Anyone had a premmie ?

Does anyone have a premmie baby story that they might like to share ? Did you child go into neo-natal and how did that affect you ?

Kameron was 2 weeks early and had to spend 48hrs in neo-natal due to Jaundice and low blood sugar levels. At times it felt like i didn't even have my baby while i was in the hospital cause he was taken from me 12 hrs after given birth to him and neo natal was on a seperate floor to maternity ward at that time and for the first 24hrs I couldnt' walk. But the staff there were fantastic and did everything for him and taught me how to do everything too.

Love :smt049

Hi

Kimberley was born at 35.4 weeks and was put in SCBU Special care baby unit. I had her by C-Section due to pre-eclampsia. Her weight was 4lb 13oz. I was not able to get out of bed for 2 days and when i did it was a slow walk to get to her as she was on another floor.

It was hard as she was taken straight away from me not even alowed to hold her but i did see her for a second that was a bit of a shock seeing this baby covered in all this white stuff was not prepared for that. She was being feed from a tube, was kept in the warmer part of the unit for a few days but after a couple she was no longer at risk. I was pleased that she did not have to many tubes in her. Just the one she did was scary. After a few days she got Jaundice and was back with a heat mat.

They did take a photo which i kept by my bed and they did bring her up to see me after 10 hours but only for a short time. I was not able to be with her until i was well enough to be with her in scbu so that was 4 or 5 days with being away and not looking after her. I could go and see her but only for short times. Once i was able to stay with her it was better she was taken of the tube and i was able to feed her :) i was not able to take her home until she put weight on and that was going slow as she did not feed much just little and often, they did want to put her back on the tube but lucky that she did not have to. It also helped that they had a room for me to sleep in and be with her and if i needed help it was there.

Kimberley spent a week there and i had to fight to let them bring her home, the nurses were good but different one's would tell you differetn things. Like the morining they told be she put on weight and saw no problems in her coming home and i was so pleased but it was down to the doctor to see her. We wiated all day he come down and saw the baby's in the other part then went away. When i asked what was going on they said he will be back soon. I waited till 2 after another horrible lunch and a sleep i asked again and told them if he was not back soon i was going to discharge her and take her home. We were going to be checked on by a health visitor every day so i saw no problem. Within the time it took Pauk to come to pick me up the doctor was back signed her forms and said we could go home. The thing that upset me was he did not even look at her just the paper work.

One of the hardest things was to dress and change such a small baby but the staff were good and taught me how to do it thought i would hurt her, DH found it also hard at first. I look at her dolls and think that is how small she was hard to believe now.

It was also hard on DH as he had to see Kimberley down stairs then come up to see me at least they did not have visiting times for Kimberley just me. But with working and seeing us he looked worse than i did.

The one thing i will say it was scary that she was there but the staff are so good and great i would never worry so much if ot happened again.

If i remember more i will put it down later.

Wow what a story Michelle. That must have been so hard on all of you. You're just lucky that she only had to stay in hospital for a week, I think much longer would have been really tough.

Hi, my first baby was a premmie born at 32wks, weighing 3lb13oz (1738kgs).
Our journey began when at 31wks PG my waters broke. After consultations with my GP & midwife at the hospital it became an airplane flight to Melbourne's Monash Medical Centre in Clayton to wait & see what would happen. I was already 3cm dilated when I was sent there & also had to have the steroid injections for bubs lungs in case birth was imminent. In the end squirt stayed put for another week (32wks) when after a bio-physics u/s they decided he needed to come out. So after an emergency c-section we had a beautiful baby boy, who went nameless for 2 & 1/2 days!! He came out squeaking (there is no way you could call it crying), was taken up to the NICUnit where I was expecting him to be put on a ventilator. Lo & behold when my midwife went to check on him at 11:05pm (he was born at 8:16pm) she bought me back a photo with no tubes in sight. When asked she said that he had worked out his breathing by the time they got him up to the NICU. What a clever little fellow he was. His Dad, Nanna & Grandma came up the next day & sprung me just as they were getting me up for the first time. Then we went around to see our baby & couldn't believe how tiny he was, he was allowed out for cuddles & he was just so tiny. We spent 5 days in Melbourne before being told that we could move to a hospital just an hour away from home. It was a huge shock to us, we had expected a long stay in Melbourne. He then spent 11days at Warrnambool where he managed to put on enough weight to come out of the humidicrib & to be able to have his first bath. He then transfered back to our local hospital where he spent 4wks learning how to feed before we were allowed to take him home.

