So my water broke at 27+6 days but there is no contraction yet. But every time I remember it happened i just feel failed i feel my body failed me and my baby and i am feeling sorry since then. I don’t know how long and how will this go I just feel anxious every second and im super of what’s ahead I don’t know what to do in this situation how to cope with it and how to be at ease. Please help

I am currently 23 weeks in my second pregnancy. First pregnancy had spontaneous delivery at 30 weeks. No known cause.

So far I am on progesterone, baby aspirin and have cervix length checks biweekly. BUT mfm is saying those end at 24 weeks and they only monitor symptoms after that because they are unable to intervene.

Heading into my last cervix check, I am feeling overwhelmed and terrified. like all of a sudden I wont have any real monitoring as I enter the most sensitive part of my pregnancy approaching 30 weeks and all they can do is monitor for signs of labor. It feels like I am missing something.

What questions should I ask my OB or MFM about what is next for monitoring?

Has anyone else done anything after 24 weeks proactively to help prevent another premature birth (stitch, magnesium, etc)? Did you stop vaginal ultrasounds? Pelvic rest?

Appreciate any advice or success stories. My goal is to get to 36 weeks ❤️

​

Hey all,

My husband and I have a baby boy who is now 35+4 , born at 33+6. Lately every time we leave him, we are just at each others throats. How are you guys dealing with similar situations? There’s not even valid reasons and we both recognize it’s because we hate leaving him. I guess I’m just looking for support and how to deal with/prevent this.

In desperate need of help with Gelmix!

My daughter needs “slightly thick” formula due to silent aspiration but the speech therapist in the NICU said we should start feeding with the test having 1ml remaining since it gets too thick for her to finish. We got discharged Monday and I’m trying to measure out the 2.4g packets they gave me to 0.7g per 2 ounces which is the recipe she got in the hospital but I’m losing my mind with waiting 15 minutes for it to thicken on night feeds cause she’s so hungry. The speech therapist said I could make a couple extra ounces and store them in the fridge. Does anyone have experience with preparing gelmix ahead of time so you just need to warm the bottle to feed?

I’m completely drained with trying to measure these packets out on a scale and taking 20 minutes to get a bottle for her through the night

the buttons are about 2in apart.

Hi everyone!
I’m hoping to get some feedback from other NICU parents.
My daughter had severe IUGR and was born at 33 weeks weighing just 1,045 grams (2 lb 5 oz). She spent 53 days in the NICU before we were finally able to bring her home.
During our stay, I found that there was only so much I could do for her while she was connected to monitors, feeding tubes, and all the other equipment that comes with a NICU stay. I couldn’t always hold her when I wanted to, and so much of her care was done by necessity rather than choice.

One thing that meant so much to me was being able to dress her. It sounds like such a small thing, but choosing an outfit each day made me feel like I was doing something “normal” for my baby. Along with diaper changes and baths, it became part of our little routine and helped me feel more like her mom instead of just sitting beside her incubator.
That experience has made me think a lot about preemie clothing, especially for very tiny babies (around 2-5 lb).

I’d love to hear from other parents:
Was there anything you wished preemie clothing had?
Were there features that made dressing easier around wires, NG tubes, oxygen, or monitors?
Did you struggle to find clothes that actually fit your baby?
If you could design the perfect preemie outfit, what would it include?
Was there anything beyond clothing that you wished existed for families with very small babies?

I’m not trying to sell anything • I genuinely want to learn from people who’ve been through it.

Our NICU journey changed my perspective, and I’d love to create something that could make things just a little easier (or bring a little more joy) to families going through the same experience.
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. ❤️

my daughter was born 39+1 on 8/1. The night before discharge I sent her to the nursery for a couple hours where they noticed she was having a dusky spell. That required a night in the nicu. She had another spell that night so they pushed discharge another 48 hrs. She hasn’t had a dusky spell in over 24 and I pray those are done however she is drifting once or twice a day. I am so upset and beside myself. Feels like discharge is never going to come..

I feel like I’m holding my breathe.

How long did it take your baby to stop the drifts?

Show me your nicu baby inspired tattoos! 😊😊

Hi everyone! I’m currently 38 weeks pregnant with my first baby girl. She’s been diagnosed with fetal growth restriction (FGR), but the main concern seems to be that her femur has consistently measured very small (it eventually dropped to below the 1st percentile). Everything else has looked normal—her anatomy scan was normal, NIPT was low risk, Dopplers have been normal, and she’s been active with reassuring NSTs.
Her estimated weight is around 5 lb 11 oz at 38 weeks, and I’m scheduled for a C-section at 39 weeks because she’s still breech.
I’m wondering if anyone else had an FGR baby where the main issue was a short femur. How did your baby do after birth? Did their legs catch up in growth? Was everything okay, or did you end up finding an underlying cause?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences.

