How to Survive the NICU

Alexis

The NICU is a stressful place to be, and being a twin mom I knew that my girls had a higher chance of needing additional care. My girls arrived at 34 weeks, and did required the care of the Neonatal Unit. It was scary and intimidating, but here are some steps to help survive the NICU.

Take care of yourself. 

I know it's hard to think of yourself right after you bring a tiny helpless human into the world, but they have professionals taking care of them. Make sure you are eating, keeping hydrated and sleeping when you can. The twins are my first children, so I didn't have children at home that I needed to take care of, I was able to go home every evening and rest. My husband also made sure I left the NICU to get meals, and take a break from the hospital atmosphere. This was essential, I knew that once they were home they would only have Jake and I to relay on. 

Take "Home" with you. 

Make things more comfortable. I brought our boppy pillows with us. It made holding the girls, and doing skin to skin so much easier. We also brought clothing for the girls, and their own blankets. It brought some feeling of home to our little hospital rooms. 

Follow a routine. 

The NICU had the girls on a feeding and bathing schedule. We would always timed our visits so, we could be there for as many feedings as possible. The nurses encouraged us to do the feedings, changing diapers, and bathing for the girls. DO IT. It helps get you comfortable with handling such a small baby. As time goes on you will feel more comfortable with you completing the tasks. 

Ask questions. 

Ask as many questions as you can. My nurses would always give us a run down of what occurred while we were gone. If I didn't understand the terminological I asked. I also contacted other moms and mommy groups to ask questions. 

Relax.

Take this time to relax, and hold your baby. Anytime I was not pumping or feeding, I would just sit and hold my beautiful babies. I would take lots of pictures and would video chat with family that could not come visit. Those moments of peace got me through the stressful time of the NICU.

I was very fortunate. One of my babies was only in the NICU for 9 days, and the other was there for 22 days. The hardest time was when the girls were separated. But knowing I survived those 22 days, I now feel like I can concur anything that twin life throws at me. 

Olivia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Plus Size Pregnancy

Image
I wasn't conscious of my weight until i was in 6th grade. What followed was years of low self esteem, yo-yo diets, and shape wear. Long before I become pregnant, I worried on how my extra weight would affect my ability to get pregnant, and my pregnancy. To be honest, I was completely terrified in a very, vain way that I wouldn't look pregnant. During my first appointment it was brought up that I was overweight, but carrying twins, they expected me to gain more than the average 15-20 pounds. During the duration of my pregnancy I lost several pounds, and only gained 20 pounds. With how quickly my belly grew, I was in maternity pants by 12 weeks. Fortunately I didn't have to worry about not looking pregnant, my belly seemed to pop almost immediately. As the weeks went on, my belly stretched, it stretched to the point I didn't think it could get any larger; but it did. I remember sitting in the doctor's office and having a women ask me if I was delivering that
Read more

You don't need to be a Supermom.

Image
Over the past few months, I have noticed certain things have become easier to do. It use to take us a solid three hours to get everything together, and everybody ready to leave the house. Now it's closer to an hour and a half. Feeding the girls on my own is easier, and we have found a routine that works for us. I feel slightly more confidant handling the 'mom' role. All too often I feel like I am not doing enough as a mother. I don't have the perfectly cleaned house, I'm not graceful when doing daily tasks with the girls, and I leave the house looking a hot mess 90% of the time. However, there are some days I rock the twin life and motherhood. We leave the house and I look slightly put together, we arrive to places on time, and I have a nice home-cooked meal on the stove. Those are the days that I feel like supermom, but those days are few and far between. It's okay. It's okay not to be supermom. Social Media can kill one's self confidence. I pe
Read more

What's in my Diaper Bag

Image
The diaper bag is essential. However, knowing what to pack in your diaper bag can be a challenge. It took me a couple of trips to figure our what i really needed for my twins. I also decided to stop carrying a purse when I am out with the girls, so I to make sure I had room for mommy essentials. With twins I will be carrying double the amount, but thankfully I found an adorable, and roomy diaper bag. Let's first start with my bag. It's the Oh Joy! Tote diaper bag. I ordered it off target.com (my favorite place.) I found that it fits everything. I can carry it on my shoulder or or as a cross body, this comes in handy when I am running errands alone. Diaper Bag items: Diapers-I usually carry around 6-8 diapers with me. Diaper cream-We use good ole Desitin. Wipes-Pampers or Huggies. 4 sets of clothes-2 extra outfits for each baby. If I know we will be gone for 6+ hours I'll pack each girl and additional outfit.  Socks!-Each girl has a pair of socks. Plastic Bag-th
Read more