That said it was in no way as easy a journey as it sounds. Whilst in Melb I expressed milk for him, by hand at first & then by pump, which was fed to him via a nasal-gastric tube. Then there were the blood tests where they had trouble coz his little veins were small - I never knew he was capable of making so much noise until they did those, & the drips in his feet that they would take out only to have to put them back in because he wasn't on full milk feeds yet & they had read his chart wrong - once again more noise than I thought he could make. And that was without me recovering from the c-section. That being said I was up & walking to the nursery by myself the second day after it all happened, as I figured the more mobile I was the more time I was capable of spending with our son. Then came Warrnambool where they took the nasal-gastric tube out & instead opted to put a tube down his throat into his stomach at every feed, not very pleasant to watch the gag reflex in action. There was also the "forgetting" to breath rhythmically when comfortable having cuddles with Mum & hearing his monitor alarm go off & them having to administer oxygen to him. Then it went to the battle at our local hospital to get him home. A journey which I am sure was lengthened by the fact that they don't deal with premmies as a rule. But the past is past & we did finally get him home at gestation age 38wks 5days. And now you would never know the struggle we went through emotionally to have him here as you watch him run around & tell great stories (all in his 2yr old gibberish).

The majority of the staff who were involved in our care were wonderful, very supportive. That made being 5hrs away from family & friends easier, also their willingness to chat & answer any questions we had was brilliant. They organised a visit to the NICUnit before our baby was born so that we would have some idea of what we were facing & any machinery that may be involved. All in all even though it was one of the scariest times of my life I am grateful that we were so lucky. We had a fighter from the minute he was born, he never looked back or suffered one set back health wise & for that I am eternally grateful.

In just 6days time on August 21st we celebrate our little man's 2nd birthday & we count every day of those 2years as a blessing. He is the apple of our eye & all that we could have hoped for.

That was a lovely story Kirsty. Thanks for sharing.

Love :smt049

Hi,

My name is Jo a newbie, so I thought I'd post here. I have a little boy Tyson who just turned 6 months. Ty was born 5 weeks early, i had him at 35 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. I had high blood pressure from about 20 weeks and was on medication.

At my 34 week check up they found I had protein in my urine so I was admitted to hospital straight away. Lucky I had already started my maternity leave a week early. Anyway that was on a monday, by wednesday it had got worse and my ob decided it was time, so I had steroids that night and the following morning and had a c section on Thursday night. Little Ty was born at 6.35pm on the 29/4/04, he weighed 2.5kg (5lb 8oz). He was admitted to the SCN but required no oxygen, heat or anything. He was a little bit jaundice but that cleared up.

By the friday night he was b/f and we took him home with us when I was discharged the following tuesday.

His paed has been really happy with him and thinks that he is very healthy and happy bubs.

Hes been doing really well, weighs nearly 7kg, is starting to roll, has started solids and best of all sleeps through the night. We've had the usual, first cold and he got a bit of a chest cold about a month ago and had to take antibiotics but he is over that now and fighting fit.

Matt and I love our little man so much and love being parents that we were going to wait till Ty was 2 or 3 but have decided to ttc next April/May after Tys 1st bday and we were only going to have 2 children but have decided we want more (fingers crossed).

I'm a bit scared I may get pre-eclampsia again but have been off my medication for about 3 months now and my blood pressure seems to be ok. I get it checked regularly to make sure everything is fine.

So really glad to be here and hope to chat to you all soon. Bye for now.

