NICU Mommas

[mands1125]

No advice but lots of hugs for my local momma friend!

[sccurrier]

My DD's were born 10 weeks early and had to stay in the NICU for about 2 months. It can all feel very overwhelming and it is a very tough day being discharged without your baby. I basically spent all day at the hospital, and that's what helped me the most was just spending as much time with them as I possibly could.

I'm not sure how long your LO will be in the hospital, but you can always ask what they will be looking for and checking off on before baby can be discharged. A lot of the NICU stay is kind of play by ear, you celebrate little victories and will inevitably have little setbacks that will make it feel like you're on a roller coaster.

I would pack things to keep you busy, like a book or crossword puzzle type of entertainment to pass the hours by. Skin to skin is amazing, be sure to ask when that'll be possible and how often you can do that. They may not want baby to be in any clothes for a bit, but when it's okay ask if there's a preference on type of clothes to bring in. In my experience they first preferred the onesie with the snaps that go across the shoulder and down the side because it was easier to access different wires and monitors on the baby. If baby is in an isolette ask what's okay to have in there, small blanket/soft toy etc. Having some normal baby items in there made me feel better and more... "Home-y" I suppose.

Ask about hours for the NICU, if you can come in at any time of day/night ask about how much of the routine care that you can do yourself. I remember being terrified of changing and handling a tiny baby with a million wires and IV's and the nurses coached me through everything, showed me how to do their routine care and I was able to do a lot of it on my own at care times with a nurse there to record temp/diaper change. Oh! Be sure to know if they're weighing diapers or not so you don't accidentally throw them away.

Anything that you don't understand don't hesitate to ask the nurses for more clarification. Ask about anything and everything- any worry or question or concern. If you think of questions when you're not at the hospital write them down or better yet, get the NICU's phone number. If there's a time that you're missing baby or want to know how baby is doing go right ahead and call and ask. There were many times that I called in the motn and its nice to hear anything about your LO to put your mind at ease.

If you're wanting to breastfeed ask about that, some nicu's are more bf-ing friendly than others but I believe pretty much all of them have a pump room. They all have a fridge to put breast milk in, some will even have a freezer where they'll freeze an extra supply. See if they provide bottles to pump in or if you have to supply your own bags. If you ever have any issues talk to the hospitals LC, they can be a really big help.

This is all I can really think of right now, but if anything else comes to mind I'll be sure to post it.

[duckker]

I have nothing in the advice section, but lots of thoughts and prayers for you. Will offer Mass tomorrow morning for all our mommas, babies, and angels.

[elephantsonpatrol]

Feb 5, 2015 20:16:29 GMT -5 badw0lf said:

As many of our NICU Mommas are home now or close to heading home, I could use some advice. Our LO is facing heart surgery right after birth, so we are delivering at the CHOP Special Delivery Unit and LO will be admitted to the CICU right after.

As a FTM this is all new to me, but does anyone have any advice on how to prepare for a NICU/CICU stay? Things I should/should not pack? Questions to ask the staff? I'm beginning to feel overwhelmed.

Every baby's NICU stay is different. I would ask a neonatologist for a plan for LOs path to discharge. My 29 weekers faced lung and feeding challenges that your LO will probably not have. Look at where they are (Open crib/isolet) and what treatments/labs are ordered. Don't be afraid to ask for a resident.

Our NICU didn't generally have a room-in option. We could visit almost anytime though. You may want to bring in a top for breastfeeding/pumping, outfits and blankets. A boppy can be good too. 

Good luck!

[ChickenOnSunday]

Does the NICU provide clothing?
What are the rules if you want to bring in clothing or bedding? Must it be prewashed? Do you need to write your name on everything? Do you have to launder your own items?
What do they have for baby gear? Do they have boppies or other types of breastfeeding pillows available or do you need to bring your own? Is there a pump you can use while visiting your baby?
What are the hours of visitation? Can you be present for shift change? Can you be present for rounds?
How many people can be with the baby (we had a max of 2)? Is there a list of approved visitors that can be at the NICU w/o your presence?
Can you stay the night? Can you room-in?
Is there a Ronald McDonald location within the hospital that provides meals for families?
What is the estimated stay for our child (We knew a minimum of 2 weeks)?

[ChickenOnSunday]

I seem to remember that you live an hour from CHOP? Where will you be staying?

[sccurrier]

Feb 6, 2015 11:38:33 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

Does the NICU provide clothing?
What are the rules if you want to bring in clothing or bedding? Must it be prewashed? Do you need to write your name on everything? Do you have to launder your own items?
What do they have for baby gear? Do they have boppies or other types of breastfeeding pillows available or do you need to bring your own? Is there a pump you can use while visiting your baby?
What are the hours of visitation? Can you be present for shift change? Can you be present for rounds?
How many people can be with the baby (we had a max of 2)? Is there a list of approved visitors that can be at the NICU w/o your presence?
Can you stay the night? Can you room-in?
Is there a Ronald McDonald location within the hospital that provides meals for families?
What is the estimated stay for our child (We knew a minimum of 2 weeks)?

^^
Yes all of these are great.

I almost forgot about the Ronald McDonald house. I gave birth 4 hours away from where I lived and the Ronald McDonald house was an option. It wasn't in the hospital and they had a lot of rules and restrictions. I ended up staying with a cousin to have a bit more freedom. Be sure to ask if there is a Ronald McDonald house option and any restrictions/rules they may have (transportation, times you had to be back at the house, etc).

[ChickenOnSunday]

Feb 6, 2015 14:57:36 GMT -5 sccurrier said:

Feb 6, 2015 11:38:33 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

Does the NICU provide clothing?
What are the rules if you want to bring in clothing or bedding? Must it be prewashed? Do you need to write your name on everything? Do you have to launder your own items?
What do they have for baby gear? Do they have boppies or other types of breastfeeding pillows available or do you need to bring your own? Is there a pump you can use while visiting your baby?
What are the hours of visitation? Can you be present for shift change? Can you be present for rounds?
How many people can be with the baby (we had a max of 2)? Is there a list of approved visitors that can be at the NICU w/o your presence?
Can you stay the night? Can you room-in?
Is there a Ronald McDonald location within the hospital that provides meals for families?
What is the estimated stay for our child (We knew a minimum of 2 weeks)?

^^
Yes all of these are great.

I almost forgot about the Ronald McDonald house. I gave birth 4 hours away from where I lived and the Ronald McDonald house was an option. It wasn't in the hospital and they had a lot of rules and restrictions. I ended up staying with a cousin to have a bit more freedom. Be sure to ask if there is a Ronald McDonald house option and any restrictions/rules they may have (transportation, times you had to be back at the house, etc).

I'm talking about an actual location within the hospital for families to have a break from the medical madness and get food. We had one at our hospital. It was separate from the offsite living quarters.

[sccurrier]

Feb 6, 2015 15:05:09 GMT -5 ChickenOnSunday said:

Feb 6, 2015 14:57:36 GMT -5 sccurrier said:

^^
Yes all of these are great.

I almost forgot about the Ronald McDonald house. I gave birth 4 hours away from where I lived and the Ronald McDonald house was an option. It wasn't in the hospital and they had a lot of rules and restrictions. I ended up staying with a cousin to have a bit more freedom. Be sure to ask if there is a Ronald McDonald house option and any restrictions/rules they may have (transportation, times you had to be back at the house, etc).

I'm talking about an actual location within the hospital for families to have a break from the medical madness and get food. We had one at our hospital. It was separate from the offsite living quarters.

Ahhhh okay this wasn't an option at the hospital I delivered at so I was completely unaware.