Preemie

hi! my son was a preemie - he was 8 weeks early. he is now 20 months old. congratulations on your new baby's home-coming! i would say --- lots of love and patience (for both yourself and your new baby!) and some hand sterilizer for your use and everyone who comes into the house. other than that i think it is about the same. if you are like me -- you might be bringing some nervousness and fear with you--remember to just breath though those because your love of your new baby will lead you! the only other thing is some advice my pediatrian gave that i have really apprecaiated -- don't think of your baby as a "preemie".... let your little one develope and just love him/her along the way. no "preemie" lable. good luck!! blessings!

My 2.5 year old was a preemie (and very low birthweight (2 lb 11 oz)). We adopted him and he came home from the hospital when he was 5 weeks. The things that we really used a lot were flannel receiving blankets (the nurses taught us how to swaddle--preemies need that to help them organize their bodies). We also used them rolled up to pad the extra space around his head and body in the car seat and as a "nest" in his crib--they need to feel boundaries around their little bodies. We sterilized his bottles (though I don't know what they recommend now with all the plastic problems). I would also recommend a good, comfy chair for you because you'll probably be feeding every three hours (and it may take an hour or more each feeding) for quite awhile. We also had to hold my son upright for 30 min. after each feeding because many preemies have not yet developed the valve that prevents reflux--so we had to hold him upright to help food digest. Preemies sleep A LOT--so have a convenient place for him/her to nap near you. Most of all--lots and lots and lots of love!! Blessings!

I had preemie twins, born at 34 weeks. One of my girls was on oxygen for 7 weeks, mainly because we live at 6,000 ft. The thing to remember is that preemies are just like other babies and have the same needs - only more-so. With ours, you have to feed more often because their little bellies can't hold very much and weight gain is extremely important. The hospital might give you a supplement to add to their formula. We had 22 cal. Ask about that.

The other issue we had was with respiratory problems. You might make sure that the baby is okay in that capacity and really watch out for respiratory infections. Their little lungs aren't as well developed as full term babies, so you have to be very careful about exposing them to illnesses. Avoid places like Wal-Mart, the airport and places where germs like to hang out. When preemies get sick, it can be life-threatening.

Right now it's summer and the risk of that type of infecion isn't as severe, but watch out in the fall. Ask your doctor about getting the baby the Synagis shot - which is to prevent RSV. RSV is very serious and potentially life-threatening in all babies, but esp preemies. A home health nurse will come to your house to give it and if you don't have insurance, it's really expensive.

Most importantly, don't be afraid of "breaking" your preemie because she or he is smaller. They are just like all babies and need plenty of love and human contact. We held our babies all the time and I think it's really important to their developmment. There've been studies done that show that infant massage on preemies helps them thrive - gain weight, leave the hospital sooner, etc.

Good luck and congratulations!

A lot of your babies needs are going to depend on their condition (ie: weight, birth age, current age, medical condition) so work very closely with their doctor and nurses. Never be afraid to ask any question that occurs to you. I learned so much that way. And while it is true that preemies are not necessarily as fragile as they look they do have different needs that you need to be aware of.
My two biggest pieces of advice are that and look into and take advantage of all the resources available to you and your baby. You will be seeing doctors and nurses regularly. And in ABQ there is a program called Alta Mira that your baby would qualify for just based on prematurity. They will send specialist out to your home to work with your baby and with you. My son is now two and still has a developmental specialist that comes once a month, a cranial sacral therapist who comes every other week, and an occupational therapist who comes once a month. He is also about to start horse therapy. They will work with you to determine what your baby needs and what you want and then send people out based on that. It is state funded program and your insurance will go towards it as well so there is very little out of pocket expense. If you don’t live in ABQ most states or cities or even hospitals will have a similar program.
In terms of equipment, a lot of preemies get reflux so you can get a sloped pad to lay down on the bed to keep them at an angle while they sleep. If they are on oxygen and or a monitor leave lots of space and maybe shelves right by the bed to save yourself from tripping over the cords. Also make sure that the oxygen people give you a travel size oxygen tank and bag and extra face stickers to hold the oxygen in place, every baby I’ve ever heard of rips the toobs off constantly. Plenty of swaddling blankets. You'll also need something for the car seat to fill in the extra space and make it safe for a baby that small. And you can get less expensive preemie clothes second hand or at Wal-mart. My son was wearing them until he was four months old. You can get medicine droppers from the pharmacist or there are pacifiers you can buy that dispense medicine. You won’t want a lot of toys or stuff at first because preemies need as little stimulation as possible. Other than that you’ll just need all the regular stuff that you’d need for a new born.
I would also second the importance of staying home and away from people at least until past the due date. And other than all that good luck. It is a fun and sleepless ride.
Oh I remembered one more peice of advice. Skin to skin contack is good for all babies but even more important for preemies. So snuggle them right up against your chest and enjoy!

