Premature babies support group

SGH practice seems to differ from KKH
I was told by Kk nurse to freeze all the milk and then bring to hospital where they will keep in freezer. But if I pump in hospital, they will just refrigerate( not freeze) and give bb.

In the handouts from Kk, it stated that expressed breastmilk can be kept in 4 degree fridge for 48 hours
 


Hi Kelly,

When my twins were in SGH NICU, they don't accept frozen EBM and they also don't accept EBM that are more than 24 hours old. They operate differently from KKH. Even u give them fresh EBM, once it passes 24 hours, they will not feed your baby with it. So I suggest u keep and freeze it at home and bring fresh ones to sgh. EBM Is precious so it's a waste to throw them away!

Sgh also does not freeze your balance EBM that's more 24 hours old but they can return it to u if u want. Just bring a cooler bag and ask the nurses for ice cubes.

Hope this helps and let me know if u need more info.
 
Hi Bubbly_me,
You are also a SGH mother?
My baby also was in SGH last time (Oct 2009).
Hope we have the chance to meet in the Light Weight Club Party next year around March.

Hi Kelly,
Yah, for SGH they won't take frozen milk or milk more than 24hrs. In fact it is good for our babies, as the nutrient will loss after we freeze the milk. And after you freeze and thaw the milk, you shouldnt refreeze it, because freeze and thaw cycle will spoiled the nutrient in the ebm. For SGH practice, the left over milk we can bring home and freeze it, and our baby also get the freshest milk.
 
Hi all,
Nice to see all the activity on this thread. I too had preeclampsia and had c-sec at 31+6. Like other mommies, in the beginning, I had a tough time expressing but did not give up and kept pumping and finally there was milk!
happy.gif
Jia you, mommies! Don't give up!
 
Can I ask how have you guys been warming frozen EBM?
I usually let the FEBM thaw overnight in the fridge , then bring out the thawed EBM fr fridge abt 1 hour before feed n submerge in warm water. Add med n supplements 10 mins before feed time then feed. But this is a little tiring ESP at night... Wake up 4 times to prepare n feed.

Did anyone use bottle warmer? It says that milk can be warmed in 7 mins. But The water in bottle warmer seems a little too hot...

Any gd methods to share ?
 
Also I m concerned abt leaving the thawed EBM under room temp for 1 hour submerged in warm water. But if I dun do that, the EBM will be still cold... Cos the warm water I use isn't too warm
 
Hi. I am new here.
I am daddy of a pair of lovely twins 28 weekers in KKH just delivered last saturday. Reading through the post from archive till 22 Aug gave me a great insight on the topic of preemies.
It somehow did ease much anxiety as most preemies turn out great.
Thanks to all parents and hope all babies in NICU will turn out great and be discharge soon.
Happy and Healthy always!!!
 
Eedaddy,

welcome here!!hope you can share your joys wif us as well as any queries you have...

i started this thread five yrs ago...and very happy that this thread is continuing strong here...time flies and my preemie son turned five this year too...

are you on fb?there is a preemies grp from kkh there..hope to see you there....
 
Hi Costa,

Have no FB. But will sign up one for my 2 boys.
Thanks Costa for starting this thread. You might not knew it when you started this thread 5years ago but this thread meant a lot for preemies parents like me and my wife. It is both meaningful and informative.
 
eedaddy,

Thanks for your response. Do get a fb account when you are free as KKH has a preemies page there started by a lovely doctor and we can touch base there.

Basically i started the thread when i was so helpless and sad. There were many mums who helped me generously with their advice and now I hope that the spirit of giving and sharing will continue.

Many of our preemie mummies have children who are grown up like going to Primary school etc and doing very well and hope that this will serve as an inspiration to you and your wife.My son basically was a 24weeker and hes now also doing okay, except for some minor issues here and there.

Hope that the information here will be helpful for you.
 
