Anybody have a preemie born between 28-31 weeks? If so what issues did he/she have and how long in the NICU?

Michelle - posted on 04/27/2013

Our son was born at 28 weeks and has a lung disease but when he runs he loses his air now at the age of 12. Doctors say its his heart but I don't know......he was 3 pounds when born and mainly lung problems but now his sporting events r tough for him. Confused parents.....

Casie - posted on 12/17/2012

Every baby is diff my son was born at 28 weeks gestation and he is still in the nicu today been 8 weeks now.He should be coming home within a week or so tho. He just had breathing problems and a little difficulty eating a bottle.

Casie - posted on 12/12/2012

My son was born in October but was due on january he was 28 weeks gestation and is now 7 weeks 3 days and still in nicu so far he had to be on oxygen but nothing major was wrong with him he just cannot get the hang of the bottle yet.

Nicey - posted on 11/12/2012

My first daughter was born at 26 +4 days...she stayed in nicu for 3 months only scares was she had a grade 4 bleedin on the brain in they said her head will get big but by the grace of my god it was gone wen she went in for surgery...but she is now the most talkative 24 month old I ever met ..the only problem she have is dat she can't walk

Meagan - posted on 09/27/2012

My son was born at 28 weeks, 2 lbs 2 oz and 14" long! Everyting was perfect he was just little and had to grow and gain weight. We found out later that he had pulmonary hypertension and was on supplemental oxygen until August 2012. He came home May 3rd 2012 after 10 long weeks in the NICU and is perfectly healthy now and growing like a weed!!

Rinise - posted on 09/16/2012

my son Marcus was born September 1 at 30 weeks my due date wasn't until November 8.he was 3lbs 9oz.he went through respiratory failure and arrest he has to have a blood transfusion today he can't go home till his due date.

Rachel - posted on 09/08/2012

hi im pregant now and my doctor said i will have to give birth at 25/26weeks . but my baby only haa 45per cent chance of surviving and 55 of dieing . if so if that happens it be my 2nd still birth . im only 20yrs old . and scared x

Jennifer - posted on 03/22/2009

My son was born at 31 weeks, 4lbs, 10 oz. He stayed in the hospital for 3 1/2 weeks. Didn't have any problems beyond the normal preemie stuff - had to be fed through a tube for a couple weeks, jaundice, etc. He is now 11 months old and developing as expected - about 2 months behind. We were lucky enough to have a nurse come every month and check on his development for the first 6 months. It was a real help, being a first time mom and not knowing anything about what to look for in terms of development. (The nurse came because of a program through the state of CA.) Health wise, he's had no problems - except for lots of ear infections.

Good luck with your baby. May he/she be healthy and everything go well with you too.

Amy - posted on 03/22/2009

My son was born at 28 weeks he came out breathing by himself, but developed a tear in his stomach within 24hrs and was tubed, he had blood transfusions, a couple of serious infections, but he was able to come home after 62 days. Problems then started with being undiagnoised with server gastro reflux and server sleep apnoea. He ended up on a monitor to make sure he was still breathing during the day and night, the reflux could cause him to stop breathing also he needed CPR twice. He had ongoing cheast infections and ear infections and just poor health with low weight gain all three still cause some problems now especially the low weight. In terms of development he was behind, very slow to crawl, walk and talk, he still has some gross motor skills problems mainly with whole body activitys and some social problems with adapting to new situations and some oral problems round food textures. Other than that he is doing fantastic been a lot of work but if you didnt know it you really cant tell he is any different from the kids in his class at school

Kristin - posted on 03/12/2009

Hello! My daughter was born by emergency c-section at 31 1/2 weeks. I was given the steroids in hospital - 2 doses actually so it gave her lungs a chance to mature some more. She was on oxygen and cpap but that was only for the first 2 days. Her biggest struggle was eating and for a while she had issues where she would be in a deep sleep and forget to breathe so the chimes and buzzers went off. She spent 5 weeks in the NICU - born at 3lbs. 8oz and came home a little over 5 pounds. We had major problems with acid reflux, colic, and gas. Changed formulas for a few weeks. She is now 10 months old, a healthy, social and inquistive child. Our biggest problems now are feeding and sleeping - these have worsened since her teeth started coming in. She is a little behind with sitting and crawling but communication wise a month or two ahead of the game. She has been on those special shots for RSV and is getting the last dose in April.

