Moms, Many of you are also a #preemiemommy with plenty of experience with the NICU👶🏻. We want to create a new blog…

the best thing i heard when my daughter was 6 weeks early was "fight for her" make sure you know everything that is being done for your baby. i got lucky and Ally didn't have to go to the NUIC but for moms with L.O in the NUIC stay strong! you can do it!!

my daughter which is a twin she had to stay in the NUIC for almost two weeks due to her not eating well, there was days when she didn't want to eat at all which scared me, thinking my baby is going to starve , they end up putting her on a feeding tube it took her four days to get off it and when she did she was only eating 20ml than she went up to 50 ml once she ate a whole oz she was able to come home to me. when my baby left she was only 4pd and 14oz now She's seven !months and eats 8 oz she weighs 16pds

when she was in the NUIC

NICU*

#preemiemommy

My son was early and had to stay in NICU for a few hours....not long at all...but probably the longest few hours of my life because I wasn't aloud to go with....I cried the whole time and when they finally brought him back to me I didn't want to let go....my beautiful baby boy! Was 5 weeks early and weighed 6lbs 3oz! Yes he was a beautiful healthy baby boy! But since he was early he had to go! He may have weighed a little more then the average preemie but you could tell! He's doing great today!! Eating, moving around and learning! I agree you have to stay strong!

Baby boy day 2 in the NICU. He was born 3lbs 14oz he is 5 weeks early at 34w 5d due to IGUR and preeclampsia. Doctors say he shouldn't have too much longer 🙌

I had a nephew, Sebastian, born at 36w+6d with IUGR, weighing only 3lb 8oz. He was in the NICU for just about a month. He went home the week before Christmas and none of us could have asked for a better gift! My sister was so strong throughout the whole process and I was able to be there when she couldn't. It was such a difficult experience as an aunt, I couldn't imagine what my sister had to be feeling. We took each day as it came, the good and the not so good, and we got through it together as a family. He is now a (mostly) healthy 14 lb, 6 month old who loves to swim and laugh!

:( prayers

@kannonsmommy, I had my little man at 34 w 5 d due to preeclampsia and he was 4lbs 1oz and only spent a week in the hospital to gain weight :)

Here's my little preemie when he was born

You have to be strong for those babies they need their mommies ❤️❤️

this is my 28 weeker.. one thing i can say is the NICU will truly show you how strong you are. no matter how many times i cried, no matter how many times i felt like i just couldnt handle it when i walked up to her incubator i did not show that. neber feel like it is your fault. esp ftm.. they have nothing to go off of so they wouldnt know if youre at risk for preterm labor. my daughter was in the nicu for 48 days. she was born breathing on her own. she was on oxygen for 3 weeks exactly. i stayed in the hospital the entire time. i spent hours with her every single day several times a day. you have to be strong for your baby. stay on top of every single thing they do with your baby. state your opinion and your concerns. get to know the nurses and doctors because it will definitely put your mind at ease. learn your baby, every move, every cry... hold your baby every chance you get. KEEP YOUR EYES OFF OF THE MONITOR LOL. dont get jealous when other babies go home instead be happy for that family because your discharge day will come. preemies are the strongest babies because they have to fight from day one.

my love bug now. 12 weeks old 3 days adjusted & doing just fine & giving mommy attitude all day long lol

Don't stress. If you're pregnant and high risk, enjoy every day of your pregnancy. If you're in the nicu, take every day as it comes. They call it a roller coaster ride for a reason. There are ups, and there are downs, but you get to watch your little fighter grow in a way other moms don't. you will walk out of the nicu happy, crying, depressed... Every emotion you can imagine, but it will be an amazing experience. Good or bad, you'll make it out of there a stronger woman.

Stay hopeful, stay strong , pray often and be by your baby's side as much as possible. Pump, nurse, do skin to skin and kangaroo care often, and sing and talk to your baby while you hold him/her. Ask lots of questions - no question is a stupid one. Take lots of pictures and videos. Join a NICU family support group if your hospital has one, and cry whenever you need to! Get to know your nurses and become friends with them. Count each small milestone as a huge achievement! Before you know it, your baby will be home with you!

my 35.5 preemie hardest 2 weeks of my life seeing my baby like this!

igur & preeclampsia & hellp syndrome my boy came at 35 weeks he was 3 lbs 6 oz he was in nicu 13 days the nurse said they r always there 4 us & they mean it call 20 times a day if that's what u need to do I was an hour an 30 minutes just about from my baby it was really hard bc I had a relapse of preeclampsia 6 days after he was born this was the 1st pic I got to c of my boy I couldn't c him tell the next day after I had him bc I had to have emergency surgery after I had him ask 101 questions about your baby & remember they r ur they r just in daycare right now

my boy

my picture won't post

My baby wasn't premature but he was in the NICU for 2.5 weeks. I have one huge piece of advice for mamas with preemies or babies in the NICU- SKIN TO SKIN. do skin to skin also called "kangaroo care" as often as possible. It is so important and it helps baby so much!

