Preemie Support

 My son Logan David was born on August 10, 2009 at 10:08 p.m. when I was 27 weeks pregnant, only one week shy of third trimester. I had spent four days in the hospital already using several medications to try and stop my labor, all unsuccessful. When the time finally came, they were going to transfer me hospitals. When the ambulance arrived, they told me it was too late. I was going to deliver at Lutheran Medical Center, my first choice. They told me Logan would be transferred to the Children's Hospital once he was born because they didn't have the necessities to take care of him.

The birth was fairly easy, well easier than I imagined it would be. The contractions were hard to get through but I knew that they wouldn't last for more than a few minutes. Once I had my epidural, I was practical pain free. Pushing was difficult because I couldn't feel what I was doing. I tried to do what my doctor said, but the epidural made it more difficult. I pushed for a good twenty minutes before I got it right. He shot out like a rocket then and the team made a great catch. They warned me that he wouldn't cry, but he made the sweetest sounds I has ever heard. I got to see him for a minute and then he was swept away from me. I waited two hours for the opportunity to finally see him and touch him. He seemed like a dream, when I saw him he became a reality. I couldn't believe that this was my son. He was so small. The doctors couldn't tell me why I had given birth early; they guessed I was starting to develop an infection and Logan got out of there before it got worse.

Logan was wonderful. Before he was a full day old, he was breathing room air and his breathing tube was removed. By day four he had little nose prongs and was breathing great. Getting him to digest food was a little more difficult. I was pumping like crazy and my milk came in my first pump. On his fourth day of life, he had only digested about five ccs of milk. He was getting all of his nutrients through liquids being pumped into him, but I wanted him to start eating and gaining weight. He was born at 950 grams, and that reduced to 810 on day five. I was worried that this was bad, but the doctors reassured me that this was normal. Logan was amazing and was doing extremely well, but the selfish part of me wanted him to do better. I wanted him to get better so I could take him home. I can't tell you how difficult it is to have doctors tell you that your odds were phenominal at having a healthy baby, and not even make it to your third trimester. I expected my life to be only about my son after my pregnancy, not saing that it isn't, but I feel so far away from him. I expected to be able to take him home, but I only got to spend a few hours a day with him and he sat in a glass humdifiyer. I got to hold him for one hour a day and I gave the second day to hold him to his father. I love my son more than anything, but its difficult to see him and not be able to pick him up when I want or have to ask to touch him. I want my son, but I know this is what is best for him and it will make him.

He is now a month old and is doing great. He is three pounds now and one month old today. I get to pick him up and hold him twice a day. He still has never seen a bottle or a nipple, but we are taking baby steps. He is not in the giraffe anymore, but a new humdifier. I hope to take him home in a month...two if I have to wait that long.

First of all, congratulations on the birth of your son!

Are you located in the US??? In all honesty, being able to hold him only twice a day for an hour does not sound right at all. I see he is on nasal canula...he should be stable enough for you to do kangaroo care with him. Kangaroo care is soo great and it really helps babies alot. They would put Logan right in your shirt and you'd hold him against your chest and leave him there for a minimum of an hour. The kangaroo care helps these tiny babies regulate their breathing and their heart rate...they listen to mom's heart beating and go to sleep and when they are in a deep sleep...that is when they grow and develop the most. Preemies who kangaroo and who are held and touched (but not stroked) get better quicker. You really need to talk to the doctors about this.

It isn't uncommon at all for a baby born at 27 weeks to not see a bottle or a nipple yet. At 31 weeks, the large majority of preemies do not have the coordination to take food from a bottle or from the breast. Feeding is usually the hardest and last thing learned before a preemie goes home. It requires the baby to coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing. Feeding is soo hard that even full term babies have problems figuring it out. So try not to get frustrated about that. Logan will get there when he's ready. As far as the digesting food when he was just a few days old....doctors do that process extremely slowly. Preemies can develop something called NEC and it is VERY dangerous. So, they start out with just a tiny amount of food to kind of "prime" the intestines. you have to remember that Logan wasn't supposed to do anything of the stuff he's doing now for another 9 weeks...13 weeks at that point. So it's great that he's doing what he is doing.

I, again, wonder where you are because right now a 27 weeker has GREAT chances of developing into a healthy child. There is always the chance of having delays, but we are seeing 26, 27, 28, and 29 weekers growing up and at 3 years old having very minor or no delays...technology has come soo far even in the past 5 years. So, listen to the doctors when they say things, because they do know what they are talking about, but keep in mind that every preemie is different and there are many, many success stories. My 28 weeker is now 27 months old and is running, talking, jumping...you name it.

Keep us posted on Logan's progress. Feel free to come and ask questions or to just vent if you've had a bad day.

I wanted to let you know that I'm having this thread moved down to the "Life in the NICU" folder to keep things organized.

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