Jen - posted on 03/12/2009

It is also often very relative to the child. My 26 weekers spent 3 months, while my 29 weekers did as well. Our NICU best friend had triplets 5 weeks after my 29 weekers were born, i believe they were 31 weeks, and they went home before us. Then we had a little boy in the quarentine NICU who was and identical, the brother went hoem at 4 days old, this little guy stayed 2 months or more, he contracted HA-MRSA some time between birth and his 2nd blood work, about a 4-6 hour time span.

Andrea - posted on 03/12/2009

HI Andrea,   1 of the really smart things the hospital did for us was to give me the steroid injections for the baby's lungs to fully develop.  I got 2 injections in all - with just 1 or 2 weeks appart.  this is what gave my boy born at 30 weeks 0/7 days a fighting chance - he is currently 1 yr old and doing VERY well.  When he was born he was O2 for a few days.  He however got hernia - which is very common for premie boys.  He spent 7 1/2 weeks in total in the NICU.  Best of luck to you and hope all goes well.

Dawn - posted on 03/11/2009

My daughter Kennedy was born right at 32 weeks and I went into pre-term labor at 28 weeks and she weighed 3 lbs 6 oz and stayed in the NICU for a month.  She breathed on her own which was a blessing, so the main thing was just her getting stronger every day and getting bigger.  She weighed 4lbs 9 ozs when she came home and she progressed fairly well.  She walked a little late, but I think it was because she was so cottled by my mom.  She has been monitored every 3  months by the hospital she was deilvered at and has had so have speech therapy once a week, but other than that she is doing very good.  She just turned 2 February 27th and no one could ever tell she was a premature baby!

She is an absolute joy.  I will admit that it was a little scary especially for me since I had a stillbirth before her, but I always knew in my heart that she would make it.

Aubrey - posted on 03/11/2009

Hi! My daughter Lena was born at 31 weeks. She was about 4 lbs and stayed in the NICU for only 3 days!!!!! Then she was trasferred to a special care nusery and stayed for 5 days! In total she was in the hospital for 9 days. Shes such a miracle. Shes 6 mths old now and even though shes still pretty small... she does everything a normal 6 mth old should!

Good luck!!

Emily - posted on 03/11/2009

My little guy was born at 31.5 weeks and weighed in at 3 lbs 16 oz. I had some bleeding in week 25, but there was no explanation for it. The dr.'s have no idea why he came early. I was in labour for over 15 hours and he was delivered naturally. He had a bad 1st night as he needed to be recussitated and had to go on Oxygen. However, we had a great surprise the next morning when we found him breathing on his own. I'm very lucky because he never had any serious problems. He basically just needed to learn how to eat. Feeding was a struggle though, but i'm happy to say that at 8 months (6 months c.a.) he is still breastfeeding. He spent about a month in the SCN and he's been great ever since!

Allison - posted on 03/10/2009

My daughter was born at 31 weeks due to a car accident that I was in that caused me to go into pre-term labor. The ER tried to keep her in with Magnesium only to have her come naturally. She weighed 4 pounds 8 ounces and although she was breathing on her own she did have the O2 for two days and CPAP for about a week. After that the only real problem she had was a PDA about two weeks into her stay in the NCIU which they treated with medication (vs. surgery.) She did have apnea pretty much up until the time she left and had to have a blood transfusion which they said was common because of all the blood they take for testing while in the NCIU. All in all Ella was in the NCIU for exactly 4 weeks and is now a happy and healthy 4 year old. We did have a few years of cold-induced asthma, RSV and Pneumonia, but since we moved toa dryer climate she has been doing great! Hope this helps.

Nancyann - posted on 03/10/2009

My son was born at 31 weeks exactly.  He was in the NICU for 29 days.  Thankfully he didn't need any oxygen when he was born.  The only thing he needed was a feeding tube and an IV.  He's almost 17 months now and doing great.  Once he hit the one year mark he caught up to a normal kid at his age.  Now he's running around, eatting wonderfully, talking up a storm and getting into trouble.  I couldn't ask for a better kid.  He has a great personality and is very friendly.  The NICU at he was in is the best in our area.

