Browsing all posts in Raising a Preemie.
NICU Graduate Clinic Follow Ups
When we left the hospital with Roxy, we were informed we would have an appointment card mailed to us with a date and time for her NICU Graduate Clinic checkup. Roxy’s first checkup was in March of this year and I was a little scared of what to expect, but I really just knew that [...]
P2P Christmas Party
Early this month we were able to bring our preemie to her very first NICU Graduates Holiday Party! I have heard of Parent to Parent parties about twice a year since my preemie left the NICU, but we have never been able to attend. This time we made it happen. Our preemie is 4 years [...]
Home for the Holidays
When my son, Haylen, was born at 27wks 5days (2 lbs 13oz, 15.5 inches), we were much like other parents of preemies and we were caught completely unaware and off guard. From my own experience, I realized that though most people know that some babies are born prematurely, they really don’t understand the extent of [...]
Being Quarantined During the Holidays
Roxy came home on November 11, 2009. Two weeks before Thanksgiving. Our hospital had placed strict rules on visitors to the NICU and Neonatal Nursery during Roxy’s last two months because the flu epidemic had gotten so bad in our area. Only parents and biological grandparents were allowed to visit during October and the beginning [...]
Preemies and W-Sitting
As a preemie mom, I feel like I’ve been exposed to a lot of uncommon medical terms. (A coworker told me her nephew has been diagnosed with craniostynosis and I immediately knew what she was talking about.) However, the first time one of Addie’s therapists mentioned “W-sitting,” I was a little taken aback. “What sitting?” [...]
Why Do Preemies Have Flat Heads? (Part 2)
Back in February, Afton wrote a great post about premature babies having flat heads. The official term for “flat head syndrome” is plagiocephaly. Preemies usually have positional plagiocephaly due to lying in one position for a long period of time during their NICU stay. If you notice that your child has a flat spot on [...]
Speech Delays and Sign Language
Our two year old daughter is very verbal. She uses over 300 words regularly and is starting to string together short sentences, which is fairly typical for an average 24 month old. Six months ago, however, Addie only used three words: mama, dada, and Puppy (her nighttime lovey), despite the fact that we talked, sang, [...]
Your Baby Wears Glasses?
Our daughter Adeline has been wearing glasses since she was thirteen months old, nearly a year ago. For the first few months, we were questioned by a lot of people, “How did you know that she needed glasses?” Depending on the situation, I’ll sometimes give the short answer. “Addie was born prematurely and she visits [...]
