucous in their head? We've had a couple of scary episodes lately, I really hate it..........

It sounds like Nicholas is doing really well...congratulations!

I would keep undressing him, even though he hates it. You will be past that in just 2-3weeks. I know it seems mean, but at this point his need for food is greater than your (perfectly normal) desire not to disturb him. Once his weight increases a fair bit, he'll have the strength to feed well & he won't need the stimulation of being undressed to wake up & have a good feed.

It's only the beginning of many things we have to nudge them into doing, even when they don't like it!

I can't comment on mucus, because it was not an issue for us, but I'm sure one of the other girls will pop in & help you out.

Hi all,

just wondering what your all doing for National Premmie Day which is 12th June?
There is something on up the central coast NSW but dont think i can make it up there.
I'd like to do something but dont know what! There is a calender of events on prembaby website but most of it is in other states not Sydney

Ohh, i didn't even know about National Premmie Day! I'll have to look into it!

wow i didn't know that, i was at the hospital last week where charlie was born and there was nothing there about it, might have to google it to see what comes up,

how is everyone and their little bundles of joy?

charlie turned 15months yesterday and is doing well, well apart from the C.B.S.A but we are getting there

oh and if there are any mums here that are from brisbane and would like to set up a mothers group please email me katenbub@gmail.com

hope you are all having a wonderful weekend:dance:

Nic,

I'd love to do something too.
We are about 3/4 hour to an hour away from the Central Coast.
I guess we'll quietly celebrate. I don't think there is much going on up our way. Even with a NICU as big as the JHH, they don't have any prem groups or parent support post NICU. When I asked the research nurse, she said there was no interest!

We have had two very sick babies here. I think we are on the tail end of it now (fingers crossed - the last time I said that to anyone it got alot worse). Noah is in a big bed tonight for the first time but the no sleep wonder girl remains tightly bound in her cot.
We've been without power or water for the last three days because of all the storms. We've had trees down and we no longer have a shed and half of our garage is buckled in too.
Other than that we have not done alot.
Ivy has alot of new words and Noah says Nigh - t Nigh - t instead of Nighnigh just because, since his tongue tie ligation - he can!

OMG Tif... no power or water for 3 days....how are you coping eith all the kids???... Your washing pile must be huge hehehe....

Glas you are all safe though..

Hope the kids get better quickly :)

Hi girls,
Happy Premmie Day!
Oh pooh on "no interest" from JHH NICU mums! It's just too much trouble and/or money for them to set something up. Personally I would like an evaluation form so I could give feedback. And I would CERTAINLY have taken advantage of parent support. Why else do mums turn up on this forum??
Trees are down on our street, but luckily nothing by our house. There are a number of smashed cars, and yes Newcastle council HAS been booking people for parking.....even if the car obviously had to be abandoned. Grrr.
We lost power for over 24 hours and water came up to the floorboards, but not actually in the house!! Next door's back yard is very low lying and had about 2m of water in it. They have been pumping it out for the past 3 days. Unfortunately, our hot water heater is on that side of the house and was completely underwater. It's (mostly) out now but there is still standing water, so I don't think we'll have hot water for a week. We're on a priority list for the plumber because of having a baby in the house, but the water does have to be gone. It's very smelly now. Thank goodness it's not summer--I think we'd have to leave the house.
Oh I found out that since we have a front loader, the washing machine will work on cold water intake only. It will heat its own water. So, one good thing! No dishwasher though. have to heat water for that on the stove. And, most important of all, NO SHOWER for the mum of the house. DH can take one at work.
Gemma continues to delight. She is 10 months old now, crawling everywhere and pulling up. She loves to play kneeling, or reclining on her left side--she rarely sits. I've never had a kneeling baby before! It's so sweet.
She says absolutely nothing. She does make some sounds, but no attempt at words. My first 2 talked very early, my 3rd one is still "emerging" at 2.5, so I am interested to see which pattern she'll follow.
Love to hear everyone's news.

Just a quick note..

Lexi had her 15 month check up today...

She now weighs 8.3kg (18lb 5oz) & is 72 cm tall...

My wee girl is not that wee anymore........ :(

Nic - they are doing something in Penrith today for National premmie day - well tonight at Krispy Kremes with Niccups which is Nepean's NICU support group.