Mary - posted on 03/10/2009

My tiny baby was born at 29 weeks because I had high blood pressure and grand mal seizures - she was 2pounds and 13 ounces and 15 inches long she faced very few challenges comparably to others on this site. She was an emergency c- section and because of being a premie she had to be transported to a different hospital I didn't even get to see her for 2 weeks. She had jaundice and was under the lights --she had a colon infection and had a ng tube at first she only received 1 oz of breast milk a day-- they warned us of several complications she could get when she was discharged ( she was 39 days old when she got to got to come home).  She will be 14 in April she has no delays in fact she is very much ahead of the game except in her weight and height she is very tiny.... but all good things come in small packages-- we both are fighters we survived several obstacles together !!!!   Good luck and peace be with you and your family

Becky - posted on 03/10/2009

My son Marcus was born at 30 weeks and 5 days. He weighed 3 lbs, 8 oz and was 16 inches long. He spent 40 days in the NICU. He didn't have a whole lot of issues. He came out and cried but then needed to be put on a ventalator(only for a day) then cpap for a few days and then the cannula for a few more. He was on the billie light for a week or so and had to have a pick line put in because he didn't like his IVs in his arms. Because he was so early he had to have a feeding tube put in. The suck, swallow, breathe reflex doesn't kick in till about 34 weeks gestation.

Marcus is my first born( I have 4 step kids) and I was scared to death when they told me what was going to happen or could happen. The neonatologist came in the night before he was born to go over possibilities with us. I did have the injections to help develope his lungs. While I was in the hospital recovering I spent as much time as I could with him, I would even forget to take my pain meds( not the best idea). Even after I got discharged I  tried to go up to see him every day, talk, hold and sing to him. I was lucky the NICU in my hospital has private suites and can even stay overnight with your baby, as long as they are not sharing a room with another baby. I called evey morning and night to talk to his nurses and to tell them when I would be there or if  I couldn't that day.

Marcus is now only 4 months old and has no problems. He is 11lbs 5 oz now and is even up to par developmentally with full term babies his age.

Christy - posted on 03/10/2009

Here's some hope for you...



My first son was born at 28 weeks, he stayed in NICU for 8 weeks. He had several blood transfusions, laser surgery for ROP, his kidneys started failing and was intubated for 3 weeks, then on oxygen for another 4 weeks. Cullen is now 6 1/2 years old. He is big, strong, perfectly healthy and above average in school for his age!



My daughter was born at 32 weeks. She stayed in the NICU for 5 weeks. She was also born with a heart condition and had to undergo open heart surgery at 3 months old. The op took 5 hours - it was the worst day of my life! She also came home with a G-Tube, but other than that, she had no complications. Shannon is now 5 years old and also perfectly healthy and reading and writing and such a blessing.



My baby Joel was born at 30 weeks. He stayed in NICU for 4 weeks. He had a really bad lung infection and was on an oscillator for about a week and ventilated for 3 weeks. He also had numerous blood transfusions and a HUGE liver abcess, which almost cost him his life. It was surgically drained in the NICU because he was too unstable to be transported to the OT. He is now 10 months old and just perfect. He did suffer from reflux, but has out-grown that. He is on par with 10 month old milestones!



God has been very gracious to my family and I thank him for my 3 little miracles every day!

Jennifer - posted on 03/10/2009

My daughter was born at 27 weeks, 4 days (she was the only surviving baby from a quadruplet pregnancy, the other babies died in utero 2 weeks before she was born). She was 2 lbs 8 oz and she was on the ventilator for about 4 weeks, then she was on the nasal cannula for probably another 4 weeks after that. She started to get Necrotizing Entercolitis about 3 days after they began tube feeding her with breastmilk, although she was only getting about 1.5 mL in the whole day. They stopped feeding her and just continued with the intravenous feeding and luckily she did not have to have surgery. She also developed an infection in her arm where a catheter was placed, which they removed as soon as they noticed the infection. The area later sloughed off and she still has a dent in her forearm where it was. I didn't get to hold her until she was 5 weeks old because they worried that she would expend too many calories and it would stress her too badly. It also seemed to me that they sent her home earlier than they should have, because it was only 4 days after they started trying to feed her orally that she was sent home. She was in NICU for a total of 9 weeks. She had a lot of trouble trying to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time (for several weeks after leaving NICU) and we had to feed her 1 oz bottles every 3 hours and have a nurse come to our house to check on her. She had a heart monitor, she was on caffeine for her bradycardia and apnea, Reglan for severe reflux, and after coming home, she was also put back on the nasal cannula because her oxygen saturation kept dropping into the 70's. We had a rough time until she was about 6 months old, and then she started doing much better. She made it into the 10th percentile on the growth charts for the first time in her life! Today, she is completely fine. She's turning 4 in May (she's actually tall for her age at 40.5 inches tall and weighing 30.2 lbs!) and the only side effect she has from being a preemie is a little bit of asthma.

