Beautiful Babies Born in 2011/2012

[gina55]

Greetings and welcome!! I thought I would continue our Beautiful Babies Due in 2011 thread over here! It is so wonderful being a new Momma again!! We can all chat about our sleepless nights, horrible poop explosions that come out of those cute little bottoms, share tips, etc. Can't wait to have everyone join me here!

[rypell1985]

Give me 5 weeks and I'll be here!

[gina55]

Ryann do you think you'll make it that long?!? You're so tiny and you're already carrying almost 9 pounds of babies, lol! Rest up while you can, they'll be here before you know it!

[mellow4]

Hey Gina! I will join you over here! Marlo may not be home yet, but she is already giving me and the nurses gray hair. Hah!
How are your boys doing?

[gina55]

Mellow, so glad you're here. I know all about getting gray hair and we were only there for 7 weeks I've been reading your blog and love the pictures, Marlo is absolutely gorgeous!! She is definitely one tough little girl. So did the first eye exam freak you out a little? I didn't really watch while they had them done in the NICU but I had to hold them when they went to the office for follow up appointments and it just looked so awful! We have one more follow up on July 1st and should be done after that appointment, I hope. There were so many ups and downs which is why I referred to it as "the NICU roller coaster". Our first set of head u/s' showed abnormalities so then we had to wait over 3 weeks for a repeat which, thank god, was normal for both boys. Then there were the abnormal ekg' s and a failed hearing test. In the end everything turned out great for both boys. They do have mild ASD's but alot of babies have them and they will most likely close up on their own. And then there was their feedings which kept us there the longest, they didn't seem to really get it until about 34 weeks, so don't get discouraged if it takes a little while, they have to remember to suck, swallow and breathe all at the same time.
Not sure if you've purchased a car seat but there are only a couple that are good for preemies. The Chicco Key Fit 30(4 lbs.-30lbs.) is what we went with as Wyatt failed his first 2 car seat tests in another seat. Graco also makes 1 seat that's 4 pounds and up, its the B is for Bear pattern. You
may have to roll up a thin burp cloth and put it behind her neck to keep her airway open and to prevent an apnea episode.
Well I guess that's enough of my NICU tips for now, lol. The boys are done eating so I'm going back to sleep

[rypell1985]

Gina...Honestly i don't think I will make it all the way to 37 weeks, but I'm really
hoping that I do!!! I am so completely uncomfortable that I can't imagine them growing more and taking up more space, but it's my first sacrifice as a mom

Mellow and Gina...I give you both so much credit. Hearing your stories and your strength is such an inspiration! It's an honor to be able to share this journey with both of you

and to chime in on the carseat...we got the Safety 1st OnBoard Air35. Holds a baby from 4-35lbs and has an extra set of strap inserts for a preemie.

[mellow4]

Gina~ This NICU stuff is exhausting. We've been at it for nearly 8 weeks. I don't know how much longer to plan for. Marlo is having Brady's and DSATs all day long. The Bradys are becoming less frequent, so I am hoping she is starting to outgrow them. It's so true about it being a rollercoaster. She is growing like crazy right now, so she is finally sleeping more. She is a sweet little girl. We are going to work on nippling with her, but it's tough when she is so sleepy. I'm sure she will get the hang of it. I just hope it's soon.

Did your boys have PDA's? I think I have the Chicco key fit car seat that you mentioned, I just don't know if it is the 30 or not. She will have to pass an elevation test, since we will be flying to Australia when she is able. It will have to be as long as the flight is...so a 15 hour test that she can't come out of this box thing that changes the pressures and oxygen levels. Not looking forward to that. We are dealing with something you may have heard of...."toaster head" UGH. She has been on her sides so much that her head is mis-shapen, so we are working on having her lay on her back more so we can re-shape it. It's never ending the list of things we have to worry about.

Ryann, so excited for you, can't wait to hear about your kiddo's when they arrive...hopefully not for several more weeks though! Good luck with that heavy belly.