Thanks for sharing your story Jo. You will have to join us in the 6-12mth thread :)

love :hbeat:

Thank you for sharing your story Jo :)

Jo so great to read your story. They are just the most precious little bundles aren't they & such little fighters! Hope all continues to go well with your beautiful baby boy.

Hey Jo,

Welcome to BB. Thanks for sharing your story! How fantastic that all is going well with your little one. All the best for when you start TTC again!

Hi
All these stories are so inspiring, so glad to hear that all your bubs are fighting fit, and Happy and healthy now. Thanks for sharing.

Best wishes Michelle

Hi
At around 29-30wks I was monitoried for pre-eclampsia, then finally on a Tuesday I was forced into hospital and given steriod injections to help baby's lungs. By the Friday night I mentioned to a nurse that I had what felt like a band around my chest and not long after I was taken to the delivery suite, after both of us were monitored through the night I was prepped for surgery. I let the nurses ring my husband in the morning and he got to the hospital 30mins before I went to surgery. Why surgery? Because baby was presenting breech and it was considered easier for both of us. The gynocologist and the nurses told me not to be disappointed that it wasn't a natural birth, I told them I didn't consider it a race and that a safe birth for both of us was all I wanted.

Elly was born at 1.29pm on the Saturday at 31wk 5dy was 3lb 6oz (1535g), and I had an epidural so that I could hear and see her when she was born. I even got to give her a kiss before she was taken up to NICU. My next look at her was about 7pm when the male midwife and my husband wheeled my bed into the NICU to see her. I saw the video footage hubby took of Elly being brought into NICU and put into the isolet. My first cuddle came on day 2 when she was put inside my dress, a kangaroo type cuddle. I made myself get up and about from the second day on and was able to get up to the NICU to see her on my own steam from day 3. Elly had a bit of fluid on her lungs and had a bit of jaundice, she spent 7days in bay 1 or intensive care and during that time we were limited to one cuddle a day. At first I was hesitant about touching her in the isolet but my husband's confidence rubbed off on me. On day 7 she was moved to bay 3, to grow and get strong enough to come home. She was a fiesty little thing and didn't much care for us touching her much at first, which was the typical reaction of a baby born through pre-eclampsia.

Then on day 9 I was released from hospital. Leaving her in hospital was an ordeal, but I was comforted by talking to the other mums with bubs in the NICU. Sharing with them showed me that my reactions and feelings were normal. On day 11 Elly was kicked out to make room for other babies, I say this in a nice way, Elly was moved to another hospital with a special care nursery to grow, she was early but not ill requiring the specialist care services in the NICU. Elly thrived in the new nursery and together my husband and I got very skilled at changing nappies facing side on to Elly, holding her and bathing her without disturbing her monitoring leads. At times they moved Elly around special care nursery and we'd go to her old spot and suddenly find ourselves with another person's baby. Those were the weirdest times we had through the NICU and special care nursery.

After only 5wks and numerous tests - ultrasounds, physiotherapist and opthamologists, we were allowed to bring her home. I was able to give breast cuddles rather than feeds, my milk never established and she easily switched between breast and bottle. I was also driving from 3wks after the surgery because it was faster to drive 20mins to the hospital over an hour bus ride. I didn't feel any ill effects from driving so early, and met the usual criteria of being able to use the pedals safely and stop suddenly without any difficulty or safety issues for me and others.

It was tiring looking after a baby who went from 4hrly feeds to 3hrly, and recovering from pre-eclampsia and surgery, but it was a joy to have her home with us. We also had community visits from the midwives who checked up on families who'd had premmy bubs, and we learned how to do infant rescusitation. It relieved our minds having that skill, we haven't had to use it thankfully. When Elly was 6mths/4mths I had to go back to work and she was put into full time daycare. Since then we've gone through a couple of viruses with vomiting and diahhorea, asmtha and chicken pox. My husband also caught chicken pox and Elly was by far the easier patient. She's still got to have a check up in a few weeks to see if she needs glasses to correct long sightedness, and we've learned how to use puffers and spacers for asthma medication. At this point in time she's a happy little 18mth/16mth old, who captures everyone's heart with her sunny personality and smile.

