When did you have visitors?

[Peaplant20]

I’m finding a real lack of info for any questions I have about premature babies. My latest question is when is it ok to have visitors? Info online suggests waiting longer than with a full term baby, but presumably there’s a massive difference depending on how premature the baby is. When did you have visitors with your premature baby? My little one was born at 34+5 and not sure how long to wait.

My first visitors were my DH obviously, our eldest son & my parents - as long as numbers were low as 2 or 3 & immediate family, siblings, parents etc then the SCBU were fine.

When we got home, so one was 7 weeks old, the other 4 weeks (2 separate babies, both prem) then life carried on as before, I still had school bus runs & nurse visitors etc.
I think I would have avoided anyone with a definite cold or bug, but think I proudly took our youngest to playgroup a week after we got home, so he was still 3 weeks early, & it was a bit like Pass the Parcel.

I accept though times have changed, but if you have your babies health & wellbeing top of mind & you are comfortable then do what feels ok for you & your family.

@eenymeenymineymo thank you for your reply!

@peaplant I meant to say too both my babies were born at 32 weeks, so #1 was in hospital almost until his due date while #2 progressed & grew much faster & was able to come home just before he was 5 weeks old. Or I was more relaxed about things then.

My child was bang on 35 weeks old so only a few days later than you
Had visitors the next day to the hospital
Never occurred to me to delay visitors because she was premature

Mine was 32 weeks and discharged from NICU at 35 weeks. I remember being really nervous about exposure to germs for the first few weeks we were home and confining ourselves to immediate family and a few close friends... I remember my health visitor saying - very gently - that it would do us both good to get out and about! She was so right!!

As soon as we were home, so at 3 weeks. DD was born at 33 weeks.

Congratulations on your baby OP. I'm delaying anyone but parents meeting my prem baby until I've had the second vaccine personally, but Covid aside intuitively babies born prem must be more susceptible to struggling if they need to fight off a bug etc so I'd be careful even without Covid. But I'm a worrier!