I had low iron due to anemia so I went to get an infusion and my BP was 158/91. She took it again and it was 148/88. I was sent to L&D with BP monitors every 15 minutes and it stayed consistently between 140/80 to 159/90. Then it spiked and hit 161 systolic 3 times in a row. after that I was transferred to a hospital with a higher level nicu and care team. I did a 24 hour mag drip. I’m off of that now with blood pressure meds and staying under 140/80 with only 2 weird readings and a med adjustment. I’m 32 and 5 and we are keeping her in until 34 weeks at which time I will have a cesarean. I have to have mag again during delivery and I’m just terrified. I already feel traumatized. I’ve been poked and prodded so many times and I’m trying so hard to stay positive. I know coming out of a spinal and the mag is going to be brutal. on top of that my baby is definitely going to the nicu. I did have the steroid shots but I can’t help but feeling it’s a lot of trauma and nonsense to just sit in an empty room and not be able to ambulate to see my baby. I’m scared and my husband is at home with our other kids so I feel very alone. any shared experiences would be lovely right now!

Hi everyone, I had my son on Sunday the 11th at 11:35pm, at 30 weeks and 3 days. I had been living in antepartum in the hospital for 2 weeks and was originally admitted due to reverse and absent flow on his Dopplers. My son was severely growth restricted (less than 1%) and I developed severe preeclampsia, which led me to be on the mag drip when I was admitted, receive 2 rounds of steroids during my stay, and continuous fetal monitoring. It was an emergency C-section after his fetal monitoring started showing continuous dips. He was born weighing 2 pounds 2 ounces. I was on the mag drip for 24 hours post birth. My son has been doing amazing in the NICU! No issues really, off CPAP, getting his picc line taken out tomorrow, really just needs to grow.

My biggest issue has been pumping. I pumped a few hours after delivery and have been pumping around the clock every 2-3 hours since. However, I’m 11 days PP at this point and still getting no milk. I’ve been working with lactation consultants who have me using a 17mm flange, power pumping once daily…I’m doing all the things and I’m getting nothing. They don’t know why my supply isn’t coming. I’m so discouraged and I cry every time I pump now. I want so badly to do this for my son. He’s using donor milk right now. I dreamed of breastfeeding or at least giving him my milk. It feels like my body has failed me throughout this pregnancy - blood pressure issues, hindering his growth, his heart rate dropping leading to emergency delivery, and now I can’t even make milk for him. I’ve never felt so down about myself. I don’t understand why this is happening, and how long I should keep waiting for things to change. Has anyone else had a similar issue and was able to resolve it? I’m on Labetalol and Procardia for my BP, not sure if that can hinder things. Please help.

Our baby was born on the 26th. Staying here for a bit with breathing issues,etc. it's been rough. We don't have a good babysitter for our 4 year old and my wife's at home watching her and recovering from this major surgery. We swap when possible but the limited time I have to be here I usually waste an hour every mornig because I have to sit in the family room while the doctor does rounds. Every family here has to usher out to a small waiting area during this time. Only for this doctor.

The 2 other doctors have rotated and let us be involved in rounds while they discuss our sons progress and care. I can collaborate, ask questions, and advocate and talk through my child's care. Haven't talked to this doctor once because he refuses to have any parent present during his rounds. Is this normal?

The reason given: he wants privacy for the other babies around and doesn't want us knowing what's wrong with them.

I'm in an isolated room with a sliding door so that point doesn't make sense.

Wondering what to do or if I'm overreacting here? Thanks!

I know that there are already multiple posts asking for success stories but I am desperate to hear from parents and babies who have gone through this as well.

My baby girl was born at 26 + 4 last September 28 (although on her birth card they estimated to 27 weeks) and this situation might actually drive me insane. This was supposed to be rainbow baby because we had just lost our second born last year due to anencephaly and I don't know what I to do if I ended up losing my daughter as well. It will not just break me, it will absolutely break my husband and my first born son as well.