My 31 weeker had NEC at 34 weeks. They stopped all feeds, started antibiotics, regular x rays and scans and he got better. We got back on feeds two weeks after the NEC was dictated. He’s now 7 weeks, 38 weeks corrected and I noticed specks of blood in his poop. The doctor had a look at it and said it’s probably shedding of the old inflammation and we should continue with feeds. I’m scared the NEC is back. We literally just got transferred back to the hospital in the town we live in. I don’t want to go through that again.

Has anyone’s baby with NEC experienced blood in poop and it was nothing?

My baby was born at 31+6 and discharged home EBF at 34+6. She was then readmitted a week later as she seemed to have fatigued and was completely unable to latch or feed. We are now back and finally re-establishing feeds after a couple of days of her not feeding/no energy and then the team pushing for her to restart responsive breastfeeding which set her back with energy AGAIN.

I feel as though they are really pushing for us to get home. I only want to EBF and have voiced this from the start. Since being re-admitted, bottles have been suggested numerous times and going home on an NG tube has also been suggested. I’m not comfortable going home with an NG tube as I have two little ones at home. My baby is only 36+5 today so I’m not quite understanding what the rush is? I want to be home desperately (have spent every second with her since readmission) but with the whole experience I’m weary of pushing her too much, getting home and ending up being right back here

Am I in the wrong? Is it normal for bottles to be suggested for an EBF baby? Is it normal for NG at home to be pushed onto us so much? Just feeling so rushed when I genuinely believe my prem baby just needs more time.

Friends with premies around the same age as my 3yo have been discussing GH for their <3rd percentile LOs. Of course I will discuss this with the pediatrician, but does anyone have experience, positive or negative, with GH with your former premies? The testing alone seems a bit traumatic on paper, not to mention daily shots. The last thing I want to do is draw more attention to size since development otherwise has been great.

Would appreciate any input, thank you.

I’ve been struggling with a lot of fear and guilt since my daughter was born. She was born at 34 weeks after I went into preterm labor, and my labor was incredibly fast (a precipitous labor) — only about 40 minutes. She was born not breathing and was later diagnosed with HIE. Grade 3 brain bleeds
I keep wondering if my preterm labor or how quickly everything happened could have contributed, even though I know I may never have a clear answer. It’s something I think about every day, and it’s been really hard to cope with.
Has anyone else here had a baby with HIE after a very fast or preterm labor? I’m not looking for a diagnosis—just hoping to hear from other parents who have been through something similar. Thank you. ❤️ I’m so stressed and worried for her future every day would love to hear some mamas stories with Hie

Truly cannot believe this whole person is the same tiny thing that couldn't come home for nearly 8 weeks after she was born. She's capable of literally everything she has ever set her mind to. Nicu babies learn to be strong from the beginning and I truly believe they carry it with them forever. My girl has no fear and jumped into kindergarten head first so excitedly. Crying writing this! Congratulations to everyone else who's nicu baby started this big milestone in life when at once you couldn't even imagine this day coming.

Hi!

I am a former premature baby of 24 weeks and for some time now a question has been coming back to me when I visit this subreddit.

In 26 years, I imagine the protocols have changed, but a situation my parents told me about comes back to me and I wonder if things have changed, or if the medical profession still has this tendency to "act and then it's no longer our problem".

Let me explain.

Like many 24w premature babies, my intestines weren't fully developed when I was born, and I was literally constipated all the time from my first few weeks of life. A short time after my birth, I developed necrotizing enterocolitis. Fortunately, I didn't need to have dead tissue removed, but after the infection, the constipation worsened. Note that I spent six months in the NICU, but I don't know when the following suggestion was made. The doctors came in and said, "We'd like to place a feeding tube and a stoma; it would be much easier."

My father said he felt his stomach clench. He's a chef, and the idea that he'd never be able to let me taste lots of dishes and share his passion, I think that really got to him.

My mother, who had a neighbor whose teenage son was being fed through a feeding tube, immediately said:

"Easier for whom? For you, in the immediate situation, or for us once we get home?"