Happy Premmie Day to all the sensational Premmie Graduates - you all are such clever cherubs.

:clap: :confetti:

National premmie day.. how awesome :) ... we dont have that over here :(

Hi Trish,

yes i heard about out at penrith at krispy Kremes, i was planning on going but my SIL is in hosp in labour atm and waiting for bub to arrive! I have to work tomorrow and drop Nixon off at my mums this arvo, Penrith is far out for me but not too far from my mums so if SIL has bub soon i may make it otherwise dont think i can get there.
Happy National prem day to all the miracle bubs in here anyway!

Happy National Premmie Day to you all!!

Well we had a celebration this morning in VIC East for L'il Aussie Prems and it was great! We had about 35 people turn up and 2 newspaper photographers so that was exciting.. There are many events around today so if you can make it to any be sure you do.. :D

Hey Racs!!!!!!

Good to see you here!
How is your little man going?

Hey Tiff!!!!!!!!!!

It has certainly been a while.. :lol:

Ronan is going REALLY well.. He is now 15mths old (12mths corrected) and is still a happy and ever so placid little man.. He has just started crawling and is pulling himself up into a standing position.. He is still having physio but otherwise going really well.. :D

How is Ivy & Noah going? Last time i read they were just starting to walk, that is probably so long ago now.. :lol:

Hello to everyone else! I hope your little cherubs are well? :D

Oh that is such good news! I always think about you and Ronan and wonder how things are for you. I remember reading your totsites blog and although your world must have been so overwhelming you always sounded so positive.

Ivy and Naoh are going well developmentally. LOL! They are running now and we are finally starting to get some words. They are 18 months old or 15 1/2 corrected so I am pretty pleased at their progress.
They have a few health issues but such is life.

Hi everyone hope you enjoyed you Premmie Day. I spent it by myself with ava and will certainly endeavour to recruit some new mums next year. Hope you are all well on the other side with the floods etc...
As you know from my last posts I was feeling rather down and it got even worse!
A family member of mine sent me a rather degrading e-mail and I have vowed not to talk to them until I get a written apology.

let's just say he questioned things about my life and my mothering, accusing me of being paranoid about baby's health. Told me I should put her into daycare F/T as my life needed changing. in that i mean he thinks I sit on my backside all day! LOL.

The whole Email thing made me think that I needed to defer my studies for a year and really enjoy my children and family a bit more.

i ask you all... if your baby(and maybe they do)have BPD or compromised lung function would you just stick them in large daycares if you were not working? I am by no means saying that you shouldn't but for me it is not an option until she is a little stronger.
This person also implied that i had used my parents up.

Well thats my vent.....all else is good....except...baby is having a hard time sleeping...i amm sooo tired

Helena

Helena,
OMG! You sound as though you are really hurting. You poor thing. I wouldn't talk to that person either. Did he think he was helping??? Goodness me, it's hard enough, the journey of a prem baby, without added pressure.

If I could I would keep my babies at home for as long as possible. My babies have trouble with their lungs, and I don't feel ok leaving them in a childcare centre at this stage and they are 18 months old!
You have to do what is right for you and Ava. You are a wonderful Mum because you have Avas best interests at heart.

Hi all,
Hope all had a great Premmies Day!

Helena, I wouldn't talk to that family member either until you get an apology!You know what is right for you and your baby!!

My bubba got two little front teeth this week!!Very exciting.Started her on solids today as she is now 8mths ( 6mths corrected). She pulled the most cutest faces!Tried some of the baby rice myself- no wonder she was pulling faces!

Had my wonderful mum visit for the long weekend. She was a god sent cleaning the unit and spoiling bubba!I hope everyone had a great long weekend and thinking of you all who were affected by the floods and horrible storms!

Cheers
Rach

Hi all- Just a quick post as it's getting late!
HAPPY PREMMIE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's great to hear that all of the beautiful prem bubs here are doing so well!
RAC- Oh, I wanted to go to that meet up, but I had mothers group. It would have been great to meet you!
Helena- It sounds to me as if that family member has absolutly no idea about the reality of looking after a prem bub and the health issues that for some bubs may be small but to a prem bub can be life threatening. You know what you are doing, you know what is best for Ava, trust yourself. Some people don't understand at all. I had similar comments about being over protective - but I'd have rather been overpreotective than end up back in hospital - which I'm sure is how you feel. Chin up - you are a fantastic mum!
Tiff- Hugs to you, Noah and Ivy!