Everyone says it's nobody's fault but I really can't shake off the feeling that it is my fault. I was taking GLP-1 and was on an intense weight loss journey when I found out I was pregnant. I had a few drinks as well. I did not have any symptoms - what I thought were my periods were actually spotting episodes + I was losing weight. The estimate is that I was already 16 weeks pregnant when I found out.

I thought everything was going well and I'm so thankful that everything looked great during her cognitive anomaly scan until I felt the contractions last Sunday. I gave birth prematurely the next day.

I've read time and time again that it's a battle, and that all we can do is to take it one day at time. The first few days, we were hearing mostly good news. She was intubated on day 1 but at day 4, they were already trying to decrease the oxygen she was getting from the machine little by little. On day 5 they extubated her and she was already breathing through the nasal cannula. She was also being fed through the tube - started at 0.5ml of breastmilk every 12 hours, then they increased the frequency to every 8 hours, and increased it again to every 6 hours. I was feeling so hopeful with every good news.

And then came the following days. First, they said her oxygen levels dropped so they had to reintubate her. On day 7 she accidentally pulled out the tube (the nurses say she's very active and feisty) but the thought of being reintubated two days in a row broke my heart. Pedia says her lungs were looking so white on the xray. They had to pause feeding because she has not pooped yet. Now I get a panic attack everytime the NICU calls. I don't want to expect the bad news but I can't stop my brain from going there.

I also felt a change in my husband. When all the bad news came, I felt him distancing himself from me as well. I know there's a part of him that resents me but I know that he doesn't want to feel that way. My firstborn just asked me if he's going to lose a sibling again.

Earlier today, when I went to see her, I closed my eyes intending to pray for her recovery and strength as always, but ended up telling God this might actually be the last thing I do with a sane mind.

My post is all over the place, sorry. I don't know what to do, I don't even know what to ask.

_________________________

Thank you all for your stories and insights. I made the right decision to share my thoughts here for sure. 😭

Other important details I may have missed from the first post is that she was born at 940g and that we're from the Philippines so I'm thinking there might be some differences when it comes to availability of medical resources but I'm hoping we've placed our baby the best possible NICU that's also closest to us.

Cried so much reading all of your stories. Cried even more when I read the perspective of dads and husbands. I know my husband's going through hell and back everyday, but he's also the one handling all documents for any sort of financial aid (the NICU journey is crazy expensive!). I wish I knew what else I can do for him as well.

I'm visiting my baby girl today, no early morning calls from the NICU so far. Which, as some of you have mentioned, is still a good thing. No news IS good news.

Thank you again for all your uplifting words! I will most likely re-read everything everyday and read more stories to come - until we get to bring our Olivia Skye home, safe, sound, and healthy.

Earlier this month, I developed severe preeclampsia at 28 weeks and everything went from “we’re monitoring” to “we need to deliver now” within two days. My baby boy was born via what felt like an extremely high-stress, chaotic c-section. He was (and still is 10 days later) just over 2 lbs. He’s doing okay so far (tolerating feeds, breathing with CPAP/NAVA), which I’m obviously grateful for, but we’re at the very beginning of what will likely be a long road.

I’m a first time mom, and I can’t shake the feeling that my body failed him, like we just didn’t work together. I’m also grieving the rest of my pregnancy, all the third trimester milestones, and the delivery we had planned. But honestly, I’m struggling the most with accepting that this is our reality for the next ~3 months.

I know I’m supposed to take it day by day, but I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around how long this is going to be. I have this overwhelming urge to just do something… anything… instead of sitting in the NICU or at home waiting to go back. I know I can’t fix it, I just hate feeling so stuck and helpless. We do as much skin to skin as we can, but there’s still so much downtime where I feel like I need to put my energy somewhere.

Looking for any tips on how I can stay busy in a "fun", cathartic way. And any general advice or success stories would also be so so appreciated.

