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Bringing home a preemie
Added: 139 days ago.
Added by: babigirl82
Section: Babies.
Status: This question is Closed. (Questions will be closed after 10 days.)


I was just wondering if anyone here has also had a premature baby. I had my son at 31 weeks and he is still in the NICU, but has finally been moved to an open crib. So he should be coming home within the next couple days. I am so scared i have two other children, but never one this early. I have no idea of what to expect he has had spells in the hospital but when i bring him home he will not have the monitor to show me he has stopped breathing for a minute or his heart rate has went down. Just wanting some advice thanks..

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Cindie - 137 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Just keep an eye on him. I was born a preemie 6 weeks early, and I used to stop breathing on my mom. She'd just nudge me awake. because it was like I "FORGOT" to breathe. Just have him sleep near your bed, and keep an eye on him. You can get a baby monitor which has a pad that goes under him. it'll monitor his breathing and sound an alarm anytime he stops breathing for more than a few seconds.

JennSever - 138 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) my baby girl was 8 wks early, but i was allowed to bring her home w/o a hospt. stay. she weighed 4lbs 15 oz..she was tiny. even preemie clothes were too big. all i can say is wake the baby up every 2 hrs to feed regardless if their sleeping or not. keep a hat on the head as babies lose lots of heat and can't afford the caloric loss of trying to maintain body temp. watch for jaundice..just feed, feed and feed. my daughter is now 10 and still a little thing. have fun with your extra precious baby. oh and make sure that everyone washed their hands..EVERYONE!

mayasmom - 138 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) My son was born at 32 weeks 5 days. He spent 11 days in the hospital. He had a C pap, but never needed oxygen. he was 5 lb. 7 oz and did really well....bringing him home was terrifying, but the hospital assured us that he was safe to be cared for, without monitors and two lay people for parents, so we trusted them. The hardest part was keeping him away from friends and family and totally indoors for two months to keep him from getting sick. We had a no visitor until his due date policy, and knock on wood, he hasn't gotten sick at all and he is 4 months now. Put bottles of Purell out all around the house and any time you or your husband touch him, wash and purell your hands. I wouldn't let your other kids touch him much. Myh daughter held the baby once or twice in those first two months, but we had her scrub up first. Also, we were told to have my husband and my daughter change clothes when they came home from work/school so any germs they brought in wouldn't get near baby. We had visiting nurses, developmental assessors and lactation consultants come to the house and in every case, I had to ask them to wash their hands! You would think they would know! So, keeping Ian healthy was truly our biggest struggle. RSV season is over, so you are in a better situation, but really try and keep him protected until he is AT least at his due date. It is lonely and boring, but so worth it. I was told and slight fever before he was 3 months would result in an immediate hospital admission and intense work ups (spinal tap, blood draws etc...) to find the cause, and I really couldn't imagine putting him through more trauma than he had already been through before we took him home. Other than that, make sure the hopsital gives you the bottles and nipples he has been using at the hospital. We didn't get any and he refused to use the ones we had at home....we called the NICU in a panic over this and it was a big nightmare to feed him. Also, I still don't sleep well, always worried about him at night. Preemies are at risk for SIDS, so just make sure you place him on his back and do whatever you can to reduce the risk. By the time he reached his due date, he finally perked up and slept a lot less. He was able to breastfeed by then (i pumped until then) and, in general, he justg seemed much less fragile. He has no known delays currently and seems to be where a 4 month old is in some ways and a 2 month old in others. It has been hard dealing with such an extended newborn phase, but he is sucha joy and worth it all. We feel so lucky that he had such great medical care. OSU is awesome...I graduated from there! Good luck and keep in touch if you want to talk preemies. Congrats!

corrin - 138 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) they thought i was going to have my babes at 30 weeks..i had atour of the nicu you and everything...they told me that as long as he was doing well and weighed over 5pds that he could go home...they told me theyw ouldnt let him go home though if he kept having spells of not breathing....maybe its different at where you are but yeah ive heard great things about the angelcare monitor...i ended up having a moose so i didnt need it!! but good luck and i wish you all the best with you new little bundle of joy!!! Congrats!!

KarenVG - 138 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) Angelcare monitors come with a pad that go under the matress and links to the monitor and can bleep if they stop breathing. It has occasionally given a false alarm which can give you a heartattack in itself! usually if moved ofF the area, but might be something you want to consider

raspberry - 139 days ago Rating: 0 (0 votes) honestly, its going to be verrry sleepless nights full of worry and care for 3 children. sleep when you can and take comfort in the thought that they wouldnt let him go if he wasnt ready to be home with mommy and the family. congratulations on your blessings.