If baby is born prematurely or has a problem at birth, there is reason to be panicked and a little lost. Here are a few things that are good to know and tips to help you.
The shocks are many
Most parents who saw their baby in an incubator hung on something that shocked them more than the rest. For some, it is the solute connected to the head to prevent the baby from tearing it off that has become the symbol of their anxiety. Others say it was the lumbar puncture that broke their hearts. Find out what steps are coming up so you don't add surprise to the stressors surrounding your baby's treatments.
Visit the perinatal and neonatology unit
Since you will be spending a lot of time there, take a few minutes to locate the nurses station, vending machines, cafeteria, restrooms, and other services you will have access to while you are in the hospital. You'll feel more organized when it's done.
You will have to mourn
You may need to pump because your baby won't be able to drink from the breast right after birth. You may need to limit touches at first. A colleague told us that she had to be careful not to touch her premature daughter when the monitors were ringing, otherwise the doctors wouldn't see how long she regained her respiratory or cardiac autonomy, and that the simple fact of touching her foot or her hand constituted stimulation! If her baby passed her 7-day test, without apnea, they disconnected the leads, but if she "failed," the counter would start over. She found this period really frustrating.
Ask what to bring
Depending on how long your baby is staying and their needs, you may need different things. Coins for vending machines are always useful, but a carrying sling, personal care kit, spare clothes, water bottles and packaged snacks will also be used in the hospital.
You'll get to know the team and love it
At first, you may feel rushed by all the instructions the hospital staff give you, but be patient with them! They go through a period with you that you will never forget and they will be part of your memories for life. As good as it is beautiful memories!
The ups and downs of a relationship
If you are both of a worried nature, this period of uncertainty may be difficult for your couple. Try to become confidants rather thancommunicating vessels of bad energies.
You have the right to be emotional
When we have just given birth, we are already emotional when everything is going well, so when baby's he alth is fragile, we are even more so! You will probably see all the colors: a mixture of frustration, pain, rage and guilt, and a great feeling of helplessness will probably follow one another. You may also go through periods of envy towards those other mothers who don't have to go through the same thing as you. Maybe also when you feel most angry, very optimistic mothers will come to give you advice or tell you about things that happened to your baby in your absence that will make you feel even worse. Give yourself the right to take a step back and live your emotions fully, in solitude if necessary, at the moment when they inhabit you.
Medical studies
Be prepared to learn a lot of things you never heard of. You'll learn speci alty names, details about medical equipment you didn't know about, and more that will make you feel like you're in school at times.
Celebrate every milestone
Celebrate every little progress your child makes and write down every milestone that brings you closer to being discharged from the hospital. During the more difficult days, you can consult them to remember everything you have already been through; it will give you courage to facethe following days.
Yes you can go home
Even if all your maternal fiber wants to shout “No! We are not ready! the hospital staff know what they are doing by giving you your discharge from the hospital. Follow their advice with peace of mind. If they told you it would be fine, it will be fine.