Costa,

My 2 boys so far feedings increased. Younger boy doing better and feed about 5ml/hr. Elder boy feeding 3.5ml/hr. But Elder boy has quite a few episode of Aponea. Jaurndice for both boys going up and down. For me, sometimes when I get happy news on one boy and I will feel so happy and not so good news for the other and sianz half. So bit of a roller coaster ride everynight.
After work at 6pm rush to my mum's home bring confinement food for my wife at home, collect the EBM and chiong down to KK. So everyday only got 30 minutes to talk to the babies. Some time see my bigger boy Aponea feel so helpless. Yesterday I feel like hugging them and kissing them which I know very well cant do it now. Just hope they grow stronger day by day and their daddy and "xin ku" mummy love them very much.
 
hi eedaddy,

i also have a pair of premature twins who are born at 25 weeks. i understand the emotional roller coaster ride whenever u hear not so good news about 1 of the babies but surprisingly, the babies seem to know that if one is not doing so well, the other has to stay strong so that daddy and mummy can be more 安心. try talking to the babies, encouraging them to grow. It may sound silly but i thought my babies understood me back then and they stayed strong and grew steadily.

the pain of seeing your babies but yet can't hug and hold them in your arms is indeed excruciating...it took almost 2 months before i could hold my babies in my arms but it was a very sweet and blessed feeling. so be patient (i know it is easier said than done) and you will be able to hold them before you know it!

stay positive!
 
Eedaddy, jia you... Your wife & your twins need you
happy.gif

You will soon get to carry your babies , I still rememben how happy i felt the first time the nurse allowed me to carry my baby. Nearly two months after he was born. Will never forget the happiness .
In the meantime, continue to talk n sing to your babies, they will sense it n will continue to fight on !
 
Thank u bubbly_me and ningn. Will continue to stay positive. Everyday a bit of growth and poo poo by them is considered very good news. Hehe. Thanks for all the encouragement. Will continue to talk and sing to them.
 
Hi Eedaddy,

I know it is never easy but remember to keep up the fighting spirit. Althought our warriors are small but they are not as fragile as we thought. Our warriors are very sensitive to our feelings. Remember when you step through the door of NICU, cast away all the sad emotion. Gear up your fighting spirit, speak only the words of life to your 2 warriors. They will fight even harder with your encouragement. Be proud of them even the daily achievement may be small. Have faith, Fight Hard, Fight Strong.
 
Thanks David.
I saw your previous posts in the archive. Glad to see your girl so cute and healthy.
You re right. Must be patient and strong for my kids. I guess is the anxiety which I have got to go through now which make me gan cheong easily. heheh
Got a few good news though. Both are growing at a rate of 30g per day. Elder boy aponea problem found. Think is actually desat due to reflux of the feedings causing it. Younger boy removing the CPAP on Friday for testing.

Just some queries to all mommies and daddies, the jaurnice keep on coming back and the doctor ask is it my wife taking chinese herbs. So we now stop all those confinement herbs and stick to just red dates boiled with water and lessen the ginger intake cause my mum put quite a lot of ginger and reading on the internet ginger is consider herb.
Do you think it is the cause?
 
hi all,

it had very very long since i last log in.

Hi David,
How's wifey? recovered? and your girl?

My girl is now 30mths (CA 27mths). Doc no longer give her discount for her premature status. She did her 2yr old IQ test.. and it was a very tiring process. and we are not bother abt outcome. As my girl was not co-operative she kept gg to the door so for the questions she dont wanna to "do", they mark as fail... whatever.. waste $ n time..

FYI, girl is still very underweight & height. She is still slow in eating, start to walk at 20mths.
But actually by 18mths. she already knows all the A-Z & count 1-10. Now she can recognize 8 colors, can read at 40- 50 words (with no picture) and spell some words, count and recognize to 1-30... so i guess it a bit gave and take on her progress..

Recently found a good product and would liked to share. At her 1-2 yrs she kept falling sick. Once she gotten flu will always develop into some serious and need neutralizer. We started her with Sambucol abt 8mths ago and seems to works well on her. Even when she gotten flu will go away with 3days..
 
Hi Eedaddy,

Thank you for your compliment. A strong faith in our warriors is very important. A 30gm/day weight gain is very good for your warriors. Chinese herb is not encourage. Red Dates & Wolfberries will be good. Ginger, still a question mark?

Hi WH,

Queen & Princess doing great. Princess also went throught the IQ test. Her weight gain is still slow(10Kg@28mths AA). She is going through SPOT therapy as she still can't chew solid food. Other than this little challanges, she is a bubbly, talkative and very demanding baby.

Your girl is doing great. She will be very intelligent when she grow up. Most premmie are brigther as their brain are stimulate much early than a full term baby. What is Sambucol?
 
Hi David,

Glad to hear your Queen & Princess doing fine..

KKH grade her below average during the test. It doesnt bother us at all.

