Premature baby talk

[Bethany1990]

I had my little girl on the 21st of June 2019 she's one in a month ! We're the hell has the time went I had my daughter at 23.weeks and 5 days she was 1.1lbs so small but so perfect! She got NEC (whole in bowel )and lost more weight she was now weighing 420g it was touch and go ! But she made it but had many more obstacles to overcome she has a PDA surgery on her heart and her lungs collapsed! ROP surgery (her eyes ) 6 months old her bowl burst after stoma reversal and she was back in intensive care then it burst again! I felt like all she ever done was fight sometimes I often felt guilt ! I will attack photos of her now and apart from her oxygen and feeding tube she's the happiest little girl I know!

I work in a hospital and the beeping and the noises in nicu was very overwhelming!

There is baby's all sizes in the nicu ! All babies are poorly i remember seeing a baby about 7-8lbs in the next bed and thinking Jesus that baby is massive then realised its nicu for babies regardless of size ,weight ect!

Just because the baby in the next incubator is now off the ventilator your so happy for them but you can't help feel jealous and your not a bitch lol

Talk to the other mams , make friends have a set break time with them go for a 15 min coffee and forget the stress for a minute! Yous all deserve it and to be honest your baby gets a break from you peering in at them with your loving eyes 😂

You will always have one of the babies parents you can't stand because they are rude but every single person deals differently and this might be there way of coping !

You live on hope !

I remember seeing my baby and thinking she is the size of a barbie doll no way she can survive! I remember saying over and over don't get attached don't love her ! Who was I kidding I loved her in my tummy and I felt my heart full with love as soon as I seen her!

You find yourself been nosey ! Don't be shy to ask their story.

Just because your in 24/7 and the parents across the room visit one a day ... stop and think how much nosey you have because and they might have 10 kids at home you don't know!

Well what I'm trying to say is you become a nosey bitch ! But this is aloud your strong and so is your baby !

Her now xxx

Aw she’s lovely 😊 I had a premature baby in November though nowhere near as tiny as yours. He was 32 weeks and weighed 3.9lbs. He was in the NICU for a month and then was able to come home. We also had terrible trouble with weight gain and he lost so often we nearly had to be readmitted. Thankfully he turned a corner and is doing so well now. He had an operation on a hernia in April and is being monitored for a heart murmur. Other than that he is really healthy. Just a bit diddy.
Thank you for sharing your story, and your advice is perfect. It’s so easy to feel alone in those days but everyone around you is going through something similar so it’s so good to talk to them and celebrate the small steps with each other 😊

Thank you for sharing yours to 🥰 babies are so strong arnt they

Amazingly so! I still look back at photos and can’t believe how far he has come

She's gorgeous @bethany1990. I had DD2 at 32 weeks. She was 2lb7oz so not nearly as teeny as your girl. She spend a month in NICU before we got to bring her home. Like wowcher said we had lots of trouble with weight gain. She turns 3 in a couple of weeks.

I work at the hospital she was at and she was in for 156 days I felt like my maternity was robbed but I got to meet so many lovely people along the way and keep in contact with many of the family's 😂🙈 so Iv took a career break give up my car because I can't afford it now and I have to live differently and have to be careful with my money abit more but I'm so pleased I made the decision and took the break ! I took it for 5 years but can go back anytime so I feel like If I need to have a bit normally back I can go back anytime ... I took the leave and then the virus hit so I wouldn't be able to go back anyway because she had chronic lung disease.... I honestly hand on heart things happen for a reason ❤️

I think it's so scary when then loose weight 420g to 17lbs10 now the 3lbs-4lbs seem to take the longest to get there and when she hit the 10lbs mark she shot up lol xxx

Aw Bethany this is amazing. 😍 she’s beautiful! My twin and I were born at 1lb3oz and 1lb13oz in the early nineties and both doing well now.
It’s strange to think though at thirty weeks I’m far more pregnant now than my mum was when we were born!

OP she is gorgeous, those eyes!

And obviously a tough little cookie too. Amazing to see her progress photos xx

Lovely thread and a great one to give hope to people out there having babies small/early.

My daughter was born 33+6 & 3lb 9oz, and if I could go back a year and show her a picture of how she's turning out 9m on it would take away so much of that early stress.

Was an inspirational story and such a little fighter you’ve got there! They’re absolute little miracles!!

My daughter was born at 30 weeks due to an eclamptic seizure and was 2lbs (920g).
She was on oxygen for what felt like forever and felt like some days we went one step forward and twenty back. But as soon as she was off the machines it felt like we were straight out the door. I made friends with my daughters NNU neighbours and found it reassuring knowing their stories - I still see some of them now (before lockdown). It’s definitely feels like you’re all in this together!

My daughters nearly one in just over a month and I get more and more emotional as the day gets nearer. I think back to the neonatal unit and it makes me sad but happy.

Happy because it saved my daughter but sad because I wouldn’t wish having to be in that situation on anyone. The beeping of the machines, not being able to hold your baby when you want...

Our babies are so strong though and so are the parents💛