Kyla is doing well, chatting heaps and walking a fair bit now too. I can't believe that it is not long til she'll be 2!
We had our 1st bad accident today - Kyla found a razor in our bathroom and cut her finger on it. I had a heart attack! There was so much blood! And it wasn't easy to try patching up a little girl how didn't want her hand touched! Anyway, the bleeding stopped after what seemed like forever - so hopefully tomorrow it looks okay. My poor bubba!

Thanks girls, that family member is my eldest brother ....an x-airforce training instructor ignoramus control freak who by the way put his own kid on cows milk at 2 mnths old!!!
What makes the situation worse, i find out... is that he sent it to my eldest sister first for her approval!!!!!! OMG! she told him to send it!!!! :(Her child spent 2 mnths in the NICU with serious bowel problems and it saddens me that she doesn't draw on that experience herself and be sympathetic. she was also present the day I gave birth. So guess who else is on my non-communication list.
It's given me time to think of how they have treated me in the past and to be honest they've always treated me like i have no brains!!!
I can't see any of them completing a double degree at Uni, coping with a prem and a husband who works away 10/14 days.
on a lighter note Rach it is great that you have your mum there, we all need our mums no matter how old we get. Teeth!! the dreaded night wakenings aarhhhh
Castle when did your baby start walking officially? Ava is now 12 mnths corr and refuses to walk with us and we KNOW she lets go of the furniture but then loses her nerve!
Tiggy what lung problems do your babies suffer from?

Happy Premmie Day everyone! Great to see all the bubs in here doing so well :) Nicholas is great, I thank my lucky stars every day that he has done so well since birth. :pray: that he continues that way.

Carrie, great to see you! Poor Kyla, I hope her finger isn't too sore, and that it mends quickly. How are things with you? Look at your ticker, well done hun! Have you had your NT scan yet?

carrie- Oh no Kyla! i suppose these type things happen but even knowing that wouldnt prepare you for when it actually happens. i hope her finger is ok and mends quickly by itself
Helena- ditto to what everyone else said. i can't beleive your sister approved the email after what she has been through herself, does not make sence at all. And this is YOUR child not his child so why should he have the right to stick his nose in how you look after your daughter. Ava was an extremley premmie baby and you have every right to protect her health how ever you want. Was he involved around the time she was born? did he go and visit at the hospital? I understand it must be extremley upsetting for you but your main priority is Ava and her health. My bro doesnt have much to do with Nixon these days because of my Biatch SIL who has banned him from going to any family functions/ events because she has the pettiest problem with my father dating back from Nov last yr. They are also my neices god parents and same deal never see her.
My point i suppose is even though family is family and you expect them to support and comfort you, sometimes it doesnt work out like that but you need to just worry about you, your daughter & your husband over ridiculous and obsurd behaviour.

Hey ladies, I just found this thread!

My son was born 4 weeks prem on the 21st April of this year. Is this classed as premmie enough to join?

Welcome Ashlee... How is blake doing now?, there are various stages of prem bubs in here... from early 20 weekers upwards...

My DD was born @34+4 weeks & we had 6 1/2 week stay in Nicu.... but she is now 15months old & thriving..

Nic!
I can't believe how fast your ticker is moving! Congrats on another boy.

Ashlee, welcome to our group!

Hi Ashlee - Welcome to the thread, of course you can join!! How is little Blake doing now? Have you had any issues?
Nickers- Hi there, wow you're half way there already! Kyla seemed okay today, I washed the cut with saline solution and re-bandaided it so hopefully it heals quickly!
Sez- Hi there! Glad to hear that you and Nicholas are doing well. Things are good here, Kyla is now walking quite a bit which is such a huge milestone for her! Although, her main mode of transport is still her knee walking LOL. I have had the NT scan and tests done, all of which were fine. I don't have my first pre-natal appointment til the 26th June though, which I feel is pretty late!

Hi Carrie, thanks for the welcome :D Main problems with Blake are that he is very unsettled in between feeds which are still every 3 hours, and he is demanding alot of milk and taking a long time to drink it. He is on HA/AR formula (and is on formula due to b/fing issues), but this isn't seeming to help at this stage. Off to the doctors tomorrow to see if there is anything else I can do. Blake had jaundice and was in SCN for 7 days, and was also put on a feeding tube on day 2 as he wasn't taking to a bottle or the boob. The problem was he wasn't eating enough, now it is that he wants too much. I think there is an underlying problem, I'm just not sure what (definitely not reflux, I suspect colic).