Edit: Thank you everyone so much for your replies. For some reason, posting triggered me to cry which I haven't done since finding out about the funneling at 20 weeks. I've just been in an anxiety loop and spiral. I took a few hours so I could reply sensibly. For those asking about his size - we don't have full information. At the anatomy scan, it seemed like my MFM was flustered and I think she forgot both to give us the photos and send along the measurements. I've called the office to ask and am hoping they will be sent soon. I do remember her saying that his head circumference was around 67% and abdominal circumference around there but I don't know weight...

Hello everyone,

I hope it is ok to post. For background, I am currently still pregnant - 21+1, but with strong likelihood of delivering in the next few weeks.

I had a preventative cerclage, a TVCIC, put in at 12 weeks after a loss due to incompetent cervix last year. Unfortunately I funneled through that stitch at 20 weeks and had a second rescue McDonald stitch put in 6 days ago. I have healed from surgery and am on home bed rest but we don't have a real idea of how long the second stitch will hold. My OB didn't want to check yesterday for fear of irritating it.

My question for this community is: why on earth is it so hard to figure out which hospitals in your area will resuscitate at 22 weeks? I found the map on the 22 weeks matters website and see a children's hospital in the area on the list and another hospital in my city that my OB does not deliver at.

The hospital where I would deliver has a Level IV NICU but is not on that list. In 2026, should I make the assumption that a level IV NICU in a major metropolitan area WOULD resuscitate at 22 weeks? Why would they not explicitly state on their website the weeks at which they would care for preemies? Why is this information so hard to come by absent actually being in the hospital and talking to the NICU team?

I have another appointment with my MFM on Monday so I will ask then. But both my MFM and OB currently have this attitude both of we don't know when you could go, possibly at any time, but also try to stay positive, baby could be in there for weeks.

Really hoping this baby stays cooking until 24 weeks but just frustrated by lack of information.

She’s been in ‘hands jail’ for the last few days because everytime she gets them free she automatically goes for the tube and rips it clean out. It’s kind of traumatizing to watch her rip it out, not gonna lie 😅 she doesn’t like it but they said she needs to keep it in until her feedings go up

Hi gang! Our 32 week, 2lb15oz baby is just days shy from his expected due date (finally 6 lbs!). We have been home from the NICU for a month, and I have been so grateful to have a strong brave boy who made it out (born 32+2, discharged 36+2) so fast! Spouse and I are exhausting our leave options and since he came to us early we had not toured or settled on any daycare options. We are trying to extend leaves as long as possible to keep him out of a group setting with sick season around the corner but we are admittedly very nervous and feeling left out that we have such short time with him. We cannot afford a nanny, make just enough to not qualify for subsidies and have no family nearby to help keep him home. He doesn’t need any home support thankfully but the idea of sending my tiny baby out into the world without knowing how he will handle it is an overwhelming thought. I am looking for experiences on how other preemies handled being in a childcare setting. We have achievement academy coming to us in home to help monitor development and to let us know what steps forward would be/could be best for him. Enjoy my tiny boy with his tiny biscuit in return 🫶🏽

Hello parents of children in the NICU,

I am about to start my NICU rotation as a pediatrics resident. I know there will be many tough conversations and I have a passion for making the parents feel seen and heard. What are some things you LOVED having your doctors do? What are some things you hated or wished could have been done better?

Sending love!

About 48 hours ago I took my wife to the ER for a stomach ache and was promptly told she was in labor. Three hours later my son was born, three months earlier than I expected him. The wife is recovering from c section and the nurses think our son is doing well. We keep getting told that the first 48 hours are the honeymoon period. There is an MRI scan for his brain tonight. 1lb 13oz, 13.75 inches long. He is on Blue light phototherapy for the Bilirubin, which is working.

We never expected this and just aren't sure what life will look like with him at the NICU full time for the next three months. Thankfully we're only a short distance to the hospital. I'm grateful to have found this community because we dont know anyone who went through this before. I just ordered a book to read to him in the NICU. I'm sad, angry, and also frustrated with the short list of actions I can take to help him. Any advice to make this transition in life easier for my wife and baby are appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I don’t even know how to start this. I’m writing this as a mother who feels completely lost and unable to make the biggest decision of her life.

