Can you help((preemie mothers))?

i get to go home from the hospital today, so you'd think i'd be glad. but i can't just drive away leaving my baby boy their without shedding a tear=[. you may just be like " get over it lady"((lol)) but seriously, it's sad when i think i get to come home today and andrew has to stay their. i dont know how i'm going to last 3 months. i will visit him daily, but still, i want him homee=/. call me crazy, but i'm looking forward to those sleepless nights. how did you mothers deal((mothers of preemies)).

i know i'll be ok, i plan on visiting him daily, but i just want to hear ya'll sstories about yall preemie children. how early were you? how long did yall baby stay in the NICU? what are yall stories?

andrew was born at 30 weeks

I know exactly how you are feeling and what you are going through, my oldest son was born at 30 weeks and weighed 2 pounds 2 ounces and was 14 inches long, his umbilical cord had shriveled up to nothing and he wasn't getting any nutrition from me. He was in the hospital for 40 days(I was there for 10 days after his birth because of pre-eclampsa)

I visited him every day and stayed as long as I was allowed during his stay at the hospital; and the first few weeks we were unsure of how things would turn out because his lungs were not fully developed(they gave me some medicine before inducing me to speed the development of his lungs) and with him being my first that was the hardest and longest time in my life. But once he learned to suck swallow and breathe at the same time and was off all the machines we were able to bring him home.

He was 4 pounds 9 ounces when we brought him home and with him being so small and being my first I was scared at first as to how to care for him but we had a friend whom is a nurse come stay with us for awhile until I was comfortable enough to stay by myself. He is now a healthy happy 6 year old just graduated from kindergarten.

My baby was born at 37 weeks weighing 4 pounds 15 ounces and was 16 inches long. He was only in the hospital for 8 days but it was still hard and I questioned why it had to happen to me twice. He was also born with a condition called hypospadia(which I had never heard of before he was born) and is facing minor surgery but that is just to move the opening of his penis to the tip so he can go like a normal boy, but other then that he has not had any other problems.

If you need someone to talk to that has been through this also just email me and I;'ll answer what I can.

As a maternity nurse I do not know what it is like to leave your baby in hospital. But I do know that you should not tell yourself to "get over it". Sadness is a big part of delivering a preemie. No mother thinks that they will leave the hospital without their baby. It is heartbreaking. Make sure that you take care of yourself also!!

I know it would be hard on me if I was home and my baby would be in the hospital. But I had a niece that was born with fluid in the brain. She was born when she was post to. But she was Nicu with alot of wires and oxygen. I know she in good while in the hospital. I think couple of weeks after having surgery I think she got go home. I know it was hard on my brother and his girlfriend. But it been 6 years ago I can't remember how long she was in the hospital. She a happy 6 year old girl now.

at what week was ur baby born? i cant speak from experience but my mom had a baby who had to stay in the NICU. She said it was extremely hardbut she did visit him every day. She was worried that they wouldnt bond but she said the moment he came home the bonding began- even since it had been a few months. now he is healthy as can be and is 18 years old. the NICU is the best place for him and as hard as it is you have to think he is getting the absolute best care as possible

Just keep reminding yourself that he does get to come home soon! Visit as much as you can. Spending time with him will help him. It is soothing to have mom there. Bring him a nice blanket to cuddle with. It can be sad seeing all the tubes connected to a preemie, but a really soft blue blanket will make him more comfortable.

I was a preemie baby myself and my mom used to come visit me everyday because the hospital was right around the corner from our house. I was born 3 months early so I stayed in the hospital for the same amount of time that your son will. Just remember he is in the best place possible right now because if something happens the doctors and nurses can handle it. Get your sleep now because once he comes home you will not be sleeping. Although usually preemie tend to sleep though the night because they don't get as much on demand attention because there are other babies. To pass time get everything ready and journal all of the things as your son experiences them. Good Luck with everything. The time will go faster then you think.

What they are doing is actually bad for your baby. Your baby needs to be in skin contact with his mother all the time even when sleeping and breastfeeding on demand All studies show the best outcome for this type of nurturing of premies.

When your baby comes home he will be traumatized from the terror of isolation and fear of death and abandonment. These fears will follow him throughout the rest of his life. The only thing that can heal fear is love. So try to sleep with him and try to learn how to nurse him and do it for two or three years. Call 1-800-LALECHE for a local breastfeeding advisor.

If you can find another doctor who believes in a more mother and child bonding experience you should get your baby out of there asap. Babies who were in incubators tend to have panic attacks for the rest of their lives.