Transition from NICU to home

Hello All,

My baby girl has been in NICU since birth, we are saying all our prayers for her return to home soon. I’m extremely nervous about the transition from hospital to home. Mostly because she will be exposed to a completely different environment and I have a toddler and cat. Also concerned about this heat we have at the moment. Obviously you want to treat them like a normal healthy baby but I’m still nervous. Any advice from those who have made this transition?

Thank you x

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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

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 👍

thank you both, that’s really reassuring ♥️♥️

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.

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Induction experience

I just wanted to share my experience with being induced as I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it may help others.

I opted for the foley balloon which was inserted at 8am Saturday morning, I had to stay in hospital due to hypertension and protein urine however usually you can just go home once this has been done. The insertion of the balloon was not painful, was slightly uncomfortable as there was slight pressure. I actually found having the cervix checked prior to be worse (again not painful at this point just uncomfortable) The balloon had little effect and after having it removed I was still only 1cm. Removal also was pain free and hardly even noticeable.

I then had my first dose of the gel and definitely noticed a difference, I started experiencing period like cramps almost immediately however they were light and manageable. After 6 hours I had another cervix check and although my cervix was soft it was still only 1cm and was only open at the front. I had another dose of the gel and felt an increase in pressure and more intense cramping where I now required pain relief (codeine). After another 6 hours I had another cervix check and I had now dilated to 2-3cm however was still quite difficult to get all the way through so a third gel was recommended which I agreed to.

Almost immediately I noticed the difference and was in considerable pain, I had paracetamol and codeine however the contractions had now become intense and a lot closer together (around 3 minutes apart). After a couple of hours I had my last cervix check and was 4cm and taken down to the Labour ward to have my waters broken and an epidural.

I had been in my room for approx 20minutes when my waters broke by themselves and I was now 10cm and actively pushing…. There was no time for the epidural and my beautiful girl arrived into the world within 2 minutes of pushing.

All in all I would say the cramps/contractions were manageable up until the third gel where it became pretty unbearable however it was for a very short time a gas and air helped take the edge off. The worst part about any of it was actually the later cervix checks where after stimulating the cervix my contractions were at their most painful.

If I had to be induced again I would skip the balloon and opt for the gels immediately as thy had a quicker effect and I would have been out a lot sooner if I had done this to begin with.

One more thing, I’ve never believed when people say “you forget the pain once they’re here” but I can honestly say this is true. It’s been 4 days and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.

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Ok so I am going to be 35 years young. I can’t believe how much this life has thrown at me but it’s okay I’m a survivor. I am truly blessed to be alive. 🥳🧁🎂 The only downside is I won’t be celebrating my birthday because my man can’t take me out. So many emotions right now.