Mumsnet Talk

hi, id love some company 1st baby, 3 days old, im so lucky she is doing well but its breaking my heart to not have her with me for cuddles etc. is there a current thread? or does anyone else fancy chatting? x

I know exactly how you feel - my DD was born at 36 weeks wit IUGR & spent the first 9 days in SCBU - I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life. How prem is your LO? Sending lots of hugs xx

Not current, but my ds had a week in SCBU. How little is your new dd ? I remember the distress at it all very well

Hi bytheseaside

Not currently in SCBU, but DS was in for just over 2 weeks in May when he was born at 31+5.

Really glad your DD is doing well, but I vividly remember that heartbreaking feeling having to go home alone every night. I'm sure she'll be home with you before you know it

I hope you are getting lots of support in SCBU? Obviously the main focus is on the babies but don't be afraid to chat to the nurses about anything troubling you.

And keep speaking to us of course!

Hi bytheseaside my Ds was born on Monday and is in scbu. so have an idea how you feel.He just looks so fragile. Hope your little girl is having a good night.

thanks so much for replying, felt like getting a hug. dd was 33 weeks, no major health probs touch wood, apart from being early. i just can't stand to leave her at night, the idea of no-one hearing her cry is just dreadful ( i know the monitor doesn't pick the sound up) rationally i know the hospital is great, but i just want to yell at all the nurses to leave her alone. and if one more person tells me i should go home and get some rest while they take care of my baby ... !

It's horrible, isn't it DS' oxygen levels were very low when he was born and he was whisked straight off to nicu, they did snap a very quick pic of me holding him first but no cuddles or anything. Thankfully it was all private rooms in the maternity ward, but it was still rubbish being the only one without their baby in their room. Fingers crossed that everything gets sorted soon and your little one can come home with you.

ps daisychain how are you getting on?

One of the things that really upset me was that I was finally a mum, but all I could do for my little girl was express milk every 3 hours & hold her once a day. She had a drip in her hand for glucose & kept pulling it out so they had to keep putting it back in & she was having her blood sugar checked every 2 hours - her little heels were completely bruised. Fingers crossed for you all that your LOs will all be home soon. X

My ds was born at 33 weeks last year . We had a roller coaster month in scbu but we survived . The nurses were fab with ds hope your dd has a quick and smooth journey through scbu .

Hi. My two boys are in intensive care (I live in France) and have been there since they were born at 29 weeks, five and a half weeks ago. The hospital I was in couldn't care for babies that small so they were taken away immediately - I got to kiss one but not the other - to a hospital in a different city (2 hours away by public transport). They've now been transferred again to somewhere closer (1 hour away by bus, or a 10 minute drive). Eventually we'd like to be able to transfer them back to where they were born. The boys are doing well and have doubled their birthweights. Tomorrow we are meeting their new doctor and I hope he'll be able to explain what the milestones are between now and getting to bring them home. The care they've had has been exceptional and we have not had any major setbacks so far, but in all likelihood we still have a fair way to go.

In our scbu they had to be a certain weight and feeding consistently either bottle or breast . I think con trolling their temperature as well .

applecrumble that's exactly it! one cuddle a day feels unbearably cruel luckily now dd is in a cot we can take her out for cuddles more often, unless bossy nurses are on duty.
thereistheball that sounds really tough, being so far away, you must have been very brave
bishboschone do you remember how heavy they had to be? massive incentive to sort bf out! dd is controlling temp already, so that's one thing
i find the nurses make all the difference to how awful it feels. the old style ones takeover, control, patronise and make me feel useless. the younger ones, especially if they have LOs, help me feel more like a mum by letting me do stuff and make decisions. i just get boiling mad / tearful when im made to feel i can't decide when to pick up my own baby, obviously i dont want to tire her, but when there's no medical reason not to... just the worst feeling

I honestly can't and I think different units have different rules but ds was around 4.5 - 5 lb when he came home .

We all understand how you feel . It's so awful being away from your baby . I had to stay in the post natal ward without ds because my blood pressure was so high . It was the cruelest part . Babies and mums all around you ..it will be over soon and you will have your baby with you .. X

not all units have a rule - my DS was only 3lb5 when he came home (born at just over 2lb)! Good luck - this will pass. My DS was in for 10 weeks and horrific though it was, it is all a blur now - he is now 2 and bouncing with health and cheekiness!

Is anyone here trying to establish breast feeding while in hospital? How's it going?

We were, it worked, and got us home!! we had a week or so of crossover between tube feeds and bf, gradually reducing tube feeds. I made it clear i was determined to at least try bf first every feeding time possible, and tried to be there all the time. some nurses clearly thought this would tire me and the baby out! but i also had a lot of support in the unit thankfully, practical and moral support. How are you doing?

I should add this was 34-35 weeks for us, so i imagine much easier than for you, especially as i remember you don't live close?. i really hope it works for you, its so much nicer than endlessly expressing, and i felt it took the edge off the more alienating medical stuff going on at the time x

I had my little girl Lucy on Tuesday afternoon, by emergency section due to preeclampsia, I was 33+1.weeks gestation, weighing 3lb7oz. She is doing ok and was off ventilator after a few hours, now just having a tiny bit of O2 through nasal prongs. She is bing tube fed 4.5ml an hour (aiming for 6ml). She is showing some signs of infection and they are talking about doing a lumber puncture just to be 100% sure what is going on....

Exactly what happened to me 16 months ago. Had P.E and had ds at 33+ 4... It's been a rocky road but he is doing ok ..

Congratulations fairimum! I hope your DD fights off any infection quickly.

Bytheseaside - thanks. The boys are 37 weeks now and the bigger one took 30ml today (half a whole feed), his brother 5. I generally only get to give them one or two tries a day. Next week I will clear the decks to be there as much as possible. I am feeling much more encouraged about the whole thing than this time yesterday.

Hello all. Can I join in? DS1 was born yesterday morning at 33+3 weighing 4lb 14iz (they thought I might go into labour last week so had steroid injections then which I think helped bulk him up a bit). Currently in Scbu - not sure how long for at the min.

Congrats HoneyMum I hope your little one is doing well? I think the steroid injections worked for us, I had my little boy at 30+1 he was 3lb 2

Thanks minipops - he's doing really well so far - off cpap yesterday and has even managed a little go on the breast this morning. Bit jaundiced still but is under the uv lamp for today when was yours born?