I find it interesting that I have 2 cousins on my mothers side who between them had 3 premmy babies each, a cousin had 3 averaging 6lbs and the other cousin had 3 averaging 4lbs birth weight. My sister-in-law also had a 36weeker. I don't know much more than that about their early experiences.

Our time in NICU and a special care nursery was scary at first, but as our knowledge and confidence grew it got easier. We also lived close enough to the hospital to see her every day of the 5wks she was in hospital. I think overall we had a very positive experience.
Tracy - Elly's Mum

Tracy what a wonderful story, thankyou for sharing it. Your story is very similar to mine in so many ways. I totally understand the "losing your baby" bit, we left James for about an hour then my aunt & uncle came to visit & by the time we got back to the NICU he wasn't where I had left him. In fact the baby where he was was of asian appearance with heaps of black hair ~ where James was a little white weed with no hair at all. Was quite freaked out by it all until the nurse said he had actually moved bays coz he was doing so well. Like you I forced myself to move around fairly quickly after his birth & was driving 6days after his birth (in an automatic) coz it was easier for me to get to him.

Hope all continues to go well with your darling daughter.

Before Elly's birth I was scared of having a newborn baby to care for, thinking I'd have a baby with around 6lb birth weight. When I got my little 3lb 6ozer it was so ironic, but I learned very quickly how to hold her. The NICU nurses picked her up by the head and bum, so I watched and asked questions on other ways I could handle my bub. Hubby and I used to get very devious around feeding times, devising ways to wake her up and cuddle her longer. Like changing her nappy way earlier than feed time and holding her for long periods after she'd finished feeding. When she came home it was lovely to be able to hold her whenever we wanted or needed a cuddle. Nowadays she's over 10kg and I'm developing strong muscles for holding her. Amazing how you change along with your baby. Oh Elly is our first, and I have learned that I don't have any further blood pressure problems, it was all pregnancy related. We are all doing pretty well now.
Cheers
Tracy - Elly's Mum

I really can't get over how similar our stories are. I had problems with my BP whilst pregnant ~ not to the stage of pre-eclampsia though~ in fact both times that I have been PG I have ended up on BP tablets. And like you we devised sneaky tactics to be able to hold our baby for longer, he was a fraction bigger than Elly. James was 3lb 13oz, so only just a bit bigger & was terrified of holding anything so tiny. Amazing how quickly we got over that fear though. Also used to love kangaroo cuddles with him & feeling him snuggle up against my skin!!

Tracy

What a wonderful story. Thank you so much for sharing it with us.

Kimberley is now 21 months old and you would not think she was 4lb 13oz at birth to look at her now.

Did anyone keep any souveniers from the hospital. The size of Elly's first nappy was practically doll's size, I asked for and received two different sizes of plastic nappies that the hospitals used with her. The first one was smaller than a personal hygiene or modess type pad. And her first beanie fit over the top of a coffee cup. I was allowed to keep her little eye shades that were used when she was under the light for jaundice. I loved the little clothes they put on her, like a pinafore (sorry can't spell). Elly also went into size 0000 she was too long for 00000. When my cousin had her last premmy I sent up the tiny singlets her mother had made for Elly, and the 0000 clothes Elly had grown out of, I know that the singlets were well used during her baby's time in hospital.
Tracy - Elly's Mum

Hi,
I had my last little girl at 37 weeks gestation (or so the doctors insisted) but she weighed only 5p5 when born and my midwife and i still say she was earlier than that...
My waters broke and i had to be induced 24 hours later,they had a ped on standby,but thankfully she was breathing and feeding fine...We got to go home on the 5th day,but her weight had dropped to 4p13 by then...
I had an u/s done two days before my water broke and she was measuring 31 w and 6 days on it,and my doctor told me she would only weigh about 4p at that stage,so we were happy she was a bit bigger....
It has taken her 3 years to sleep through the night,and she had to wear 00000 clothes at birth because she was only a tiny tot....
She still suffers problems with toilet training,and doesnt eat a terrible lot,but is very bright,talkative and smart toddler...Even though she is still tiny,at 10kgs,and still fits some size one clothes....(her tummy is too small often to keep size two clothes on!!)
I am hoping this baby is bigger and is born a bit later,as i cant take 3 years of nearly sleepless nights again!!!
Thanks for reading this!!!

