Mothers of preemies: What are your best words of advice?

I just gave birth to twin boys, Graham and Elliot, and they were two and a half months premature. Doctors say they will be just fine in due time; what advice can you give? It could be anything - anything will be helpful!Mothers of preemies: What are your best words of advice?
be vigilant. talk to them, touch them, be there, hold them as much as you are allowed. good luck! everything will be ok!Mothers of preemies: What are your best words of advice?
Be prepared and enjoy every minute of it.





I guess they're in SKBU (NICU if you're in the US) so you've still got plenty of time to prepare for them at home, you're going to need it, twins is a lot to handle, especially if you're a first time mum, be prepared is the advice I give to any first time mum that asks me.





I had a preemie, and I'm a teenage mum, she was born with a hole in her heart and doctors didn't expect her to survive, whilst I was prepared for the worst, you definitely need to be prepared for them to come home. As preemies, they may need some extra help along the way that a full term baby wouldn't need, but they might not.





They may be in SKBU but they're still growing and you'll still hit milestones while they're there, take LOADS of photos, document everything, and enjoy it while it lasts.



Pump if you can, and take the time to recover from your delivery. Take pictures and bring a magazine when you are at the nicu. Watching the monitors was stressful for me. Ask the doctors lots of questions, and get to know the nurses as they are the ones who will protect your little ones while you are away. I always felt comfortable that Victoria was in safe loving hands. (One nurse in particular was quite taken with Victoria and my husband, and she would rock Victoria so Victoria was never lonely.) Also, employ your family to do some shifts so you can spend some time with your partner, as they are stressed out too. My husband and I went to one last dinner before Victoria came home. I can count how many times Chris and I have gone some place alone in 2 years on one hand.
My baby girl was only a month early, but we dealt with some of the preemie issues. I hope you are breastfeeding...I think that was the main reason my little girl is doing so well. If they are in the NICU, pump as much as you can. You will definitely have a lot of milk, since preemies eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hours. My little girl ate every 2 hours...the doctor told me not to let her go longer than 2 hours until she was past her due date and had gained enough weight. Your boys will probably sleep a lot...my little girl was hard to keep awake to eat. You will have to keep them awake by tickling them or rubbing their cheek while they are nursing, because they will try to fall asleep and not get a full feeding. I remember having to strip my baby down and wipe her down with a washcloth just to get a full feeding into her. The doctor told me that if I didn't get a full feeding in her, she would just become disinterested in eating more and more.


Don't stress over the baby milestones...your babies will most likely be at least 2 months behind the ';average'; milestones. Give them lots of love!


My little girl is now 6 months old, and still wearing 0-3 month clothing...a few 3-6 month stuff mixed in, but she is now developmentally on target. She just started sitting up on her own!
Although my son was premature- he was not born as early as your twins. My son was born 6 weeks early at 4lbs 4.5oz. I kind of just went into labor for no reason. Luckily, my son's lungs and heart and everything were completely mature and I got to take him home after 4 days of being in the hospital. My advice is to just hold them and touch them as much as possible. I know many people, including a lot of my family were sooo scared to hold my son because of his size but dont be afraid to! They need that touch! You could also pump your breastmilk and have the nurses give that to them so this way you can feel closer to them like you are the one making them grow healthy and strong. It is a long hard road. My son was so weak when he was born, those long nights were rough! But he is now 5 1/2 months and just weighed in at 12lbs 7oz on Friday so he is getting up there! Before you know it they will be crawling around and you will be chasing them!
im glad that they will be fine. im due with twin boys in early march. my niece was born at 27wks and she only weighed 1lb3oz. she is now a very smart 5yr old. i know you will be spending alot of time at the hospital and hopefuly they will come home soon. if you ever want to talk, feel free to email me. im a good listener.
As a Mom of a now 13 year old, born 9 weeks early; they are not kidding when they say you should sleep now.


Grab sleep whenever you can.





Sleep, sleep, sleep.


Your boys are in good hands at the hospital
just be patient and pray. and enjoy ur sleep and freetime i just had twins 6 weeks ago and trust me once ur little boys come home everything will change lol