32 Weeks and arrived.

Hi Girls

Just wanted some advice from people who know. I have just had my twin boy's (5 days ago) at 32 weeks 4 days. They were born 2083 and 2287, the apgar was 9 & 9 for Theo and 9 & 7 for Kobe. They needed air for approx 12 hours but are now in open crib and we are starting feeding from my breast 2 times a day and that is going well. I am sooooo scared, my last baby who is 13 mths old was born 9 pounds with no problems so this has thrown me for a 6.

I guess I am just looking for advice and reassurance that they will be ok, the hospital staff said they are doing well and all will be fine, but them being in hospital and me at home has left me feeling scared and empty.

i am told they will be able to come home when they are 2.2 kgs and when they feed off the breast for 24 hours??? I was initially told that they could only come home when they hit there due date, so again confused. I am also scared of SIDS as I believe the rate is highef in premmie babies?

Thank you for any advice/information.

Julie

hi, i know how your feeling,
i to gave birth to my baby at 30 weeks, he was smaller then your too, he was only 1000 grams.

Just take each day as it comes, some days a good some days a great and some a just bad.
wat hosp are your babies at, jaylen was at westmead hosp.
jaylen had a few battles when he was born. but all went well, we just had hes 3rd bday on the 21st.
the only thing wrong with jaylen now is hes small, but hey who cares about size..
all will work out fine, all in good time huni,
we got to take jaylen home when he reached 40 weeks and he was very tiny when we took him home only weighing 18.15 grams.
dont belive what the nurses tell you, ask the doctor thats were you will get all the right answers.
if you need to chat further i can help you through alot of your questions.
msn: pinkbyrd_17@hotmail.com
and remember hun positive thoughts be strong for your little ones they need you.
xoxoxox

hi there julie
congrats on the birth of your twins

my twins were born at 31 weeks at 1400g and 1800grams.
My sons apgar score was 1 and then 3 and my daughters was 3 and 5. He had a 10 chance of survival and she had a 20 %.

They were in hospital until they could feed without a gavage and maintain their body temp. They were in for 33 days and came home at 36 weeks gestation. My son weighed 1800g and my daughter 2400g
So the main thing is that they can feed and keep themselves warm. The suck swallow reflex usually starts from 34 weeks, so it is usually some time after that they can come home
good luck and if you need any advice- just yell out
btw they are now healthy 4 year olds and have had no major probs being prem
small beginnings but big futures
HTH

hi Julie,

congratulations on the birth of your boys Theo & kobe. I hope they are well and you are recovering well.
My son was born at 33weeks and was 2296 so a similar size to one of your boys.
He got to go home when he was gradually gaining weight, feeding well and taking each feed sucking either breast or bottle. He was 2650g and 37weeks when we got to bring him home.
i think like skye said try to take each day as it comes, some days may be better then others, they sound like they are really good sizes and breathing really well to be in an open crib already.
Nixon was ventillated for 5 days, once off oxygen he never looked back, it is a scray road i hope you have some good support to help you out at home etc while you are travelling back and forth to hospital. There is also a really good support site with many lovely people called austprem which you may also find helpful.

i hope your boys continue to get stronger each day and please update us when you get a chance.

Hi Julie,
Firstly, Congratulations on the birth of your twin boys! They sound like they are doing very well but I know that having them small and in the NICU/SCN is very scary and distressing.
My two were born at 30 weeks and weighed 1600 and 1700g Today they are twelve months old and are fine. It is a case of one step forward two steps back while you are in the hospital. Mine did not come home until they were almost 39 weeks because they had feeding difficulties. Noah weighed just over 2 kgs and Ivy just under.
Hugs to you, I know how hard it is having to leave your little ones in the hospital and how stressful it can be having tinys at home. Have you got and Angelcare monitor for each of your boys? They are a really good investment if you have issues with SIDS as it alarms if they stop breathing. I know there are some hospitals that hire them out, some twins clubs also do this. Otherwise you can buy them from Target or most baby stores. They were sanity savers for me.

As for the mixed messages as to when they will be home with you. It's difficult to say. Everyone has different opinions (nurses) but generally when the babes can hold their own (as in feeding and temperature is stable) they are allowed to come home.

I'll be thinking of you and wishing your little ones all the very best. THeay sound like little fighters!
Come on over and talk to us in the premmie mums thread when you're ready.

Julie, firstly congrats on the births of your boys!! They are great sizes :)

My daughter was born at 30 weeks and weighed 1680g. she weighed 2225g when she came home at 34w3d gestation. I was told that she could come home once she could maintain her body temp (she had some slights probs with this - but when they are in an open cot it means they're fine in that dept) is breastfeeding/bottle feeding (depending on what your doing) and putting on weigh without being on pentavite. (i think thats the name of it)

I agree in investing in an angel care monitor, they're $179 from target, and as my daughter had apnoea i found that it helped me sleep at night. Its a mat under their cot mattress, and when it senses no movement/breaths for 20 seconds, it alarms. And its loud!!

email me if you ever need to talk at simone_pitcher@hotmail.com

Julie, Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful twins.. :)

My son was born at 27wks weighing 1140 grams and now you wouldn't be able to tell.. He was incubated for 3 weeks, then CPAP for another 6 weeks, low flow for 4 weeks then finally came home 2 weeks after his due date.. He had alot of problems needing breathing relief but it sounds like your little ones are going great guns!

So many factors come into when they can come home and the girls have mentioned most of the reasons as to when or when they cannot come home.. We were told Ronan could come home around his due date if not before but we were there for 110 days so it really depends on how your little ones are going and they certainly are fighters.. :)

If you ever need to talk please msg me on msn at ruggles22@hotmail.com *hugs*

Cheers
Julia

Hi Girls thank you all for your replies. I do have 2 angel monitors, i used it wih my last bub and would never be without them. has been very hectic and I am crying alot so when I get myself togethor I will chat more. Thank you again just knowing you all are there is a huge help.

Jules

We're always here Jules if you need to vent or chat or anything :hug: we know exactly how hard it is...