As Spring approaches, along with Easter and Passover, many families enjoy having the whole family over for dinner and other traditional activities. If you have just brought home a preemie baby, there are things you may not know that makes bringing a preemie home different than bringing a full-term newborn home.
Two of my preemie
granddaughters were born in November and were in the NICU for about 3
weeks. As a result, our holiday plans
were changed. Alexis was born Nov. 22
and her mother spent Thanksgiving with her in the NICU. We were afraid we might not have her home by
Christmas and cancelled some other plans for family get-togethers until well
after the first of the year.
If your baby is still in the hospital over the Spring holidays it can be a very emotional time for the parents, and other children in
the family. Mommy will probably spend
part or most of the Holiday with the baby, and the rest of the family may or
may not be allowed into the NICU.
The most questions
come up when you have brought a preemie baby home from the hospital just in
time for the holidays. Everyone wants to
come see the baby, hold the baby, and kiss the baby. What do you do?
Preemies are much
more susceptible to germs than full-term babies. Although mothers have always been cautioned
not to take the baby out into crowds for several weeks, I see more and more
tiny newborns out at Wal-mart and other places during the holidays. You definitely do NOT want to do this with
your preemie. Here is some good
information from the University of Wisconsin Medical School website.
”When your baby gets home there
will be many well meaning people who want to come and visit. Some things to
keep in mind are:- People with colds or the flu will have to visit at a
later date.
- Your premature baby will be more sensitive to stimulation
and may do better if not held or only held for a limited time by one
person.
- You can limit the number of people who visit at one time
and limit the amount of time they visit.
- Don't let people drink hot liquids or smoke and hold the
baby at the same time.
- Remember you are your baby's best advocate. It is okay to
say that your doctor said it is not good to have visitors until your baby
is a little older. “
It is also
recommended that you not take your baby out in public places for about three months after you bring him home. This can be a very long time to be “stuck”
inside with a baby, so you need to find some help. Hopefully your own parents,
or other trusted friends will be available to watch the baby for a couple of
hours so that you can do your , or just get out for a little
while. Mommy and Daddy still need a
little time for themselves too, so try to get someone to watch the baby for
just a little bit, take a walk, go get a cup of coffee, or just spend some time
on the couch together.
As far as
Holiday get-togethers, it will probably be best to wait until next year. By that time everyone will be able to
participate.
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