Cyndie - posted on 03/10/2009

Hi Andrea,

My son, Keifer, was born at 28 weeks & boy, I was scared. It was my first baby & I am the typw of person that needs to know everything before going into a situation. Well my dear nothing can really "prepare" you for what is about to happen but just accept it. Take one day at a time & don't stress. I had to let go of the things I couldn't control. It was hard but after letting go, I enjoyed being with Keifer every day & still am. He was born at 2 lbs 7 oz. & was in the NICU for 3 months. He came homw with an apeana monitor but was off of it in less than a month (it was just precaution & was better for my anxiety when I tried to sleep). The best thing for me was to treat him like no different. I took my maturnity leave while he was still in the hospital & spent every day there for about 6-10 hours a day. My husband & I both worked retail at the time & it was hard to go see him but we made sure we were there even if it was just for 30 minutes. Do the kangaroo care. Those were the best. I could hold him, warm on my chest and since or talk to him. Most importantly....Have faith....God wouldn't put you thru something He KNEW you couldn't handle. Trust that & you & your child will be just fine! Best of luck & Congrats!

Cyndie

Billie - posted on 03/09/2009

My twin girls were born at 30 weeks.  I had a virus at 28 weeks and went into preterm labor. The doctors were able to stop and labor and I was able to come home for Christmas on bedrest.  They were born on new year's eve and weigh 2lb. 12oz. and 3lbs. 2oz.    No major problems.  The small twin was on C Pap for a few hours. NO Oxygen.  They stayed in NICU for 6weeks came home the day after Valentines day.  They are 2 now and one had some small delays and had physical therpy for 6mo. for delays.  They weigh 25lb and 26lb and are very healthy.

Jacquelyn - posted on 03/09/2009

My son was born at 29 weeks he was 5 lbs 13 oz he was 19 inches long. he had a hole in his heart and a defective heart valve he was on oxygen for 2 weeks we took him home shortly after he was off oxygen. he is now a happy health 9 month old.

Kelly - posted on 03/09/2009

Hi Andrea!
I am hoping that all goes well with you and your little one on the way. My son was born at 30 weeks due to PROM. He weighed 3 lbs 11 oz. He spent 32 days in the NICU (which was much shorter than we had expected!) He spent one day on a ventilator, a short time on a CPAP and cannula and then did fine breathing on his own. He had to be on the billie lights for a long time due to "breast milk jaundice". After he came home we discovered he had a hernia and he had to have emergency surgery because it became swollen, etc and was at risk of cutting off the blood to his intestines. He also had some "tummy trouble" when he came home. A lot of people said it was colic, reflux, etc. We tried a variety of meds and the one thing that actually helped him was giving him probiotics. They were a lifesaver! Anyhow...he is now almost 7 months old and doing great! I am enjoying every moment with him and feel extremely blessed!

Amy - posted on 03/09/2009

My son was born 30 weeks 1 day and was in the NICU for 8 weeks. He went to Childrens hospital with NEC luckily with antibiotics it was cleared up without surgery. He had to have 2 blood transfusions and had a slight hemorrage in his brain.  He was on and off oxygen most of his stay in the NICU. To date we are still fighting with his weight but he is very active and healthy. The only problems he is facing is with a considerable speech delay. He is 3 and a half years old and VERY active

Lisa - posted on 03/09/2009

I had my son at 31 weeks, he was 3lbs 13 ounces, he had to stay in the NICU for 6 weeks he came home weighing 5pounds 7 ounces.. He needed a blood transfusion while in the hospital because they kept drawing blood from him for tests, and his body didn't start making blood on his own til he was 34 weeks. he also had a feeding tube for a few weeks, he did not need oxygen at all, he came out screaming, i think due to the steroid shot they gave me 2 days before i gave birth. He did have apnea episodes, they had him on a stimulating drug similiar to caffeine...but that ended once he hit 37 weeks, preemies forget to breath before 32 weeks because they don't have to in the womb. thank god other than that, we had no real issues, just needed to grow in size, he is now going to be 12 in two weeks and is 5' feet tall and 98 lbs.. good luck to you