My girl is also having issue with chewing. She can chew a hard candy but doesnt know what to do with new food (texture)liked fish.. she will keep it inside her mouth and she doesnt know how to spit them out either... so we hv to "dig" it for her...
her issue belongs to sensory.

She is also slow in language. By her age she shld be able to speak 2 to 5 words. but she is not. we attend the Hanen class by KKH which taught us how as a parent to encourage her pro-active in request and communication.

Sambucol
It a type of berry. We start to "see" results after 4mths of her using. We add it together with her last milk feed every night.
http://www.sambucolusa.com/sambucol-for-kids.htm

If you keen please PM me will share with you where i bght it. As local Pharmacy sells at a higher price.
 
Hi WH,

Interested in the Sambulcol, can share with me where u can find it cheaper? Recently , my boy having running nose, 1 week still hasn't recovered. Weak immunity.

I also attended Hanen last year .Really help. Enjoy yr course.
 
Hi xiaowanzi,

Wow... U r our hanen senior then.. Yes. I agree that hanen works. Saw a great improve fm lil one. Especially our approach and method had change. How old is yr lil one n how the child now?

As for sambucol, will PM u. As i dont wish to adv for them...
 
Hi all,

Have a used Angelcare baby monitor ac401 deluxe for sale. I'm sure many here are familiar with this system, touted as best sound and movement monitor esp for premmies from many review sites like amazon. Bought used from USA intending to use but received an Angelcare video monitor as a gift so this is now surplus and up for sale.

Bought this used for $219, selling for $170 and will come with voltage transformer worth $40. Sgp selling the basic set for $319, mine is deluxe with 2 parent units. Self collect west/central, first to SMS 9336-4477 to secure.
Thought I'll offer here first before selling on main marketplace.
 
Forgot to mention, the set is complete With instructions except for the original box. Pet free, smoke free home. Set was never setup, only tested that power works
 
Hi all, I have followed thsi thread for a short while but was too overwhelmed after my second daughter was born prematurely. She was 24 week + 5 days. The nurse manager said she was the youngest at that point. she was 630gm.

She is now 16.5mths CA. I'm counting my blessing each day as I see her running, screaming adn clapping hands.

My current worry is her takign of solid foods. still can't chew well. Likes to eat whatever we are eating but later, choke and vomit out everything including her meals. so we give her such food at least 1.5 hrs after meal. Worried if this is implications something is wrong with her speech..? Anyone can help?

To EeDaddy and the rest of mummies/daddies, jiayou!

FYI, both my gals are prem, 1st = 28weeks, 2nd 24weeks. Hubby don't dare to try for #3 in case he/she comes out <24 weeks!
 
BTW, I have some brand new syringes leftover from tube feeding my gal after her discharge. Anyone wants? or anyone knows of someone who needs? Pls pm me. Tks!
 
Thanks mricky.

Last saturday should be the routine brain scan for 14 days. However due to elections, might move it to today. So quite kan cheong. Did not have IVH when deliver, so hopefully stay this way. Both babies have PDA which I pray will close by itself when they grows bigger. Jaurndice comes and go. Good news is no more long lines. Left CPAP and feeding lines through the mouth.
Any daddies or mummies know if there is such thing as angelcare monitor for twins? meaning 2 electronic mats.
 
Hi Mricky &amp; David,

Got a booked from library on Eating disorder.

Which cover alot more then what people sees as picky eating.

Questions/ for parents to note:
1) when younger does baby explore toys with mouth?
2) drooled excessively?
3) preferred soft &amp; mushy food?
4) dont touch food with finger/hand?
5) low muscle tone or postural issue?
6) hypersensitive to touch esp face &amp; mouth
7) poor eye &amp; hand co-ordination
8) enjoys routine
9) disliked new food or new activities

The root cause to poor chewing may b due to:
1) extent of problem eating
2) Environment factors
3) Physcial impairments
4) Oral motor skills
5) Sensory impairments
6) Medical history

am on at chap 2. will share more...
 
Hi everyone,

I'm a daddy to a 25 + 4 days born baby who is now 29 weeks.

First, I wanted to thank you for this thread as it really helped me understand the various things that people have been going through and helps me understand some of the terms and issues.

Second, I have read through all the archives as well as the current pages and certain questions I have in my mind are not in the threads, so I thought I would ask everyone here based on your experience.

I hope someone can help me.

1) PDA - Based on the thread, most of you highlighted that when a child has PDA, it should close by itself.

Did anyone have any neonatologist suggest that they would use a treatment of using medication for 6 days and let the PDA close by itself?