Great to read your story Suzie. I can so relate to the not so peaceful nites. My premmie is now 27mths (should be 25mths) & he is only just starting to sleep better through the nite time. I can hardly wait for him to do it on a more regular basis, though he is getting better & better at it all the time. I still freak out sometimes that something has gone wrong when he sleeps really well & either DH or I go & check on him.

Hope all goes well for your next arrival. We are about to TTC #3 in a little under a month now & am getting very excited (& scared) at the prospect.


Tracey ~ I too have got all sorts of souvenirs from when James was a teenie weenie. Little hats & singlets that wouldn't look out of place on a doll. They are just the cutest thing & are a constant reminder of how far he has come.

Hope all babies are doing well & giving their mums & dads all the smiles & best memories for years to come.

What lovely storys onelittleone and Suzie.

Like you Suzie i have had sleepless nights up to 2 months ago and now she sleeps fine the odd night she wakes but nothing but to cover her over or put her back in bed.
Last time we weighed her she was 12 kilos that was about a month ago. also I have trouble with her eating she will not eat all her dinner and only likes to snack in the day even if i make her lunch.

The funny thing is I am pg with number two and scared it will be a big baby after having such a small one the first time. But i can not wait to sort out all the old clothes and see how small she was as looking at her now you would not believe she was that small.

Great to read your story onelittleone. My premmie is a bit the other way & is on the tall side (was 47cm when he was born 8wks early) so he looks older than what he is!! But is a fussy eater atm so is starting to thin out quite a bit.

Hope all are well.

My little one, Alex, was born at 35 weeks and weighed 1.9 kilos (4lbs 2oz). He was in 000000 (yes they do exist in hospital and speciality shops) for about three weeks before he grew into 00000. I now look at him (he's 18 months old) and wonder how he was ever so small!

He is still on the small side, and susceptible to infections (hospitalised three times since birth, with pneumonia, gastroenteritis and concussion) and is still below the 3rd percentile for weight.

But he is happy and relatively healthy, and considering we both almost died, we are very lucky to be here.

I'll tell my whole story another time when I've got more time.

Regards;
Divvy

Divvy great to read your story about your son Alex. Hope his health is on the improve. Hard to imagine how tiny they really were isn't it. I'm hearing you on the 000000 size clothes. James was in them for about 2wks before he grew too long & had to upgrade to 00000 with lots of spare room around the tummy!!

I look forward to reading the rest of your story.

Hi there,
Just wanted to introduce myself. My twins were born at 31 weeks, but my son had stopped growing at 29 weeks. Their birth weights were 1402(son) and 1800g (daughter). They had a 10% and 20 % chance of survival. My son was rushed to the Children's Hopsital NICU with HMD and all other complications resulting in the fact that everything had stopped developing after 29 weeks. My daughter stayed in special care in the same hospital as I was at.

Well after several surgeries, and many ups and downs they will be two next week. My son is huge! He is now about 14kg and on the 90% for growth. My daughter is about 12kg and is normal for weight. Not bad seens they wore out their prem clothes.

It took them unitl they were about 18months old before they even got on the growth charts and now they are nearly off them the other end .

Just wanted to give assurance to others that even thought their kids may be small now, they can still catch up. The Docs believe that my son will end up being around 6ft 6 from the tests they did. When he was born his beanie baby was bigger than him.

So miracles do happen, and I am now a non believe of statistics for survival. But I guess they have to prepare you for the worse.