It's been 10yrs since I brought home two little 5lb premies but one of the things that my doctor and the nurses at the hospital said was important was that I should not take them out in public until after their due date. Premies don't have a really good immune system and their tiny little bodies can't fight off disease. It's very serious if they get sick. It was really hard staying in for 5 weeks but I wanted to give my babies the best chance possible. Also with all the polution warnings it's probably best anyway.
The other thing to remember is that a premie might be develomentally behind with things like rolling over,crawling etc. Not always but something to keep in the back of your mind.
Babies grow fast so I wouldn't buy a lot of premie clothing. My girls were only in them a couple of weeks and they were really expensive. I just used the sacks most of the time. They're great.
Good Luck! Yes, they are a little more fragile but they're not made of glass. You'll be fine. Enjoy!
C.

My 4 year old was a preemie due to a dual lobed placenta I had. So he had IUGR. They delivered him at 36 weeks. So we were lucky that he was almost there. He was 4 lbs and all skin and bone. I remember that I did have a few preemie outfits (at least one for the hosp pic and to take him home.) The rest of the time I left him in his diaper and onesie and just swaddled him in a blanket. Another thing I remember is that I cried in the hospital because they said I needed to supplement him with formula for the first month. I took it personally but don't. It really really helped (in fact he quadroupled his birthrate by 4 months, not many babies can say that) and they taught me a technique to use so he doesn't get nipple confusion (if you are worried about that).
Also, I agree with the other response that up until 2 they might be behind developmentally. So don't be discouraged. And I'm sure your doc will remind you of this as the baby grows.
And finally, this is terrible to say but my baby was weird looking. I called him my alien baby because his skull panels weren't even close to the center yet. He was one of those babies only a mother (and grandparents) could love. But he now is the best 4 year old boy ever!

I had a moses basket, so I could keep the baby close to me all day. And of course about 5 or 6 preemie outfits. I don't know if your baby has special needs, but they need to eat more often than a term baby. The nurses should also be able to go over instruction with you before discharge. Good Luck!

Don't go over board on small outfits, they grow faster then you think. I had twins at 33 1/2 weeks. Listen to the dr.s and nurses ask them any and all questions. Hand sanitizer times 10. My three other kids wanted the twins all the time, they could not come near them without it. Good luck.

God bless you for choosing adoption. my grandson was a preemie and i have 5 adopted sons and one daughter. i adopted all of them as teens. for the preemie i suggest you get some good bottles. we went through so many types before we found one that works. they are thekind with the bag liner inside them. not only are they convenient but it takes out all of the air and leads to less fussy babies. dont get too many preeemie clothes or diapers they gorw out of them too fast. swaddle him a lot they are so small and feel ore comfortable swaddled up in blankets. get an air purifier and an air vaporizer. preemies have a lot of respiratory prolbmes and dont invite a lot of people over. limit the visits and say no to anyone that is sick. sounds slefish but that is the way it is. they can visit when he has caught up to other babies . take him outside as much as possible. stale air in the house just recirculates over and over. my grnandson has not been sick once we have always spent some time outside even in winter. there are always suny days and as slong as he is dressed a pporpriatley he should be fine. he is almost one and most days we sp[end 3 to 4 hours outside.