hi all

[rach]

thought id introduce myself into this area as never been here before it seem a bit quiet in here which is a good thing as most of you know i had twins about 11 days ago i think anyway lol its been one hell of a roller coaster ride since then they thought they were 35 weeks but it turns out that they now think they were only 33+5 born started in intensive care then moved to high dependency and now in what they call the growing nursery so doing really well now they are off all monitoring but still have their nasal tubes as they havent grasped bottle feeding yet although they are trying bless them would be great to hear about others experience of babies in special care xxxxxxxx

 

[Laur_250]

Hi Rach

Congratulations on your twins Glad they're doing well and fingers crossed they get the hang of feeding soon and can come home.

Dont have much advice, but my son was born at 35+5 weeks, he stayed in scbu for 3 days as he wouldnt breastfeed, we eventually gave him a bottle but it took him over an hour to drink even a small one to start with which was hard work!

But when we got home within a few days he just suddenly started gulping them down, so hang in there, they will pick it up eventually xx

 

[Jollypops]

Hi, congrats and glad to hear they are doing well.
I had Calum at 29weeks and he stayed in SCBU for 5weeks, if you ever want to talk your more than welcome to PM me as i could spend all day telling about our experiences, i did try to start a diary so it might help others but havent had chance to keep it updated

 

[rach]

thanks both for your replies
jollypops i have read some of your diary wish id thought of doing the same
im finding things so hard at the moment not being able to bring my babies home its like being on an emotional roller coaster i spend half the day smiling and talking to the babies the rest of the time crying as ive had to leave them at the hospital just cant see no end to anything at the moment cant stop crying cant sleep just dont know what to do xxxxxxx

 

[Jollypops]

Oh babes, , i know how things hard can be and the feeling is unexplainable when you have a child but have to go home without them, the NHS system totally sucks, as i think you should be able to stay with you children until they are able to come home.
From what you have said the twins seem to be doing just fine as they are in the growing nursery!! Although it doesnt feel like it there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you'll be suprised at how quick the time goes really, but only when you look back at it. How much do they weigh??
Try to take each day as it comes, and try and focus on what your little ones have achived that day as at this time every changes all the time and its surprising how quick it happens and then moves to something else. I hope that you have some fanastic nurses in your SCBU, if you have been able to bond with some or all of them then please let them help you and listern to you as it really does help (or it did for me anyway).
If you ever want to chat, rant, moan ask a question at anytime of the day then please PM me, i'm thinking of you.

 

[Jollypops]

i spend half the day smiling and talking to the babies the rest of the time crying as ive had to leave them at the hospital just cant see no end to anything at the moment cant stop crying cant sleep just dont know what to do xxxxxxx

I used to come home, try and catch up with things, cook tea and then go to bed, gewt up and go straight back to the hospital. I found leaving him really hard, but found it easier if i could feed him either by tube, bottle or breast and then tuck him up for what i used to call in my head nightime even though it wasn't. I would also wake in the night moving my pillows and pulling back the duvet trying to find him thinking he was at home still now i call myself a silly idiot for doing it but you just cant help it and i'm not stupid but thats how my brain was dealing with things, but in time it did settle down. As for the crying babes, all i will say is cry, cry, cry let it all out as you say its an emtional rollercoaster and after every birth they say that you hit the baby blues/down days.
They will be home with you soon xxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Laur_250]

Awww, i agree the NHS system is wrong, i was in for 3 days and was told that was my lot then i'd have to go home which is the only reason i had to bottlefeed so i could get him back with me. I totally feel for you hun but it sounds like they are doing well and will be with you soon. I like jollypops idea about doing a bedtime routine whem you leave them , it may help. Keep positive you have done an amazing job so far and those babies will be very loved when they come home with their mummy. xx

 

[rach]

thank you both for your replies and support it means a lot
i was lucky in bridgend hospital as they didnt discharge me till the babies were moved so i was there 8 days and could spend all my time with them the nurses there were fantastic and gave me a lot of emotional support when i needed it most as we were so far from home i didnt see much of my partner or family now they have been transferred we are having to get used to different nurses and although they are great im missing the support
at last weigh in owain was 4-9 and ryan was 4-4 so they have both gained a bit of what they lost owain was born 4-10 and dropped to 4-5 now up to 4-9
ryan was born 4-7 dropped to 4-2 and now 4-4 so they are doing amazing
we had some great news yesterday ryans nasal tube was removed and he has been taking all bottle feeds all day they said if he keeps going like this today we might be able to bring him home on the weekend
owain still much the same only taking half a bottle and having to be topped up with a syringe down his tube they did say that if i was uncomfortable with separating them then they will keep ryan there till owain comes home but they are so busy and there are no beds empty at the moment and all i can think about is what if someone else has to go through being transferred miles away from home like i had to as there is no bed available i really cant do that to someone else i know how hard it was for us i wouldnt want someone else to have to go through that because of us so we have made the decision to bring ryan home and me and gareth take it in turns to either be at the hospital with owain or home with ryan
please keep everything crossed for us that we get ryan home this weekend and owain is not far behind him xxxxxxxx

 

[Jollypops]

Morning babes,
It sounds like there weight is doing just fine , but an sorry to hear that you were moved to a hospital away from home, the NHS really need to do something about this to stop it from happening, and glad that you are now back at your local one.

owain still much the same only taking half a bottle and having to be topped up with a syringe down his tube

Can i ask what and how his being feed, have they gone on Nutriprem?? or have they gone on normal? If they are having Nutriprem out of the bootle and they are giving you a blue teat, then ask for a red one! (By the way i dont mean that teats itself is red, its the writting on the outside packet of the teat.

