Making the transition: Liliana’s story

A Transition

As any new mom knows, even after a full-term birth, making the transition and bringing your new baby home is scary. You feel alone, and a little unsure what to do.

Now, imagine that you’ve been in the intensive care unit of the hospital with your baby for the last couple months. Making that transition from the NICU can be even scarier. How do you know your baby is OK without those monitors telling you they are breathing? Or those beeps indicating their heart rate is OK?

I know I was so happy, but also terrified when my twins came home from the NICU. There was definitely a period of adjustment, and still a lot of fear.

Today, we meet Lyndsay, as she is making the transition to home life with her sweet girl, Liliana.

Liliana

1.Tell us about your baby.

Liliana is a 24 weeker. She was born weighing 1 lb 5 oz, and was 12 inches long. Her eyes were fused, hands and feet webbed, and no nipples.

2.How long was your NICU stay? What was the hardest part?

Our NICU stay was 140 days. We were transferred hospitals once for surgery to a hospital 1.5 hours away from home. She had a PDA Ligation. They put a catheter up her femoral artery and used a small mesh cool to close the PDA.

Oh, gosh. The hardest part, I doubt I can choose one. Wondering when I call ever morning if she was going to be alive. Having no control and letting the nurse tell me what I can and can’t do with my daughter.

3.Do you know what caused your premature birth?

Well, honestly I don’t know. I mean it was premature rupture of membranes, and I had an infection in my placenta. The only thing I could think of that would have cause me to get an infection was my tooth went bad during my pregnancy.

4.How are you and your baby doing now?

We’ve been home about 3 weeks, and it’s awesome. The fears are definitely still there. It’s very hard not having blood gases and CBS’s every other day. It’s also hard to make the transition from there being doctors everyday to being just me, dad, and baby.

She did come home on oxygen and a pulse ox. She can breathe without the oxygen but they’re using it also to treat her pulmonary hypertension. We have child development coming up next week. She has gone to cardiology and a pulmonolgist so far.

We go to the Eye doctor next week. She had stage 2 ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity,) and then it matured. It then went back to Stage 1.

New preemie mommies, give yourself a break. Speak your mind to Doctors and nurses. We’re the only voices for our babes. Have faith. They are stronger than we could ever imagine.

Thank you so much to Lyndsay for sharing her story and beautiful Liliana with us today. Please leave your comments of support below.