Deborah - posted on 03/09/2009

Hello Andrea,
My daughter was born at 29 weeks and the first thing I was told by the doctors was in their words once she was born was" Not to expect her to survive, you will bury her". She was a guest in the NICU for 3 months and had to have a shunt put in place, she was born with "water on the brain " ( hydrocephalus). Oh we were also told if we were lucky she would weigh around 2 pounds, She weighed 5 pounds 13 ounces and 19 in long. Through the years Shannon and I were told she would not walk again. I am proud to report my 25yr old daughter Shannon escorted me down the aisle when I was married on Sept of 2008. She is doing fabulous!!! She has her bank account, a b/f , a very active social life. She is currently working on finding a place to live < she is stubborn and wants to do this on her own >. She makes all her own appointments for the doctors. I could not be more proud of her. < I could sit here and tell you about all the trips and times spent in the hospital. and all the other obstacles we had to overcome. I feel for every family it is different. What is the same is we all have to fight for their rights in schools, deal with the stares, the doctors < They are not always right>, As our children get older many of them have a tough time communicating and tend to get frustrated, we tend to pull our hair as we try to understand . I would like to also post one of my favorite poems that was given to me a very long time ago.
"Welcome to Holland"

By Emily Perl Kingsley, 1987. All rights reserved.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away...because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss. But...if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.
Andrea I will keep you and your family in my prayers and I am sure you will find the strength you need for each day
Sincerely,
Deborah

Toni-Anne - posted on 03/08/2009

I guess I was lucky.
My son was born at 29weeks, weighed a very healthy (considering his due date) 3 pound 1 or 1.385kilo.
He spent only one week in NICU, was transferred to Special Care, and another hospital and spent only a further 5 weeks in hospital after that.
The hospital never let him try to breathe on his own at birth, but I argued with the doctors when he was only 3 days old as he was fighting the oxygen.
The only issues we had were severe gastric reflux and severe reactions to things such as soaps and disposable nappies (diapers).

Catina - posted on 03/08/2009

Hi Andrea 

I'm not in the parameters outlined in your note but only a few weeks outside.  My daughter was born at 24 weeks and weighed 1lb 8oz.  She was in the NICU for 3 months. Of course, the issue of survival is what plagued us the first few weeks.  She was born with retinopathy of prematurity and had laser surgery to her eyes after about a month and a half in the hospital.  However, she proved to be a fighter and sailed through after that.  She is now 8 years old, is in the 3rd grade, she takes dance, singing and acting classes!  No signs of delayed development, vision issues or any other issues that preemies are predisposed to. In fact she is one of the younger 3rd graders and is on honor roll. The fight and strong will she had for those 3 months, still remains.  She is very outspoken, shows no fear for anything or anyone and is witty!   She is truly a joy and the love of my life.   : - )

Allyson - posted on 03/08/2009

My oldest daughter was born at 29 weeks.  She was on and off a respirator starting on day 3 of life.  She ended up with a tracheostomy tube and a g-tube/nissen procedure.  We're currently working on getting both removed.  No vent or oxygen needed.  Yay!  She spent 7 months in the NICU and then another 6 weeks in a transitional hospital.  She's up to speed on everything and past speed on some things.  I can't believe how happy these special little kids can make you and how easily they make you forget every day problems.

Kimberly - posted on 03/07/2009

My twins were born at 27 weeks, 6 days. They were both very tiny and one of my little girls did not do well at all upon birth. In fact, they told me she wouldn't make it! At this moment, both are sleeping peacefully on the floor next to me. And the one that wasn't supposed to make it? She's now over 9 pounds. They both spent about 12 weeks in the NICU and had their share of ups and downs. They are doing great now, though. Hang in there. I was on hospitalized bed rest for 7 weeks because one of my twins' water broke at 21 weeks!!! I only had a 20% chance of hanging onto the pregnancy and somehow I did. I will pray for you!

Kim

Shanequia - posted on 03/07/2009

Sorry - forgot to say that she stayed 3 months in the hospital - her challenges ranged from a hole in her heart, under devloped lungs (the week before she came they injected me with somthing to help with lung development). It was a very stressfull 3 months. But I visited her everyday, talked to her, and whenever possible asked for her to be place on my bare chest, praying with her and talking to her - letting her know that her big sister and other family members where waiting for her to come home. TEARS AND PRAYERS

Shanequia - posted on 03/07/2009

Hi - my daughter Britney was what they called micr-prem - she came 6 months and weighed 1 lb. She is now 5 years old and doing well.

