Transition from NICU to home

Following as I feel the same!!

Hi guys, that transition is super daunting and I remember just wanting to get out of hospital asap, and then when the discharge process started, I was so terrified. Take a deep breath and take everything you've learnt from the nicu and implement those new skills at home. When I got home it wasn't as scary as I initially thought it would be. Instead it was the same as what we had been doing, but in the comfort of our own home and without the added stress of travelling to and from hospital every day and nurses and doctors etc. Trust your instincts with everything. And with the heat, keep checking behind the neck/upper back to make sure baby isn't sweating or too hot. Check their temperature often if you feel they're too warm and dress them appropriately. In summer I had my little one in a body suit and the thinnest sleep sack, but if youre swaddling, you can use a muslin wrap which can help avoid getting baby too warm. Enjoy your time at home with your little one, it only gets better from here ❤️

Oh and with your toddler and your cat, my friend has a similar situation with her nicu baby and when she got home, her partner took over duty of their toddler majority of the time and she focused on their premie. Maybe you could request your partner to do the same? And as for your pet, if it's hygiene that you're worried about, your baby will be fine, just be a little more diligent in the early days with hand washing, sanitising bottles/pump parts and keep laundry separate for a short period of time if you can to help them get accustomed to the new germs in their environment

@Chae that’s all really good and sound advice. And yes definitely will be splitting duties with the children. Thank you so much ♥️♥️

Hi mama, my 26 weeker finally came home in June after 6 months. The first night was the hardest honestly. After that it just came to me. We had nurses coming in once a week to ask any questions too and the pediatrician. But definitely trust your instincts. You’re not a first time momma just one to a premie. You got this!

It's scary but sooo good at the same time ❤️ we brought our preemie home in January 2022 in the height of the omicron outbreak in NY. All of our parents and siblings had it or were waiting on negative tests so we were on our own for 2-3 days. I just tried to keep things as much like the hospital as possible, same diaper brand, baby wash, bottles. If that would help alleviate baby's stress. Plus if she started reacting to something we'd know it's something in the house. The cats were just curious and stared at her at first. No other kids for us. Good luck you got this 👍

@Amber @Jennifer thank you both, that’s really reassuring ♥️♥️

@Becky good luck, hopefully both our transitions will be smooth ♥️

I would say if ur baby isn’t on any extra things like oxygen or gtube, the experience is like bringing home any other baby. My son was in nicu 95 days but when he came home he adjusted well. It was jus an adjustment for me as a FTM trying to balance everything.