My newborn baby has been diagnosed with a very severe condition called a Type IV laryngotracheoesophageal cleft (LTEC). From what the doctors explained, her airway and esophagus are not properly separated, which means she cannot safely breathe and eat like a normal baby.

On top of that:

She effectively has only one functioning lung (the other is severely underdeveloped)

Her stomach is very small (microgastria)

She already had episodes where her oxygen saturation dropped extremely low (20–30%)

She needed a central line and blood transfusion

Feeding normally is not possible

The doctors told us that without surgery, she likely won’t survive.

But the surgical path is extremely intense:

Multiple major surgeries

Possibly using ECMO (life support machine)

A tracheostomy (breathing tube in the neck) for years, maybe permanently

Feeding tube for years

Long ICU stays and repeated procedures

One doctor told us that even if everything goes perfectly, she will likely need a permanent tracheostomy. Another doctor said he cannot guarantee she will ever be trach-free.

There is about a 50% chance of survival, and even then, there are serious concerns about:

Brain damage (from surgeries, low oxygen, or ECMO)

Speech delay or difficulty (especially with long-term trach)

Physical limitations from having one lung

A life dependent on medical care

At the same time, one of the surgeons told us she once had a similar case that survived, and that gives her hope to try.

I feel completely torn between two things:

I want her to live more than anything

But I don’t want her to suffer, or live a life full of pain and limitations

I keep asking myself:

Am I fighting for her… or putting her through too much?

If she survives but has severe complications, will I regret this?

If I don’t try, will I regret not giving her a chance?

I honestly cannot decide. I feel like whatever I choose, I will carry it for the rest of my life.

If anyone has:

been in a similar situation

had a child with a tracheostomy or severe medical needs

medical knowledge about these conditions

Please share your thoughts, experiences, or even just how you would approach this decision.

I’m not looking for false hope or harsh judgment—just real perspectives to help me think.

Thank you for reading.

My waters broke technically at 21 weeks 5 days. At 22 weeks 2 days I had no measurable fluid on an ultrasound so now im sitting in the hospital playing the world's worst waiting game.

They told me we have to reach 23 weeks before they consider baby viable and it really depends on how developed the lungs are since I have no fluid.

I am still leaking fluid. The ob said that is good because baby is still making fluid.

I dont think im cramping or contracting but me and my husband are terrified. It seems like membrane repairing itself is unlikely at this point so its really a wait and see situation. I dont feel hopeful. I just feel scared.

Any success stories for no fluid? I really want to keep baby in until 25 weeks but Im also scared. Part of me wonders if its better to hope or better to get the worst part over with if its going to end poorly anyway.

Im also scared of having a high needs kiddo who won't have a good quality of life..

Not sure what I'm looking for. Hope? A reality check? To scream into the void?

Edit for current update one week later: I reached 23 weeks yesterday and was officially moved to the real antepartum wing. Lucked out and got placed in a private room too! OB, neonatologist, and the nurses are all superbhype for me because 23 weeks is their first milestone for saving baby. Im still hoping to keep baby in for many more weeks to come!

Because I have no fluid they suspect no matter how long baby is in there, the lungs will be substantially behind, but the better everything else is developed the better chances they have to work on the lungs (especially if the airways is bigger). However, my last scan had baby estimated at 561g which the neonatologist was hype for because over 500g is like the first size milestone for her equipment to be able to fit.

They check me for labour like every 4 hours and even do a non-stress test of baby's heartate and monitor for contractions and everything seems chill.

Ive started anti-biotics and got my two steroid shots to boost baby's organ development this week and then we just chill for the most part for now.

My husband was able to feel baby move for the first time yesterday and I think he about burst into tears.

We aren't out of the woods yet but boy are we feeling grateful to be in the hospital and be able to stay in the hospital for as long as we can and cook this baby longer.

