PAIF Graduates Exchange

Well you are right, both of those things are pretty big tasks. I think you are on the right track with the pediatrician. We interviewed a few and we made a list of things that were important to us... hours, weekend appointments, availability of doctors (we all all the doctors cell phone numbers and can call anytime) and location. As for the daycare/baby-sitter, you really have to go with your gut and do your research, and don't be afraid to switch. Our initial daycare, I loved the workers, but the management was awful, and it seemed they had no real policies in place. We ended up going with a bigger daycare chain and I love it, but my son is a little older and his immune system is a lot better and this is more like a pre-school, which you don't need just yet. So I see your point about being around less kids, especially with a preemie. Again, don't be afraid to switch if something doesn't feel right, no matter how long you have been witha doctor or a daycare. Good luck! Sending you and your little girl many prayers!

craigslist in your area will have baby sitters, but in my experience, its usually weird people...
care.com will also show you people in your area that you can interview.
can your OB recommend some peds who have experience with a premie? or the peds who took care of her when she in nicu?

I think I'm going to be ok with the ped. I have a couple of good recommendations from trusted friends. I asked my favorite neonatologist for a few names and he said he'd get me a list.

Child care is a different story. The people I trust recommendations from have managed to arrange opposite shifts from their spouses or family to keep their kids. I need to just dig in and start working on it. I might ask my boss if I can just start with Monday and Saturday when I know I'm covered, then add another weekday or 2 later when I can figure something out.

I feel your pain. My twins were in the NICU for 7 weeks and I'm telling you I had NO time between going there everyday and my other kids. I would ask the nurses and Dr's in the NICU about pediatricians. They should have some good suggestions. As far as babysitters...care.com is a good resourse. As far as I know they do extensive checks on the people on there.

How early was your little girl born?

We've seen other nicu parents with other kids and don't know how they do it. It's hard enough on us without others to take care of. She was 28 weeks 5 days. Now she's 34 weeks adjusted and doing great, but going to be there a while longer. I had talked with my favorite nicu dr about getting me a list of peds, but that must have been his last day on rotation and I haven't seen him since. I have a really good recommendation from a nurse friend that I'll probably meet first. I haven't looked on care.com, but heard some recommendations so I'll check it out.

My girls were born at 28 weeks 5 days too! I will tell you that you need to make finding a pediatrician a priority because before they discharged us we had to have an appointment set up with a pediatrician within 24 hours of discharge and the hospital wanted all the details. Also, your pediatrican may want to visit the baby while she is in the hospital. The hospital should also send the ped frequent updates on how she is doing.

How much did she weigh? How is she doing? Any idea when they will let her go home with you? If you need any advice or just someone to vent to let me know. I have recently had the same experience so I know how helpless you can feel sometimes. Keep your head up!

Thanks, I knew I'd need to have an appointment set up before she's discharged, but I didn't think about them updating the ped or him wanting to visit the hospital. I'm sure he won't have rights at the hospital, but I guess that doesn't stop a visit as a normal visitor. The hospital is an hour from home. My OB wanted me with their MFM docs and in their high risk unit when he sent me. They also have one of the top nicu's in the nation. We've been impressed.

She's doing awesome! She was 2 pounds even at birth and was 3 pounds 9 ounces yesterday (she'll be 6 weeks old tomorrow). They have the isolette about room temp and should try an open crib any day. She's taking a bottle well a couple times a day. They offer it if she's awake and showing interest, usually once or twice a day. Sometimes she'll take the whole bottle and sometimes she runs out of energy halfway through and the rest goes down her feeding tube. It's all practice right now, but she's doing well with the suck swallow breathe coordination. So far they are sticking with the standard answer she'll go home around her original due date, which is about 5 1/2 more weeks. One of her regular nurses keeps making comments that we'd better get ready for her at home, so hopefully earlier.