Take care
Odette

Great to hear that your babies are doing so well now Odette. I think premmies really are little fighters & you should never underestimate what they are capable of achieving. Hope you & they enjoy their 2nd birthdays soon.

That is good to hear that they are doing so well Odette.
Hope they have a lovely 2nd Birthday.

Ladies, it is so lovely to hear so many different experiences, its amazing how many little bits from each story has similarities to our family's.

At one and a half (20mths/18mths) Elly seems smaller and lighter than others around her age, and took her own sweet time in walking alone, not just cruising furniture and stepping between her parents. She eats finger food and of course loves sweet things.

I think what I've been getting around to saying is that she's still a little small, can be picky with her food, walks, and talks all the time, more regularly with clearer English words, and sings with hand movements.

What I have always found interesting is that for many people she seems behind her peers, yet I see so many times that she seems older in understanding things than her corrected or chronological age peers and has done some things ahead of her peers. Its an odd mixture, yet I am confident that Elly is growing and developing just fine. I hope that each of your little ones brings as much joy to you as mine does for me.
Tracy (Ellys Mum)

Thanks so much for sharing your stories.

Both of my babies were induced due to gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia (with my son, it only showed up in really high uric acid levels and blood pressure was fine!!). Cairenn was born at 38 weeks and Liam at 36w 3 days - not as early as some of your children!!

I was born premature myself - I don't know the reason why other than mum went into premature labour the day after she finished work! I was born at 28 weeks and weighed in at 2lb 1oz!! I was in NICU for a month or two (??) and have had no side effects which I reckon is pretty good for a baby born almost 31 years ago!!

Anyway, best wishes to you all, I expect that my new baby will be born early too as I already have high blood pressure!

Kelli here's wishing you all the best for a safe birth of your next child.
And you are certainly living proof that just because you are prem doesn't mean things won't work out for the best.

Hey kirsty, was just reading this thread, Ashlea was born at the W'bool hospital! They are brilliant up there, my friend had a premie there (my god daughter) and the staff were wonderful!

Although James was actually born in Melbourne we spent a couple of weeks at Warrnambool with him & have to agree that the staff are fantastic. We had a second experience with them in March last year when we lost our second son, Alex, at 18w5d & again we couldn't fault them. As a result of this when we are PG again we will be receiving our antenatal care from an OB there & delivering the baby there if all goes to plan.

Hi,

I have had four babies, all of who have ended up in the NICU for various reasons.

My twins (who are now almost 9) were born by caesarean at 35 weeks because my waters broke and one of the twin's arms prolapsed out of my cervix. It was a bit of an emergency and very scary.

They were both small and sick when they were born and I had a PPH too. I held Maddy for the first time when she was 3 days old and it was the best moment of my life.
I didn't get to hold Immy for another 2 days after that as she had a collapsed lung and was attached to all the tubes and wires. They both stayed in the NICU for two weeks and we finally got the all clear on day 16. (I'd had two days rooming in). I thought the whole thing was pretty scary and I must admit it took me a long time to get over their birth. They are so well and healthy now. The midwives and doctors were lovely and patient with us the whole time.

My third daughter Lily was also born by caesar at 37 weeks but it was elective due to high BP. When she was born it was amazing! She weighed in at just over 4kgs which was about the size of the twins combined!! She looked enormous! She was breathing up though and so they put her into the NICU with oxygen...not for long though! After she broke two headboxes and a rebreather mask, she was deemed well enough to come into the room with me.
I went home with her on day 3 but on day five had to take her back because she had caught bronchiolitis from the twins and had to go back on oxygen for another week. She is also very well now and hasn't looked back at all from her shakey start.

My last little baby, William, alot of you will already know his story from the m/c and loss group but he was born vaginally at full term. He was very ill right from the start and on day three it was discovered that he had critical aortic valve stenosis and also a mitral valve defect.