Edit 2: we are officially at 24 weeks and going strong! We are finished steroids and antibiotics and are just waiting for imminent delivery for magnesium sulfate to protect his brain.

Choose your partners well by the way because over the last 2 weeks my husband has only missed 1 day of visiting and that was because I told him to take the day to rest (he worked on the house to prep for baby instead but I tried lol).

Edit 3: for anyone following I am still pregnant and officially at 25 weeks 2 days. Started having irregular cramping because baby is growing and pushing against my uterus and with no fluid and my uterus is not a big fan. My big goal is 28 weeks but every day is a battle won haha

Edit 4: made it to 26 weeks 1 day so far! The cramping continues and gets especially bad at night so now im on preventative tylenol which seems to break the cycle before it can start. Learned that one after having 9/10 contractions so bad for 3 hours they had to give me morphine because I was screaming and crying for several hours in the middle of the night. We are at the point where every hour and day feels like a hard fought battle but we are hoping to keep on keeping on!

My daughter was growth restricted and was born at 510g (~1lb 2oz) and has remained tiny. She is now 16 months, 13 corrected but the size of a small 3-4month old. She left the NICU at 6 month old and she was only like 6.5lbs… her milestones have been delayed at least partly, if not fully due to her size. She is about 12.5-13lbs currently but is trying to start walking. I can’t find ANY real shoes to fit her! She has 1 pair of 0-3m sandals from old navy that kinda stay on but the strap is really loose so she can easily pull them off.

Any suggestions on where I can find narrow tiny shoes? Preferably, ones that are good for walking.

Video of when she first started pulling up, she was so proud of herself 💜

Hi all! We are on day 14 of the NICU with my 32 and 4 baby who weighed 3 lb 14 oz at birth. She is back at her birth weight as of 2 days ago and on an open crib as of today and has been on room air for a week. For anyone who feels this was similar to their situation, how long was your NICU stay and how much did your babies weigh when they left the NICU?

I had an emergency C-section, and my little boy has been on the NICCU for about 10 days. We don't have a timeline for discharge but we are taking steps.

Dad has stayed at the hospital every night. I wanted Dad to have some nice sleep at home, but I’m feeling guilty about our son being in the NICCU alone. Baby boy is stable and doing well and in the best care.

How do you navigate this?

I don’t want prematurity to become the way everyone sees my child. My baby was born very premature (29 weeker), so I obviously know that she is a preemie. Our journey has been different and wasnt easy. I know she may be behind on certain milestones. I know how much of a little fighter she is, and I am incredibly proud of everything she has overcome.

But honestly, I don’t like constantly hearing other people remind me that she is a preemie. Especially from my family members (is okay for pead / medical follow up). Every time she does something a little differently, someone says, “well, she’s a preemie.” If she’s not doing something yet, “she’s a preemie.” Sometimes even when nothing is wrong, those who know bring it up anyway.

I understand that people usually mean well. But I believe prematurity is not a permanent label :( I also don’t want her growing up hearing that she needs to be treated differently because she was a preemie. She doesn’t need everyone constantly reminding her that she’s “special” or that she needs extra consideration. If she needs something medically or developmentally, of course we’ll support her.

Maybe I’m being overly sensitive about this, but I find myself getting irritated when family members keep bringing it up. But please tell me: am I being oversensitive and ridiculous? TIA.

ETA: sorry to offend some parents here. I know my statement above came from a privilege. What I meant, again, is for the preemie label that follows her until adulthood. I know it is impossible to compare preemie with full term babies until 2 years old.

This is our story. I'm not the smartest, I'm no professional writer. I'm tired but I need to talk. Maybe some advice will help, maybe just talking to people that understand will, or just letting it all out will. idk.