Congrats on being able to bring ryan home i'm sure owain wont be far behind!

Loads of hugs to you and keep that chin up, you have two lovely little boys that will both be home with you and your OH very soon.


edited as i got the colour of the teats round the wrong way

 

[Laur_250]

Thats fantastic, I hope you get ryan home this weekend, and it sounds like owain wont be far behind if his brothers done so well already so dont worry its really kind of you to think of others in giving the bed up. Im so pleased for you, they sound like true fighters! xx

 

[rach]

hi all
jollypops they are both on nutriprem 2 not really noticed the writing on the teat packets to be honest but we have tried 3 different teats now 1 is the the long ones for prem babies then they gave us a really small one to try plus one that is called a nux teat or something like that its flat on the end and has a dip in it with a hole ive found the prem ones the best today
owain doing much better today and has not had any tube feeds still very hard to feed but we are getting there and both the boys are now above their birth weights owain is 4-12 and ryan is 4-7 and a half and they have said if they both continue to do so well over the weekend they could come home together we have to take their car seats to the hospital 2moro as they have to pass a car seat challenge before discharge they have to be able to sit in a car seat for an hour without changing colour to pass plus we have to take a bottle and teat for each of them from home to make sure they will feed from them and all being well and they continue to do well they can come home sunday /monday
apparently they will stay under the consultant till they are both 1 year old and they will have to stay on nutriprem 2 for about 6 months unless the consultant says otherwise

thanks again for all your support girls xxxxxxxxx

 

[Jollypops]

I'm so pleased for you babes. Havent heard of the car seat challenge before so good luck with that , if i put Calum in his car seat for an hour he would scream the place down
We have had to see th pediatrican at 3months and then due to seen them in dec for his six months.
Nutriprem at least means its on presciption so that will be a big saving for twins!!
I'm so happy for you, and look forward to you letting us know your home with them, a perfect xmas present.

 

[Laur_250]

Wow thats so great that you may be able to get both of them home together!! I bet you cant wait, Im so pleased for you, they clearly wanna come home just as badly as you want them there!

I will keep my fingers crossed that they pass the test and look forward to hearing that you are all together at home when you have 5 mins in between running around after your two babies! How exciting!xx

 

[rach]

owain passed his car seat test ryan has his this evening so we will find out in the morning
owain wont feed with the bottles and teats i bought though so i have to go out in the morning and buy different ones the ones we bought have silicone teats and they have told us to buy the cheapie bottles with brown teats and that when they are better feeding in a few weeks we can swap them over to our bottles and teats
they said all being well tonight they might discharge them 2moro they will tell us at 9 in the morning otherwise it will be monday xxxxxxxx

 

[Jollypops]

I'm so pleased for you babes.
Havent heard of brown teats , Cheap bottles seemed to work better for Calum too we use the Tescos bottles 3 for about £1.50/£2 i think.

 

[Laur_250]

Awww you posted yesterday so i have my fingers crossed you're currently being told they can come home xx

 

[rach]

hi both
my boys are home
we phoned this morning at 9 and they asked could we phone back at 11
and when we phoned they told us they were both being discharged at 2
so we finally have them home with us at last its all feeling very strange at the moment i dont feel like ive bonded with them properly yet not quite feeling like they are mine im hoping these feelings will go when they have been home a few days at the moment we are very anxious and worried about them as they are really poor feeders and we know if we cant get them to take enough food they will have to go back i couldnt be parted from them again
we managed to get cheapie bottles from superdrug today 2.50 for a pack of 3 but the babies didnt take to the teats on them so 2moro i will have to go out and get the nuk teats which will fit the cheapie bottles i bought today we are ok at the moment as the hospital gave us a big pile of teats to bring home but they are designed for 1 use only so we will have to get more 2moro they also gave us enough ready made bottles to keep us going till 2moro and a tub of nutriprem 2 for each of them so i havent got to dive out to the doctors straight away

so here we go endless bottles bum changes sleepless nights and exhaustion i cant wait xxxxxxxxx

 

[Jollypops]

I'm so so happy for you! congrats on bringing your little bundles of joy home!
I'm sure it will take you alittle while to settle, it did for us too!
Sorry the bottles didnt work for you and hope that your able to settle on something soon.
We reused the teats (strealised them)on the hospital bottles and kept them as back up until Calum settle on a bottle. Kept some spare readymade back as prescription was for powder and Calum wasnt used to it as they dont get that in hospital so had to alternate what we gave him.
Good Luck
xxxxxxxxx

 

[lillou]

iv only just seen this,

so happy they are both home with you now!

 

[Laur_250]

Im so happy for you!!!

I promise within a few days it will all start to feel more normal, its just the shock of suddenly being on your own after that initial period of having others around. I remember worrying reggie wouldnt 'need' me cos he was used to all the extra help but it soon went when i got used to being his only carer at last. You will be great!

And with the teats from the hospital, we re-used them too, if they are the pre-packed sterilised ones, we just cleaned and sterilised them and has no problems using them more than once but just threw them away after a while. Its trial and error finding ones they like best i suppose but im sure you will and they will be feeding well soon.

Keep us updated i cant wait to hear how your boys are getting on. Im guessing you'll be pretty busy though! Good luck xx