NICU Grad Check In

[motownthrowdown]

Birth weight/current weight: birth was 1 pound 14 ounces. Current weight (as of two weeks ago) 16 pounds 2.2 ounces

Gestation at birth/current age: born at 28 weeks 0 days, she will be 1 year old on the 14th, 9 months adjusted.

New skills/milestones: crawling, babbling all the time, pulling up on stuff, sort of standing while holding onto stuff. She loves food, and we've finally started giving her little pieces of actual food.

Ongoing issues: she sees a physical therapist once a week to make sure she's hitting milestones and to correct issues before they impact her development. She is getting foot orthotics on Monday because she stands on her toes. We're also dealing with hydrocephalus (and will be dealing with this for her whole life) and have another follow up MRI in a couple weeks.

How am I doing?: I see a therapist for PTSD, PPA/PPD issues, as well as ongoing stress and depression. Im also on 20 mg of lexapro. I'm feeling very burnt out and stressed about everything. Because of her prematurity, we've been in isolation for a year. No going out to eat, no going anywhere, making schedules fo grocery shopping because one of us has to stay home with her. We are starting to break free of that and it is fucking terrifying. Having her birthday coming up soon is bringing everything back too, so that's annoying. Having flashbacks, intrusive daydream things, nightmares. It's like I'm back where I freaking started with the PTSD.

GTKY: therapy and medication have been incredible. Talking to my BMB is always a stress reliever. I liked a ton of pages and groups on Facebook for preemies, preeclampsia, hydro, and PTSD. I also got a plum paper planner and I'm keeping up on my daily things and appointments so I'm not keeping them all in my head. I'm also tracking a bunch of healthy behaviors.

[megrae12]

Birth weight/current weight: 6lb6oz/10lb1.5oz

Gestation at birth/current age: 35w4d/10weeks

New skills, milestones, etc: He can roll over from front to back! He is social smiling like crazy and trying super hard to laugh. He is sleeping longer through the night, which is amazing!

Ongoing issues: His suck, swallow, breathe reflex is still a work in progress. He also has a mild tongue tie, which makes bf tricky at times.

How are YOU doing? I am ok. He was just dx with rotavirus that he got from the vx. It's awful. He is so fussy and we do not sleep. Im freaking out about dehydration.

GTKY: how do you deal ( how have you dealt) with the emotions surrounding having a preemie? I'm so thankful he is here and safe. Cholestasis is a MF and I think I have a bit of ptsd from it all. I do not think we will have another because of the chances of getting it again and how early it can show. I can't deal with that stress again. I'm beyond blessed that DS seems to be defying odds left and right, but if one more person comments on his size....i write in a journal and have a blog. It helps me work through feelings that pop up, like crazy fear and anxieties.

[mandie]

^ Love its for support.

Birth weight/current weight: 4lbs/about 14lbs

GA/current age: 33w4d; 7.5 months

New skills: she is sitting by herself, starting to get interested in solids, and she is trying to crawl in the worst way.

Ongoing issues: None, really. She is in PT, but DS had torticolis and a helmet, so I was hyper aware of that when she was in the NICU, and we started therapy almost immediately. She has been blowing me away with her milestones, and she will certainly hit crawling and walking far before my son did, without adjusting for her age.

How are YOU doing? I am doing really well, actually. I had so much guilt for the first 4 months of her life. Not because I couldn't carry her to term, but I just had awful thoughts towards her and I was so resentful because she cut into my time with my son. I wasn't ready to share him. But therapy and meds have really helped. And I honestly think my son helped to heal me the most. He loved that little baby from day 1. He called her his own. And if he could put aside his selfishness for the way she changed our relationship, then certainly I could, too.

How do you deal with having a preemie? I'm fortunate on a few fronts. 1) She has been so SO healthy. My son wasn't a preemie, but he was so sick and had so many issues his first year. And we were prepared to deal with all of that, on top of her being a preemie. But she hasn't dealt with anything. 2) My son was delayed. If I had a super advanced first, I think I'd be more anxious for her to hit milestones. But he set the bar low for physical milestones, lol 3) I have become good friends with a girl who has two preemies. One my son's age and one a few months younger than my daughter. And having a partner to talk to has been so therapeutic, as well as doing things like March of Dimes together 4) I have met a number of people who suffered still born births, mostly bc of cord accidents. There was no reason for my premature labor. I was having a textbook pregnancy. But I had a rapidly aging and decaying placenta (based on fox reports postpartum) and an extremely long cord that was wrapped around her little body 3 times. Nbd when delivering her at 33w, but I just feel like we lucked out.

[rayann687]

Hello everyone!! I know it's been a while since I've been here. I have to try to keep up better with the board. Sorry I haven't been too active here.

Birth weight/current weight: 2 lbs 7 oz/18 lbs 10 oz.



Gestation at birth/current age:
29 weeks and 5 days/12 months 1 week and 5 days.


New skills, milestones, etc:
She trying to talk, saying mama and dada, she can hold on and walk, she can feed herself with her fingers, she is drinking from a straw cup,band she has 3 teeth and more about to pop through!


Ongoing issues:
She was dairy free due to bad reflux, but was recently cleared to eat dairy again. She sees the eye doctor every 3 months, to make sure her eyes are maturing. The next appointment was moved out to 6 months, since each check up has been positive.


How are YOU doing?
I am okay, I have come to terms that I may need to see a counselor or therapist before I have another baby. The experience still leaves me in tears, when I think back to the NICU. I get teary when I go to the hospital she was at. I feel like maybe I should feel fine because she is doing so well, but I don't.


GTKY: how do you deal ( how have you dealt) with the emotions surrounding having a preemie?
I have looked at many online pages about preemies. I have talked to a friend who just recently had preemie twins. I have become more active on my BMB recently, and that helps too. I feel like it may be hard for people in my life to understand exactly how I feel, but they are supportive, and this is nice. I ended up connecting with one of the other mothers who's baby was in the NICU the same time as Savannah. Her baby had the same EDD, but was born about a month or so after Savannah.

[motownthrowdown]

www.postpartum.org/assets/pdfs/Att%201%20RMH%20Baby%20Blues%20&%20PPD%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mommy-mental-health/200902/baby-blues-or-postpartum-depression

www.medscape.com/viewarticle/751755

@loonylove, here are some articles you might find helpful. The last one talks about nicu parents and the higher rates of PPD.

[kate61487]

Birth weight/current weight:
2.5 lb / 15 and change
3.0 lb / 19ish


Gestation at birth/current age:
28+0 / 5 months


New skills, milestones, etc:
S (my chunker) is so close to rolling over, L has been doing it for weeks, but he's a skinny mini so he doesn't have to work as hard. They both chatter quite a bit and are all smiles (still waiting on L to giggle).


Ongoing issues:
Still seeing PT as a preventive measure, L especially is a bit stiff and we need to do stretches to limber him up


How are YOU doing?
I'm just happy to have my boys home and healthy. I don't know that I'll every truly come to terms with everything, but when I look at their cute little faces I forget about it


GTKY: how do you deal ( how have you dealt) with the emotions surrounding having a preemie? I'm not sure I fully have? Having them home had been such a huge weight off that my current state is so much better than the in-nicu, I'm sure I'm not truly back to normal, but it is so far improved I haven't felt the need to really focus on it, if that makes any sense?