My wife's water broke 5 months early. It was devastating. To wake up to her voice in the middle of the night, to see that puddle. Knowing nothing good can come from that - the horror to know this could be the second miscarriage.

proceed to the worst ER experience we will ever have, being mis evaluated at the desk, waiting hours as my wife bleeds through pad after pad they give her in the lobby. My wife's the smartest person I've ever met and she told them what was happening, it was a simple conversation. Finding out we had to wait in this empty lobby because they did a pregnancy test before taking us in was diabolical. Her water broke, this child was planned. this hospital has our OBGYN clinic/doctors.

We spend 4 days admitted in that hospital. Talk about stress. The conversations are hard to be part of, we find out what the future could look like and it's not clear at all, the scope is wide. We are giving guidelines to live by, a game plane. She needs to do as little as possible, more doctor visits, more water, steroid shots in a month or so and then been admitted till birth happens.

(Side story: during our stay a nurse came in and asked if she had the epidural. This is a complete shock to us and quite frankly horrifying. He confirms my wife's name, we confirm no epidural, he leaves with no explanation. I proceed to raise a commotion with the nurses desk to explain what the heck just happened. takes a while but I get an explanation: another woman with the same name, which is very uncommon, is getting an epidural. My wife is shaking from stress/anxiety/fear. Not cool. )

Okay alright, we have a game plan. our jobs allow us to work from home during this. I do everything I humanly can to make her move as little as possible. we are doing great. her water is slowly refilling, it gets to the lowest percent to be in the range considered "regular" but still extremely low.

a month passes by and it's time to discuss the logistics of being admitted. she can wait a week and stay at the local hospital - if he comes within that week or if he's in bad shape the NICU isn't good enough for him so he'll get flown to the capital. or drive to the capital, nearly three hours away and be admitted there and up our chances. well that's a no brainer. we pack up and we drive down there. call our families and give them the news. told our dogs goodbye.

we finally make it. 6 hours after going into the triage, we finally get a room. so far, so good I guess. we are tired, hangry, scared. she gets her first and only shot of steroids for our baby boy. not even an hour later heavily bleeding and discharge comes, nurse said it's fine. another hour passes and they do their check up, can't find a pulse, 3 doctors try to find it and BAM, there it is. it's low, too low. the next 6 minutes we will never forget.

"we are taking him out right now"

the cords being ripped out the sockets, the nurses talking into their little walkie talkie things, the hallway being cleared, doors being held open, pretty much sprinting down the hallway. 6 minutes is how long it took from finding the heartbeat to him being out. I wasn't there. my wife wasn't awake.

He made it!

I can't help my wife with the pain from the emergency c section and they didn't have the pain meds ready. I can only get so vocal after 20 minutes of her being in that much pain and being told "just a few more minutes". but screw me, it's not about me dammit, she's the one in pain. she can't even focus on our son when they bring him in for a few seconds.

the next weeks bring the struggles so many of you all know and I don't even know what to say. we learn to live in the NICU, we learn this town, the nurses and doctors, we hold our son eventually. he has some bad events and hiccups (pda, lung issues+CF, UTIs and lung infections) to some severe issues (septum pellucidum in his brain is missing and now severe lung issues).

here we are almost 150 days after birth. still haven't heard him cry with the breathing tube in his throat. we had the Tracheotomy talk this week. it sucks. it changes our lives even more. we are selling our house and moving to this new place. just being here is more stressful. we don't feel safe here. maybe it's us being dramatic or something, but it's one of the most dangerous cities in the US, and after spending time here we agree. wife lost her job (forced back to office, but she has to be here to learn the very specific things for his care). we need 2 nurses for home care. our car got hit by a non insured driver (in the hospital parking lot LOL!)

we still have another year to go of the NICU stay, maybe more. most likely more.

We are tired y'all. I don't know what the point of this post was. it's late, I need to sleep.

if you have advice. send it. if you want to chat, HMU. if my post doesn't make sense I'm sorry.

Hi! Apologies in advance for the Advice flair. I do not want advice, I just could not figure out which to use.