I hear you on the feeding issues! That was one of my DD's primary issues - and she took forever to drink too! (She would then chuck most of it up-reflux).
For Kyla most of the issues just resolved over time, the reflux and colic started to get better at 3 months corrected (kyla was born at 28.6) and over time her feeding got quicker. I tried everthing for colic and feeding. Unfortunately, for Kyla anyway, we just had to wait, frustrating I know!
Hope the Dr can help - I know how tiring it is!

Hi Helena, so sorry to hear about your family's hurtful attitude. I know how much those comments make you hurt & angry, especially when you KNOW you are doing the right thing. Just cling to that idea.
BTW the American Academy of Pediatrics say that for health reasons ALL children should ideally be cared for only with their siblings until age 5!
I often quote that to people...not that anyone pays attention to it!...and I know that some mums do have to use a day care. Not to be critical of them--just that my children's continued good health is one factor in my caring for them.
You asked about DD walking....Gemma is not walking yet....she is 10.5 months and loves to kneel, which I think is so funny, and does lots of crawling & pulling up. My bigger boys all crawled at 6-7 months, walked at 11.5-12.5 months, but none were prem. Crawling is so good for brain development that I wouldn't care if she crawled for 6 more months.
Carrie, during my last 2 pregnancies I asked for earlier and more frequent antenatal visits because I needed the reassurance. Mostly just talking to the midwife and doctor & having a quick listen to the heart. If you think it would help then that might be an option. With Gemma I went fortnightly from 11-12 weeks on.

Hi Ashlee and welcome to the group. Blake looks like such a cutie in your ticker pic.
hmm yes slow feeding. Nixon was a 33weeker and didnt start bf until he was a few weeks old. For months he would take up to an hour to feed, constantly fall asleep while feeding, forget to suck, and then bring most of it back up. I remember reading your birth announcement but what was the reason Blake came when he did?

mitch & tiggy- I'm so sorry, I didn't see your welcomes, thank you so much!

carrie-I'm glad to hear there is a light at the end of the tunnel as far as the babies settling down goes, it's just getting through this tough bit that is the challenge!

nickers-I was in and out of hospital with premature labour at 29, 33 and 35 weeks. i had steroid injections at 33 weeks to strengthen his lungs just in case he did come (i thank god for that!), and he decided to make his entrance just 2 days after I was discharged the last time. I had GD and was going to be induced around 39 weeks anyway, and after my last hospital visit was told he will be here any day and was a nice size. some walking set labour off for me, and after being in and out of hospital, opted to not stop labour (by the time I got to the hospital i was 5cm anyway so not much hope of stopping him). He weighed 6lb 5oz - probably huge in comparison to all the tiny bubs here!

I just got some tough news - blake has a fever and an ear infection, and ive got conjunctivitis and PND. ive known for a while something isnt right with me, hopefully the low dose of anti depressants helps out.

Ashlee- Oh you poor thing :(. I'm gald that you are getting some help for the PND, hopefully you start to feel more like yourself soon :hug: And poor little Blake, not fun for either of you. Tiff (Tiggy) may be able to give you some useful tips on ear infections (I think she might be the Queen of them with IVY!)
Castle - Hi there! How cute with Gemma kneeling! Thanks for the advice, my issue is actually that I have not yet had an appointment, and will be 15 weeks for my first appointment (apparently it was the first one they had, although I contacted as soon at my pregnancy was confirmed). It just feel that for someone who had a prem baby last time around, an appointment before 15 weeks pregnant would be nice!! Maybe I should have gone private!:dunno:

ETA: I have changed Kyla's link to go to our main page where you can click on the text to watch a video of her first steps!

Carrie, I went public but made a big fuss about the sort of care I wanted. The secret, I think, is to make yourself heard Loud & Clear without being aggro.
Gemma has an ear infection too...she woke up on tuesday with a perforated ear drum, which I felt terrible about. She seemed to be in some pain but I put it down to teething, which was also going on. She never pulled at her ear or did any of the classic things. It is really hard.

New thread time girls

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