My main concern right now is how do you protect her from germs without keeping her in a bubble? We have lots of family and they are all dying to hold her since the nicu still only lets the 2 of us touch and hold her. I'm afraid once we get home everyone will want to come at once and expose her to all those germs. I don't mind being the bad guy, but want to have some ground rules so my hubby and I can agree and be consistent. I hope to avoid fighting with him over visitors.

Our hospital was 45 minutes from home, but like you we knew we would deliver there because of the NICU. The hospital closest to me doesn't even have a NICU. That is awesome your baby girl is doing so well! I know I was amazed at the progess our girls made in such a short amount of time. I thought the bottle feeding was the most frustrating because by the end that was the only thing keeping them there.

We had a lot of people visit with the girls while they were still in the NICU. As long as they weren't sick and washed their hands I was ok with them holding the girls. We have been lucky and (knock on wood) they haven't gotten sick. They started getting their RSV shots last week and will get their flu shots next month at their 6 month check up so that will make me feel a little better.

One thing I have learned is they may look small but they are tough little fighters. I am amazed by my girls everyday, they really are a gift

I have a feeling bottle feeding will keep us there too. She's doing well, but she gets so tired. She runs out of steam then she wants it, but you can tell she just doesn't have the energy to keep sucking. She is still having bradys too, but they are getting shorter and fewer so hopefully she'll stop that soon. The doctor said they have to go a week without a brady before they can leave. She moved to an open crib over the weekend and is holding her temp well. For now we've agreed no one holds her but us, but we'll let them hold her hand after using sanitizer.

I have an appointment to meet a pediatrician tomorrow. Hopefully I like her. The practice has 2 doctors, but only one is taking new patients. A nurse friend takes her daughter to the one that isn't taking new patients. I asked my OB yesterday and one of his kids sees each of the doctors. As long as I like her and she doesn't flinch at having a preemie I very much trust those recommendations. I talked with the neonatologist about it and he's going to look into her, but he thought he'd seen the name before. He can't give me a recommendation, but he can give me a nod or wink.

I emailed my boss to set up a meeting to talk about my return. I hate to think about going back while she's in the hospital, but my FMLA will run out about the time she should come home. I want some time off when she comes home. They have given someone extra time before so they might with me too. I had already been talking with him about coming back part time for a while and after all that we've been through I want that even more. How did you handle work, or are you lucky enough to stay at home with your girls? The nicu nurses said a lot of people go back and take more time when they come home.

I had a C section and typically you take 8 weeks off after that. My doctor was willing to release me after 6 weeks if the girls were still going to be in the hospital so I could save some of my time for after they came home. Luckily Emma came home mid week after my 6 weeks and Reagan came home at 7 weeks so I did not go back early. I ended up taking off a total of 17 weeks (the first week I was on bedrest in the hospital before they were born).

I talked to my pediatrician and since the twins were preemies and could not go into daycare she filled out FMLA paperwork for the twins. Plus you will probably be making frequent trips to the pediatrician at first for weight checks and such. That way I was able to take more time off using sick leave.

My husband and I are considering me staying home with them though. It is a huge decision because our way of life would have to change drastically and it's pretty scary.

I had the same conversation with my doctor. It surprised me he was willing to release me with all the complications I've had. I asked my boss for a meeting to discuss my return and he scheduled over a week out, almost to the 8 week mark. It looks like she'll be home in the next couple of weeks anyway. I hope he'll be willing to let me have some extra time to settle in before coming back to work. Since I think I'll be going back part-time that should give him more flexibility. It will be unpaid time anyway, just need to make sure I still have a job to go to.

I met the pediatrician yesterday and really like her. The only question is if she'll deliver before my baby comes home. She's due 10 days before I was. LOL We'll just see her partner if she's out when we get released. He came highly recommended too, but isn't taking new patients.

Good luck with that huge decision. We can't quite manage that and I'm not sure I want to. My going back part-time seems a good solution and my boss has been on board so far. We've had some serious talks about it. He was convinced I'd quit for a while and may still be, but after one heart to heart I think he understood. The challenge with that is finding child care. That's my next project to tackle...