My boy was born at 30 weeks and while we've been super fortunate to have a healthy baby, he's been tiny at every check up. He had IUGR and was born 2 lbs 3 oz. Between his 6-month and 9-month check ups he only gained a little over a pound. As of 10 months, he's been deemed failure to thrive.

Depsite all of this, he's a ball of energy and he's been enjoying all of the solids he gets to try. We've been recommended to boost his solids to 3 times a day and add more calorie dense and healthy fat foods such as avocado, sweet potato, peanut butter, as well as avocado or olive oil. We have seen a feeding therapist and a pediatric GI. All say he's developmentally on track, just tiny!

At almost 11 months old, he weighs 14 lbs 13 oz.

I'm curious if anyone else has a tiny baby who's staying tiny!

If you were a caregiver who initially declined breast milk fortification or formula concentration (as recommended by your NICU team) for your premature infant, what made you change your mind?

Or if you initially declined human milk fortifier (HMF) or Neosure/Enfacare (as recommended by your NICU team) in favor of a different infant formula, what made you change your mind and choose the preemie specific formula/fortifier instead?

Edit: I am a NICU dietitian. I am having more and more families decline feed fortification for their premature infants. I know what their stated reasons are, and my expertise and facts don’t often change their minds. So I’m looking to understand what information is most helpful to share with them so we don’t have to wait until the baby stops growing or gets bone fractures on unfortified breast milk or a fancy term infant formula before they will agree to the nutrition standard of care.

(I didn’t want to share my role initially in case it skews people’s responses)

Our 26 weeker is on her 95th day of her NICU journey and at her due date. She was intubated for 40 days, then 10 days of non-invasive NAVA, and now 45 days of CPAP with no progress on PEEP 8 and o2 around 30%. Already done 2 courses of DART to wean off the ventilator.

Has anybody else had a similar experience of struggling to come off of CPAP? If so, what was your experience like?

Life after the NICU is scary! As a neonatologist, we focus so much on the NICU stay...for obvious reasons. Babies are sick or very small and need support to get them home. But then I think there is this false sense that everything is perfect so now you get to go home. I'm finding out from parents this is not entirely true. I'm curious to learn to make things better for parents going home. What was the hardest thing at home? Is it not having a monitor? Is it not having a nurse or a doctor? Is it not understanding the meds or general care of your preemie? Teach me please so I can teach others.

I’m not a NICU parent at this time, but I just had an emergency cerclage placed this week.

My company grants 16 weeks of maternity leave which I was looking forward to enjoying to the fullest this winter.

Considering the outlook for this pregnancy, there’s a high chance we will deliver far too early and will have our little guy in the NICU for some time.

Those of you who work- how did you manage your parental leave? I’m considering doing 6 weeks immediately and 10 weeks deferred but wanted to know what has worked best for other families.

Hi! My relative just had a baby (29 weeks) and she’ll be staying in the NICU until late November/early December and she’s letting me visit. I wanted to bring her a little gift, but I’m not at all well versed in what new parents prefer/need, especially not NICU parents.

Is there anything that would be helpful or that you wish someone had brought during your baby’s stay?

Hello all NICU parents, meet Sawyer.

Sawyer was born at 25 weeks and 3 days. This was a huge shock to me and my wife. I was 4.5 hours away from my wife when I got the call and had to race home. I made it just in time to be by her side when he came into the world. He came out strong. He had an incredible heartbeat and was kicking the whole time coming out.

The high risk team had a hard time getting him to a stable level before transferring him to the NICU. Once at the NICU they put in a chest tube to release some air that had built up around the lungs. This brought his heart rate up to a stable condition and improved breathing.

This morning we were hit pretty hard with bad news. Our little guy is suffering from a 4/4 brain bleed along with tough acid/blood levels. We were told that all though he is stable, he is barely stable. We were then faced with one of the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to even imagine if things went south..

My wife and I just took a trip back down to the NICU floor to visit him and we were told his blood pressure, breathing, and acid levels were doing better. I just can’t shake the brain bleed. It worries me so bad.

Just need some words of encouragement if any.

Thanks.