@rockysmommy, that's Amazing ☺️! That's what we're looking at as long as he keeps progressing like he's doing 🙏

We survived by immediately making a game plan. We wanted consistency which is hard to come by in the nicu. I would try to get up at the same time, eat my oatmeal, pump, change a diaper if need be, skin to skin if I could, take a nap, wake up drink water, eat oatmeal etc. the docs we're in every hour poking at him so we did our best to put our ducks in a row (paperwork, pumping, showering, etc) behind the scenes while they we're analyzing him and then focus on his needs (diapering, snuggling, feedingish) when they we're done.

@aniyahsmommy0403, you are so right! I've cried plenty of times in the matter of two days but when I went to see him I never showed it.

@emkasting, you're right and little baby looks so peaceful they know theyre in their mommy arms. I do skin to skin as much as possible

If you plan to breast feed go in for every feeding. I know that's difficult but it'll help your baby a lot and it'll keep you from drying up if you aren't able to do much with a pump. Go talk to your baby as much as you can. Become friendly with the nurses. Even if there's only one each shift you like make them your friends. They're some of the best people to help you get through it. They are the ones who know what's going on with your baby and will explain. It's an extremely hard situation not coming home with your little one but if you stay strong you and your baby will e just fine. (My tiny little guy. Born at 35 weeks. Spent two weeks in the nicu due to not being able to eat on his own, possible infection, and pretty bad jaundice. He's home now and double his birth weight. Eats more than I would have imagined. Bigger than some babies the same age born at full term now. He's my little fighter)

Having a baby in the NICU was probably one of the hardest things ever but also an experience of life I learned so much not only about caring for my baby but about myself I cried every single day and I just wanted my baby it's normal to feel that way I didn't want to sleep or eat but I tell you that you MUST TRY because this hard thing you have to do is also a tremendous help with your healing process 💕 goodluck to anyone with a preemie Baby!

With having my second son in the Nicu for respiratory distress and needing a short Nicu stay and my twin boys born three years ago who lived a short time here on earth who left to heaven I can tell you it's not easy. Everyday is different and especially depending on your situation you may have a long or short Nicu stay but it is still scary. Just expect the worst pray for the best and pray a lot. Ask God to give the doctors wisdom and to guide the nurses hands. Pump as much breastmilk as you. Can because it's the best for baby. Stay strong.

My baby boy was born at 36 weeks and 2 days, I'm a ftm and went into labor naturally. At 36 weeks it was 50/50 on whether he would be just fine or need some time in the NICU. He ended up having underdeveloped lungs, and also struggled with eating on his own, but otherwise was a perfect healthy 6lb 13oz baby boy. The best advise we got was, don't feel guilty if you need to take a break. We felt like we would be bad parents if we weren't there for every touch time, which is the only time you're allowed to touch the baby so he/she doesn't get over stimulated at other times. Touch time involves diaper changes, checking temp, and feeding, along with whatever else the nurses need to do. So basically, we would be there every 3 hours so we could touch him, go home so I could pump, and then turn around and go back. It was much more exhausting than having a newborn at home where you can rest between feedings. One nurse talked us into staying home for one touch time in the middle of the day so I could take a nap, since I was up every 3 hours at night to pump, and it seriously made a huge difference for like the next 3 days, I felt so rested! Don't feel guilty if you need to take a break, your baby is so well taken care of in the meantime.

my little one was born just 1-2 days shy of 38 weeks. he was born via emergency c-section. and spent over a week in the NIC unit due to breathing in meconium while in distress. after they discharged me i was at the hospital everyday because my stress couldn't allow me to be away from him for too long. the nurses in the NIC unit were very helpful but i felt as if i wasnt his mother. i wasnt allowed to do anything for the first couple days after he was born and it killed me. but being able to be up there everyday and having the nurses tell me his improvements every day when they saw me helped a hole lot. after the first two or three days i was finally allowed to breastfeed him and do what i wanted. but the nurses helped me so much.

i was sent in for monitoring due to high blood pressure & rapid heart rate. but while in labor & delivery I ended up getting strong contractions 1 minute apart. tje doctors tried everything to stop my labor but couldnt. so they prepped me for c section. and at 34 weeks 2 days my baby boys were born weighing 5lbs 12oz & 5lbs 15oz. Baby A was over night in nicu for respitory issues but now both boys are in intermediate nursery going on 1 week tomorrow. they are looking great we are just taking it day by day now until we are home.