I hated the NICU staff and for the first time felt that my baby was not my own. I thought the twins were covered in wiring but compared to Will, it was nothing. There was no where to sit, I was uncomfortable and the staff kept telling me that his illness was my fault. I had to have an emergency laparotomy following Will's birth because my uterus ruptured in second stage when his head was on view. I lost about 3 and a half litres of blood, I felt awful and I was so worried about William. They kept telling me that they were understaffed and underpayed and kept telling David and I that they couldn't possibly look after William with all the other premmie babies that were in there.
The doctors and NICU nurses almost died when they found that he had a heart abnormality. They had been so one eyed about his birth that they didn't look for anything else until one doctor went off and another came on. He looked at Will with new eyes and did a cardiac u/s. So on day three they did a mad transfer down to Westmead Hospital to try to correct his condition. Well, if I thought it was bad before, it got a whole lot worse down there. The first nurse was an absolute cow, the neonatologist had read the notes and came to us with the same story, I had effectively killed my baby when my uterus had ruptured (like that was my choice). That NICU was very busy and they used to put those folding doors around William and I so the other parents couldn't see us. It was isolating and horrible.
William was dying and we had to make quick decisions. He was in a coma but his body was shutting down so fast, it was so sad. We called everyone in and the nurse who was with us on that terrible day was the kindest, most beautiful person. In the end the neonatologist was quite good too. He stayed with us while we held William and said goodbye. The social worker was just lovely too.

If we are so lucky to have another baby, he or she will be born at around the 36 week mark and will have to go straight to the NICU for all the tests that WIlliam should have had. I'm dreading it but the midwives who were present at Will's birth have said that they will come to the NICU with me before the new baby is born so that I can deal with my issues regarding Will's birth.

All my experiences have taught me to never take anything for granted, ever. I appreciate my girls everyday and I know that I am very lucky also to be here to watch them grow up.

Sorry that this is so long and a mixed bag of good and bad but that's our story.

OMG Tiggy, what a rought trot you and you DH have had. How very rude of the Dr's and nurses to say that it was your fault, if htat were the case then it is just as much their faults if not more as they are the medical professionals and shouldn't have let it go that far. Poo to them.

I hope that your new baby comes into the world with out any problems at all, afterall, it's the very least you guys and bub deserve.

Take care
Trish

Tiggy you have had it awful.
The doctors were so rude to you.

I'm so sorry that you lost William.

I wish you the best of luck and hopefully you will be pg again soon and get better treatment next time.

I would like to ask you a few questions about your last labour if that is okay.
Could you please email me michelle@antique-locks.com
If that is okay with you.

Tiff sweetie I'm not sure what to say. I knew you had had a hard time with William's birth but I didn't realise there were so many other difficult things going on as well. Staff that are hard to deal with & rude make the whole experience that much harder, we were very lucky in that all the staff that we dealt with were lovely. Very rude of them to suggest that you ruptured your uterus to do your son any harm...............Do these people have no tact or understanding at all?????

Lovely to read your experiences about it all though & hope that any future experiences you may have with NICU staff are a damn sight more inspiring.

Thinking of you loads after reading this & sending you & your family huge :grouphug: take care.