[gina55]

Mellow- Wow, I can't believe you've been there for 8 weeks already. So happy that she is gaining weight well and sleeping better Our boys weren't allowed to go home until they hadn't had any A's and B's for 5 days straight. They also had to consistently gain weight for at least 48 hours and they wanted to see a 1 oz. per day gain.
Yes, we heard about toaster head. Our nurses were constantly changing their positions so we avoided it, thank god! A 15 hour test in the car seat sounds awful! They did ours about a week and a half before the boys were discharged and we only had to do 30 minutes and that was a little stressful, especially since Wyatt failed it twice. Yes, both boys have PDA's, the cardiologist said not to worry as it's totally normal with preemies and should close on their own.
We'll keep praying for Marlo to get bigger and stronger every day!!

[Reenie100]

Count me in. Looks like we will have quite a few twin mothers here! Preemies too. Mine were born about 4 weeks early. No NICU time, though-they were able to come home with us.

[gina55]

Welcome Reenie! Congrats on your twins

AFM: My awesome boys slept 8 long hours last night. I woke up in a total panic, of course.
They are getting so big, already 9 pounds each.

[Happy Bunny]

I'm in! Our Brooke is only 2 weeks old so my nights are sleepless and my mind is foggy but I'm sure that I'll be able to contribute more once I get the hang of this.

[klinger13]

I'm in too! Maribel's 8 days old today and we're loving her to pieces. I'm with Barbara in the sleepless nights arena but the little one is nursing well and the frequent feedings have definitely helped get my milk supply going well so I guess the sleepless nights are a good thing right now.

[baby_blu73]

Hiya ladies! I didn't realize us new mommas had moved. I love that everyone's doing so great!

Ryann - First, I wanna say CONGRATS on your LOs arrivals! You must be on Cloud 9! Pics as soon as possible please!!!
Also, we have the same car seats, they're wonderful. They're a bit big for my car, but we're going to be getting a Chevy Traverse soon, so being a bit cramped in the front seat is temporary.

Gina - 9 lbs?!! Wowsa are they growing like weeds or what! That's so awesome to get a full nights sleep! I feel like I may never again. Are you nursing?

[baby_blu73]

SD - Can't wait for you to join us over here!

There's not a whole lot of activity on this board, I figure we're all spending all our time taking care of our little munchkins and rooting for our friends that are still preggo.

afm - It's been almost 5 weeks, and I think we may be getting the hang of things. The boys seem to have their days and nights figured out quite a bit better than I expected this early. We supplement with formula in the late evening and the very early morning to keep them fuller longer, so I think that helps. It certainly makes for a MUCH happier mommy and daddy! I'm going back to work in a few weeks and am nervous about that. My MIL will be babysitting the boys for us and I just pray she can handle them. I know she's got lots of experience with kids and babies, but twins are a whole other story.

Is anyone else feeling nervous about returning to work? I'm curious about everyone's child care arrangements. Who plans on staying home?

[gina55]

Yay for more Mommas on this board!! How's everyone feeling?

Stephanie: I'm doing both, it was just impossible to breastfeed exclusively. I will be going back to work on the 31st. My DH will be taking care of the boys as I only work on his days off.

AFM: 3 months old already!!! The boys are doing really well, except for Wills occasional projectile vomiting. Yuck!
_Wyatt slept 10 hours straight 2 nights ago, wish they would both sleep that long, wishful thinking.
I definitely recommend swaddling with either the
Swaddle Me blankets or the Halo Sleep Sacks for newborns with the swaddlers on them. If it's too cool in either the house or the car the boys scream and cry. We have the ac on and their room
temperature is 72. They wear footed jammies, the swaddle blanket and a receiving blanket folded in half every night. Some would think its too much but if the have any less on they wake up every 2 hours. I guess they got too used to the warmth of the incubator.
I hope all of your gorgeous babies are doing well!