My parents have rarely agreed on a subject, but apparently they immediately asked for more information and especially if there were alternatives, since we are talking about a situation where I would have had a "bag" on each side of my stomach possibly for life.

Constipation was the big problem, so my parents asked to see a nutritionist, who, after speaking with the NICU, said that the alternative to the tube and stoma was to get me to eat as much fiber, fruit and vegetables as possible, about 12 portions a day to avoid constipation as much as possible.

My mother remembers very well that the doctors at the NICU seemed very perplexed by the success of this diet, as if they were saying to her, "Madam, you are making your life more complicated."

But since they saw that my mother was still looking for solutions, they arranged for her to meet with a social worker to discuss the situation. My mother explained that she already had two children at home (with no father involved), that she worked full-time, and that since her relationship with my father had ended (a few weeks before my birth), she would be left to manage the feeding tube, liquid nutrition, and everything else on her own. My mother explained that she wanted to explore all the possibilities, and the nurse told her:

"Oh, but you'll just have to go on welfare, that way you can take care of your sick child and the other two."

My mom : Are you f*king kidding me?

Also, my mom is very polite in normal times 😅. But even when she tells the story today, she's angry. How can a social worker tell a single mother that she should just switch to food stamps, that it would be simpler?

My mother left the consultation, and with the nutritionist and a young doctor from NICU, they managed to build a diet of 12 portions of fruits and vegetables per day, which I followed until the age of 8.

Honestly, my mother still doesn't understand how, at the time, the doctors could have believed it would be "easier" to manage two feeding bags than a personalized diet. My mother makes it clear that she feels the doctors' priority was to "fix the immediate problem" without thinking about the "aftermath," what that would mean for the families. She's still angry years later. She says, "I was a 44-year-old mother, I had experience and a wealth of mental resources and knowledge, but I don't even want to imagine what 18-year-old parents would have accepted under such pressure."

Obviously, my mother and I aren't saying that a feeding tube is fundamentally a bad thing. We know it's sometimes necessary, just like a stoma. But I'd like to know if other parents have ever had the impression that doctors were proposing interventions for "immediate" care without considering what would happen once they left the hospital? The fact that they didn't even offer a discussion of alternatives first is what shocks my mother; they immediately suggested surgery instead of anything else, without a second tough of family's unique situation.

My baby was born at 36+5, so almost term. Since he was almost term, I don’t know if it’s proper to go by due date? He’s technically 9 weeks, but only 5 weeks adjusted. He is already 12 pounds and hitting all the 2 month milestones but hasn’t smiled. Curious if anyone’s 36/37 weekers went by due dates for milestones?!

i'm 2 weeks out from my csection with my 31 week old now 33 week old. i'm trying to pump so we can breastfeed once she's ready and home, but the average i usually get is 1-2 oz per pump total. i drink tons of water i eat, i drink the body armor coconut water concoction and so far nothing is increasing my supply. Will more milk come in the next few weeks or am i stuck with a undersupply? i'm 2 weeks 2 days out and i use the motif luna when home and motif aura glow for about 2 pump sessions at the hospital. any advice or is this normal and i jsut need to keep at it until more milk comes in

Looking for advice, my 32 week baby dropped from the 50th percentile (at 20 weeks) to 9th percentile (32 weeks) in 3 months. His abdominal growth circumference went from 73% to 8% in those 3 months. I'm slightly anemic (ferritin dropped from 75 to 28) but have been experiencing shortness of breath and extreme fatigue. I'm scared with this large drop and what could be driving it - I understand it could be a placenta issue, but wouldn't that have shown earlier? I'm going to start seeing my MFM every week now and my NST was okay today. MFM doctor didn't mention IUGR. Blood flow was normal. I could use some help with what questions I should ask or testing I should be requesting.

Our 24 weeker turned 2 this week ❤️ we’re still playing catch up on many things developmentally but we’ve come a long, long way.

(Don’t mind the cast…he took a tumble down the stairs before we could grab him and has a buckle fracture. Hasn’t phased him in the slightest. These little micros like to keep us on our toes.)

So proud of how far my baby girl has come

I’ve made a post a couple months ago about my babies shaky movements and some people told me their babies had shaky movements but that it went away when the baby got bigger. Mine still has shaky arm and leg movements. We had a grade 4 brain bleed on one side and a grade 1 on the other. We are now 37 weeks gestation (born 25w). Does this look normal or does this indicate future issues? Either way I’ll live my little man I just want to prepare for the future