Hiya guys well heres my story I had a bloody show at 33 weeks, OB said hang on as long as poss, Cervix fully effaced. 2 days later waters broke. Went in to hosp, nothing happened for 5 hrs. Put up the drip, coz they wanted them delivered before theatre closed for the day. 2 1/2hrs later twin 1 born, 6 minutes later twin 2, quick photo then off to SCU. Luckily for me I was fine, so after a shower I followed. They were in isolettes, but no tubes, no oxygen. I held them for the first time 4hrs later. I was expressing ( my first colosrum express was 12 mls!!) and they were getting the tube down their throats and fed that way. They weren't my babies, and the thing that upsets me the most was my MIL and everyone followed them in and saw them being weighed etc, whilst I was sitting in the labour ward by myself! They stayed in Hospital for 3 weeks. Coz I had no problems I was home in 3 days. I cried non stop. I couldn't believe I had to leave them there by themselves. They weighed 2115, 2110 4lb 10 oz, 4lb 11oz they didn't have any problems except feeding. I was so proud of myself that after 2 days they were fully fed on my expressions, with no added formula. Then started the coming in every morning with my little esky of expressed milk, I actually set my alarm and got up at 2am to express every night. I would sit by their cots until dinner time, then go home and have dinner with DH then we would both come back in til midnight. They had their skin on skin contact at each feed, but just lapped at the milk on the nipple like little kittens. they actually sounded like little kittens too, no such thing as a cry!! I never felt so alone, useless. They weren't my babies, they were the hospitals and I felt I had to ask permission to touch them, it sucked. Finally the day before xmas eve we got to take them home. I couldn't wait to get to know my babies, finally I felt they were mine, I couldn't beleive I could do what I wanted with them. They wore 0000 but needed 00000, but there wasn't 00000 around when they were born ( 6yrs ago) they had caught up by the time they were 8 mths. They both breast fed til 14 months.
Vanita

Vanita so wonderful to read your story. I understand the feeling that your baby isn't your baby. It is awfully hard to be sitting next to your baby & not being able to hold it whenever you want to, also heartbreaking to be going home at night & leaving them there. I found that hard to do too, just wanted to be with my little man ALL the time. But he is now 2 1/2yrs old & you would never know he was a premmie (1738g or 3lb13oz born at 32 weeks). Hope the twins are still going well.

hey guys,
i had my DD at 26 weeks weighing 568 grams at nepeaen hospital she is now almost 16 months old. where has the time gone?
shes doing well but just tiny...

Kaz_april, congratulations on your daughter. She must have been so tiny when she was born, my son was almost three times her size when he was born & he was small enough. How is she going nowdays? Has her early birth affected her in any way?

Anyway hope she is booming & continues to do so.

August 3 2004 i was 28 weeks pregnant and things were all progressing along fine.Little did i know what that day wouldholdin store forme.After aweekend of badback pain and having troublebreathing, i decided to headtothe doctor justto get a check up. After taking my bloodpressure and urine sample i was admitted to hospital. I had high blood pressure and protein in my urine.
At around 4pm that after noon i went to the toilet and noticd that i was bleeding. After telling the nurses i went backto bed. At5.30pm the doctor cameand done and internaL examination and left the room. Me not knowing that he was tryingto get me on a plane and to the nearest hospital with a NICU. At 6.00pm the doctor came back as i wascomplaining ofcramping,me being young and this myfirst baby i didnt knowthat they were contractions. The doctor done another internal examination and found that i was 2cm dilated and i was having this baby.

The doctor gave mesome pills to stop thelabouruntil i got to a biggerhospital where they were more equiped to dealwith this. At midnight i boarded the plane and headed to JHH. When i arrived at the hospital i was hooked up to a monitorto checkthe babies heart beat,it was a little fast but other than that it was fine.

I got somesleep and a 6.00am the nurses camein and woke up mypartner and told him to put his scrubs on, then and there i knewthat ourbaby was going to be born. I had to have a c-section asourchoild had to comethen and there.

3hrs latter i seen myson forthe first time. He weighed 724grams. He had amachine helpinghim to breath. I really didnt know what to think or feel. I could just see a little thing laying there that i knew was not surpossed to be here for another 12 weeks.

I ampleased to say he only needed help to breath for his first day. But our journey was never smooth sailing. He indured 3 operations and countless testto tell us what was wrong with hisliver. Only to tell us he needs a liver transplaNT latter in life.

I amhappy and proud to say that my son Dacian isnow7months old and weighs 5.06kg. Still small but very cute. To all other mothers experiencing this long and painfull journey,just remeneber there is hopethere and this littlemiracles sure know howtofight. We know we spent 18weeks in hospital but nowhe is home. The onlythingthat i regret is not talking to people moreabout the way i wasfeeling it hasnowcaught upwith me. Find people in the samesituation and u will have friends for life

loveand best wishes to u all