Saasha - posted on 03/07/2009

My daughter was born by emergency c-section @ 29wks 5days, & spent 9 weeks in the NICU. We never really had any problems with her, she was on CPAP for a few weeks, but never needed oxygen.. The nurses used to call her a star!! So far she is 11 months old, & all is still well, she just had her eyes checked out, & everything is sweet there, & she has just had her first cold!! We were told when we got home from the hospital that she would most likely get alot more colds etc than term babies, but she has been alot healthier than any of my friends term babies, maybe because she is breastfed? I'm not really sure, but i do feel extremely lucky, as not all of the babies that were in the NICU @ the same time have had the same fortune.

Lori - posted on 03/06/2009

My daughter was born at 27 weeks and she was in the NICU for 2 months.  We really only had one scare in those two months.  She is a healthy 20 year old now!!  She's had absolutely no long term affects.  Do they know why your first daughter was born early?  They could never give me a reason but I did have two more children after her and they were full term.  

Lori - posted on 03/06/2009

My daughter was born at 27 weeks and she was in the NICU for 2 months.  We really only had one scare in those two months.  She is a healthy 20 year old now!!  She's had absolutely no long term affects.  Do they know why your first daughter was born early?  They could never give me a reason but I did have two more children after her and they were full term.  

Julia - posted on 03/06/2009

Hi! My twins were 27 weeks, so I'm not quite in your parameters...but I thought I'd chime in since they were in the NICU for 3 months.  We adopted our twins and did not enter the picture of care until two months into their precious lives. Depending on how long the stay is, please make sure the NICU staff rotates the child and crib regularly and addresses care for them from the left side and the right side as equally as possible. Our children are completely right sided because most NICU nurses are right handed and they were not rotated regularly. I think this is our biggest developmental challenge right now, moving the center of their world to the center of their bodies by doing exercizes, stretches, patty cake, etc. I highly recommend asking the NICU well in advance if they have an OT who will work with you and help you work with your child as early as possible to avoid this particular challenge. Another thing to expect is reflux.  Not all preemies have it, but I understand most do and it can be very difficult. However, there are treatments, so if you are informed and ready you can make good decisions to help. And I agree wtih Krista, the nurses will tell you all kinds of worst case scenarios. One of the best pieces of advice I've received is to work with OT's and PTs and get help and work with your child diligently, but don't worry about CP or other issues associated with preemie birth until it actually is an issue. I was told it doesn't even show up until 2 years old, so I'm going to march forward and work with my babies and get those stretches on... but not be afraid. If you have any more questions, I was catapulted into the NICU for a month, had no idea about preemies until then, and I have some info from recent and currrent experience. So, if you think of anything else...Also, I recommend reading PREEMIES, The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies. Don't be scared, be prepared. PS both my girls came home with g-tubes. It's not that terrible, but it's .... not ideal. There is a lot of oral life saving aggression that can happen in the mouths of the preemies, and so depending on what they need, they're mouth, which should be a safe feeling place can feel attacked. Your child will be lucky to have you there, loving him/her. Do the kangaroo care!

Tracey - posted on 03/06/2009

My daughter was a 31 weeker. She stayed in the NICU five weeks. We had two sepsis scares and one NEC scare. She had a PDA which was closed with medication. Grade I bilateral brain bleed. Apea while feeding. Never was on O2 but I had the steriods to mature her lungs. She was on a CPAP for a week or so and then on nasal canula for a week or so. She is now three and only have a little lung problems but that could be genetics. She had never really been sick except for croup but it is managed with a nebulizer.

Krista - posted on 03/06/2009

My twins were born at 30 weeks. One spent a day on O2, but the other didn't need it. We spent 28 days in the NICU. When they were born, they were 3lb 15oz and 3lbs 8 oz. Now they're 7 and weigh 62lbs and 58lbs! We have slight vision issues (a wandering eye, but no loss of vision), but not sure whether that's from genetics (dad), them being premature, or the fact that they've had high fevers as small children. We seem to get chest colds and pnuemonia more than most children, too. We only had to do breathing treatments once when they were one year old, though. Good luck with your new baby and toddler! Try not to worry! My 3 year old (who had a "normal" pregnancy just got diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes this summer, that just goes to show you never know what will happen with any of your children. Just love them up!!! :)