Help from NICU mums, please.

Hey everyone,

I'm 29 weeks and having a bub that will require a stay in the NICU in the Royal Children's for 4 weeks (fingers crossed, could be 6 weeks. Hopefully not 8!)

The thing is, bub will be born at the Women's, and taken straight to the Childrens for immediate surgery. I've been told that I'll need a C-section (unless a miracle happens).
Bub has Gastroschisis (bowels on the outside), is small, my placenta is aging too fast, low fluid, and bub has been in breech since my 20 week scan and is very stubborn and probably won't turn around.

After a C/S I won't be able to go the Childrens to see bub for 24 hours. I know it probably won't seem like much, but I'll barely get a look before they take him/her away.
I don't want to be seperated from my baby...

Has anyone gone through you being at one hospital, and bub being at another??

Thanks.

I could not read and not post.

I was not in that position so I cannot comment on the separate hospital side of things. I did get to see DD about 8 hours after she was born. I did not get to hold her until at least 48 hours after her birth and only two more times in the first week and it was horrible enough.

It is a terrible thing for you to have to go through and I am sure someone on BB will have experienced it and get on and help you.

I have found the NICU/SC ladies on BB to be soooo super supportive so do not feel that you are all alone in this.

Hope you get the answers you seek and all the best for the birth. My DD was 29weeks + 6 days and was home after 6 weeks 4 days (and that was with a heart problem).

xx

I won't lie. It is the hardest thing I'm the world to not be able to hold ur little one, to go home for 7 weeks while ur little one stays inhospital. At the end of the day tho they are in the best place an where they need to be. And each day that passes is one day closer to home. And they day you being them home is the best day in the world

Enjoy your time in the nicu and ask questions. Learn to look after your little one - hubby liked that he was able to get lots of instructions and help from the nurses before our little princess came home (born at 30 weeks, spent 7 weeks in nicu and scn)

Hope I have helped a little. Feel free to pm me

Slightly different for me, as my son was 11 days old when he was taken away (one of twins, and my other twin was an infection risk so I had to choose which twin to be with before they rushed him to a bigger hospital with a better NICU). Like onelittleprincess, I will not lie to you. It was like having a part of myself taken away and the night they took him still gives me nightmares. However I think I have mainly come to terms with the fact it was for the best, and I'm sure you will too. If you can, try to have someone take some photos of him on a digital camera or phone so you have a picture of him until you get to see him again.

hey there
yes i haven been in a simllar situation
my twins were born at frances perry house- twin 1 had to be rushed to the womens and then to the RCH so he was away from us for over a week before he was transported back to frances perry house. Twin 2 stayed at my hossy but was on a different floor. At one stage twin one was going to be airlifted to adelaide so i was very grateful that this didnt happen!!
the NETS team bought twin one in to see me before he was transported. Mainly to say goodbye to him ( the didnt think he would make the 1 km journey!)
they also gave me photos of both my babes which helped alot
i was up out of bed the day after my c-section and went and visited him at RCH- i went over at least twice a day whilst he was there, and spent the rest of the time with twin 2 at other hossy.
DH was awesome and he went across to RCH following the NETS so that at least twin 1 had someone there- he got to cuddle him that day as well which was awesome!!

If DH goes across to be with your babe, make sure you get him to take a camera with him to get some early photos!! makes all the difference and it keeps you in the loop

its a hard journey, but for us , the alterative was much worse!!
take care and good luck

I'm sorry you are going to have to go through this. I have to say one positive is that you can try and prepare, go and do a tour of the NICU now and try and learn some of the things going on there. Make sure you have someone who can take a heap of photos for you, I wish my mum (who was my support person) had taken a whole lot more than she did.

As the others pointed out, it is the hardest thing in the world. Brendan was taken from me so quickly to be resuscitated I got a quick view before they rushed him to NICU, he was in a very bad way. Not being able to cuddle him, not being able to see him for most of the day... no words can describe the heartache I felt, especially when I was placed back on the ward in a room with pregnant women and babies crying down the hall :(

All the best xx

Thanks!

Getting a tour of the neonatal unit tomorrow morning at the RCH. I'm going to make sure that there's plenty of pictures taken.
We got a new camera and while you're filming you can take picture, so I'm going to make DP film the C/S and take a million pictures.
I'm pretty excited for bub to come. DP and I talked about it, and all the drama we're going through (see Gastroschisis update in medical conditions) we just want bub to come.
There's a high chance then when we go to the Women's tomorrow that they'll set a date for bub's arrival, or tell us we can't come home because they want to moniter me more closely.

Drama Drama Drama!!!

I can't wait for bub to get patched up and come home.

How did ur tour go? Hope ur feeling more positive about your journey ahead of u

Yeah, it went really good!! Lisa, who showed us around, was awesome. It was nothing like I expected, and it wasn't even scary. Saw a couple of bubs in there, which was good (for us, not for the bubs parents) because we were showed different bubs so we could see how breathing tubes, feeding tubes, drips, etc look. Knowing that our bub will need all of them.
They had no Gastroschisis bubs in there tho, which would have been good to see.
I feel so much better because it wasn't scary. And I'm very confident that bub will be just fine.

Hi. How is everything going for u

hope everything is going well for you and your little bubba. NICU seems daunting at first, but the staff are so amazing, and try talking to other parents, no-one can support you better through your journey then those sharing it with you.

I hope things are going well for you and your baby. Good luck.

Tiny Hannah came on Friday the 10th. Got an update in Medical Conditions if you want a more in-detail story. :-)

It was rough being away from her for 3 days, but DP was great and wheeled me down to see her twice a day for a couple hours.
Alot of the staff have been really awesome, and have been letting me help out. Wash her hair, change her nappy, help change her linen.

Struck a couple of grumpy nurses, or unhelpful ones. But nearly all of them have been really good.

Congratulations Charlotte and welcome little Hannah! Sounds like you are both doing well - toddling off to medical conditions to find out more!

Congratulations!!! :D