My son wasn't a preemie, but he had to stay in the NICU. If I could give any advice to a mother and father it would be to get involved with your child's care plan. Know what is going on in detail with your child's doctor. It's normal to feel pretty helpless and like you are just sitting on the sidelines, but if you are a part of their recovery, you will feel like you are actually doing something to help. My SO and I did so much research and talked with our doctor about Phillips treatment in depth and we actually were able to change certain things that weren't quite the conventional way of doing things. But the doctors and nurses were on board and everything turned out perfectly. We really felt a part of Phillips recovery and like good parents, when originally we had felt so hopeless and helpless. Go with your gut instincts! If something feels wrong, say something. Don't be afraid to stand up for your child!

@saad,

@noanoa, 😍

@saad, 👌🏻👋🏻

I had an emergency c section June 10th due to being in labor and Baby A being breach. They are preemie but didn't have a NICU stay. But my younger twin had to fight to stay out of NICU. She wasn't eating or pooping right plus her body would not stay warm. Just having preemie baby/babies is stressful. But don't let it Bring you down keep your head up and fight with and for your baby! My girls are 2 1/2 weeks and home with me but still having complications but my God is the healer!! Praying for all you mommies

I got preeclampsia at 33weeks... at almost end of 33 weeks one night i started having mild contractions and light spotting and I went to the hospital to check if everything was okey. When they checked me they said my water broker partialy and i had to stay in the hospital when the doctor came she said i will probably have to give birth so luckily at 34 weeks just turned. My baby wasnt breech so i had csection. he was in nicu for 2 weeks. Everything developed healthy just he had to eat through the bottle and half through the tube...And his testicles didnt drop. I was lucky and my son was strong im so happy everything turned out healthy good.

@irada91

@noanoa 💕💋

I gave my birth at 34 weeks after going in at 32 weeks. The biggest thing is to realize it IS NOT your fault. None of it. You couldn't have stopped it and nothing you did made it happen. Be therefore your baby and realize there are mommies just like you who want to hug you and tell you we support you and want you to know we are behind you 100%

Delivered at 31 weeks! #preemiemommy

my son was born at 36 weeks but stopped breathing at birth so he spent 26 days in the nicu woobits so hard there's lots of advice I could give but looking back as hard as it was and stressful it won't be forever the nurses an doc are the best place for ur baby too be if born with problems ....I loved the skin to skin contact and to take advantage of the support system no mom could understand what ur going through like anthor nicu mom oook even though I could keep going for now

haven't had a preemie and this is my first pregnancy but I was born a preemie , 3 months early @ 1lb and 9oz.

my son was born at 24 weeks my water broke at 22 weeks and he was 1lb 10oz we have been in the hospital for 10 months now #preemiemommy

my water broke at 29 weeks and he weight 2 pounds 15 ounces when they did a sonogram, when I hit 30 weeks I gave birth to a baby boy 3 pounds 10 ounces 16 1/2 inches , only been a week and my son is improving strongly she says for a baby that was born 2 month early !! #preemiemommy

Mommy to a severe iugr preemie. #iugrawareness #preemiemommy

My daughter was a 31 weeker💜 3lbs 8oz and a 34 day nicu stay

#preemiemommy

My son was born 31 weeks! 3 lbs and 12 oz.

my daughter was born at 36wks was 4lbs 11 oz. stayed 12days in the nicu

#preemiemommy

my baby girl was born at 32weeks, i think i was further along. Weight was 5lb 3oz 19in. Was in the NICU for 3 weeks to work on her feeding. because she came early via emergency c section my job immediately put me on maternity leave. I got by due to frequent visits and alsi keeping busy when i couldn't make it to the hospital. it was hard leaving her every night. but im blessed that she is growing and healthy.

wow I'm blessed to have a heathy baby. both my daughter and son were born at 36wks daughter who is now 3months old weighted 7lbs 5oz and My son who is now 5yrs old weighted 6lbs 15oz. they both are very healthy and they are growing pretty fast.

my daughter was born a month early, I was 35 weeks an started dilating an having contractions, she weighed 4pds 5oz.

she is doing wonderful now! very blessed.