Preemie Moms

I have preemie twin boys born at 28 weeks. They are now 16 mo old, and yes, they catch everything. respiratory is the worst. They have issues with breathing and thier hearts, but other than that they are active tiny guys. They are still small. Things get better. You will find what works for you and be able to dodge bullets where illness is concerned.

A.,

My children weren't really that early, just 3-4 weeks but the oldest was never sick. My youngest who will be three in July has been sick almost nonstop since October of 2005. That was when she went to an in home day care and she was getting sick all the time. Just as she seemed to be getting past it I switched her to a regular day care and we have been going through one illness after another since last September. I started a new job in January and the daycare was sending my daughter home almost on a weekly basis for the first couple of months I was at my new job. I think my daughter is now working up an immunity to the new germs at the new day care and doesn't seem to get sick quite as often now. I think she will still get sick more often than my oldest did simply by being in day care and exposed to more germs but hopefully the worst is behind us now.

So anyway, just try to hang in there and hopefully your son will build up an immunity and the illnesses will slow down. It should ease up some soon anyway with spring and summer.

Good luck,

D.

I know exactly where you are coming from. My daughter was born 12 weeks prematurely. the first couple of years were really hard, but she grew out of all of the problems. She is going to be 10 this week and is hardly ever sick. My son on the other hand was born 13 weeks prematurely and he is still pretty sickly. He is going to be 5 next month, and he has had to be hospitalized at least once a year. He has allergies, asthma, etc. I actually quite the job that I had when my daughter was a baby due to issues that my work had with me taking off when she was sick. They actually told me to get my priorities straight. So I quite. It was really tough at the time, but in the end it worked out for the best.
Don't give up, things will get better. Have faith and things always have a way of working out.

R.

When my oldest was in day car, he caught everything that first year! I don't think it matters if they are a preemie or not-they all get sick because the chew on the same toys as each other. There's really no way to prevent it, except switching to a home day care or a smaller day care center with less kids (and less germs!). Over the summer it should get a bit better. Each year, he should build up more immunities and not get as much. By Kindergarten, he'll probably be one of those kids who has perfect attendance. As for having to take so many sick days-that's why I ended up staying at home-it just didn't work for us.

A., both my kids were also preemies, but I am a stay at home mom and I didnt have a whole lot of problems other than colds, On the other hand, because my kids dont go to daycare, as soon as Devin my oldest hit pre-k he got everything and anything that went around. So we were constantly taking him to the doctor. I have heard that when kids are in daycare, they do get more illnesses. But one way to look at it, by the time they are in school, they should be over it. So this may not help right now, but it will get better for you. I had the same problem just opposite timming. Sorry this isnt much help, but you are not alone. Have you thought about taking them to a babysitter instead of a daycare with less kids. This might help out a little. Just an idea. Good Luck to you.
L.

hi my son was born at 30wk and 6days and he 5 months old. he also goes to daycare. I have told his teachers that if they are to handle him to make sure they are washing hands and sanitize them. But he has just started there.

My kid wasn't quite as premie as your son, but she was born with a tumor and had surgery @ 1 week old. We were worried about her gettind sick so me and my hubby did the switch off thing. He worked days and I worked nights (both full time) so she didn't have to go to a daycare. Now...that was REALLY hard. We never saw each other and I was ALWAYS tired (never got enough sleep...even though her bed time wasn't until like 11pm b/c I didn't get to bed until like 2am). We did that until she was 8 months. Then we found an in-home sitter situation. She did get sick more often in the begining, but not as much as if she was in a daycare I think. Plus, with an inhome setting she was still allowed to go if it was just a cold or something (Our sitter would have a special setup for the sick kids in her bed w/ movies, ect). They only couldn't go if they had been vomiting, on antibotics (for somehting contagoius) or high fever. So that helped cut down the amount we had to take off work.
My neighbors's kid (who was full term) went to a daycare and got sick all the time! She has since switched to an in home setting and it is MUCH better.
I would recommend looking into an in-home setting. You can get referrals from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and if you search online there is a gov't agency that will help you find a good sitter.
You might also want to look on line for a list of "best places to work in St. Louis" b/c there are multiple companies that are marked high due to being very family oriented. Having a work place that is family oriented will really help. Your co-workers and boss should understand that your preemie baby will have health issues for a while, and that he will come first.
Good luck.

Hi A.,
My preemie is now 23, but she didn't have any of those problems. She was born weighing 4.4 pounds and gained weight quickly. I'd talk with the doctor, they have this illnes for preemies when they get sick all the time, something to do with their lungs and or pulmonary selves, Don't worry, just love her and keep her warm, close to you and she'll grow quickly. Mine slept with me for 5 months and then she just took off growing to be herself