Did anyone have the neonatologist suggest of the medicine does not close it then they will do a very minor surgery to close it? The procedure is like stapling the values etc.

The next question I have is in regards to weight gain.

The dietitian suggested increasing the weight by adding MCT oil of 0.5 along with the formula. The formula we are currently using is called Neocate.

The purpose is to help the baby increase weight faster as MCT does not need the baby to covert the energy and provides a boost to the energy.

Anyone has used MCT oil for their baby to increase weight?

Any information or help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You.
 
Hi, Suda,

My son was given medication and d PDA closed by itself but there are some whom went for minor surgery to close it...

Yup, my son did use MCT oil when he was in hospital for five mths and he developed chubby cheeks ...Upon discharge, he was prescribed MCT oil but later on, the doc did not prescribe it and he was on neosure..

how is your baby now?hope that he/she is doing fine...

mricky,
hw are you ?hvnt heard fm you for a long time?u on fb or not?did you join the kkh preemies group?

laww(eedaddy),
personally, i have not heard of the angelcare monitor for twins. I did not use it when my son was discharged from hospital but i did monitor him closely on and off when he was sleeping...maybe other parents can share their thoughts on this..

wh,
i think your kid is doing very well ..keep it up..u are dg a great job..
 
Hi Supa,

My gal had 3 dosages of medication to close the PDA. The 1st and 2nd rounds of medication failed to work. We given the only other option which is surgery to ligate the PDA. However, my gal had 3 episodes of pneumothorax hence she wasn't fit for surgery and doctors eventually gave her a 3rd dose to buy time so that she can get better before surgery.

Thank god the 3rd dosage worked and the PDA finally closed by itself. Not sure which hospital your baby is warded at. Mine was SGH and they don't usually give 3rd dosage as a protocol.

MCT oil is very commonly used in NICU for very small babies to gain weight. Don't worry abt it. In fact I see it as a progress that your baby is allowed MCT.

Hope my reply helps. Take care!
 
Hi costa,

how r u. been a long while.. how is yr lil one now?

never knew how was it liked to be a premature mommy until becoming 1 miself.. not easy. and trying to be positive abt it.... handling her issues one at a time... and trying to enjoy motherhood at the same time....

there was once a nurse told me these " Babies are very smart, they know how to choose their parents... as not parent can handle a kid liked yours..."
happy.gif
 
hihi, wh,

my little one is now five years old and at a childcare...hes okay except for some minor health issues here and there...supposed to go for occupational therapy but i was lazy and stopped going for some time...
sad.gif


you are right...i tell myself to be positive as well..sometimes i did get upset as to the problems that he had but from where our preemies had started off, i guess i hv to be grateful with what he has achieved so far...

yes, the nurse is right...not everyone can handle a preemie and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with it..just have to tell ourself to press on and hope that the new parents on this board will also be positive
 
Hi Costa,

able to share what is the most concern issue you hv wif yr boy now?? see if anyone hv any suggestions..

think i understand what you r gg thru... it not abt lazy or hard working.. sometimes, nothings seems to work and everyone will b telling u different things...

" Parenthood = baby logic + trial &amp; error + humor"... as wat my hubby says.. what to do, we apply for the role as parents...and they are our boss... :p
 
wh,

guess my concern is his motorskills which i m still trying to work on and perhaps his reading skills.....guess motor skills is smthg that we have to work on diligently by letting him practise by writing/playdoh etc...

he has an extra heart vessel which caused me some worry but the doc said nothg to be really worried about and hope that his coming heart appt would set me at ease

in general, guess when they are born, we worry about their health concerns and when they are older, we worry about their academic progress...

yah yr hb is right..everythg just take it as it is..we make mistakes and learn along d way...
 
Hi Suda,

PDA ligation is a very quick surgery. Since is Heart surgery wise will not be considered minor surgery but think the mortality rate is super super low so don't worry. Normally if the PDA is not affecting the babies, the Dr will closely monitor it and not intervene hopefully it close by itself. The medication for PDA is over a course of few days and the possible complication is IVH and stomache bleeding so the Dr will not give if the baby is doing well. This is the info I got from the nurses and doctor these few days.

Costa,
I went to the website of angelcare. Seems no twin model. Only one electronic mat with 2 receiver. Ai.. think might need to buy 2.
 
Hi Suda

My daughter went through PDA ligation at KK a year plus ago. the actual surgery is about an hour. total time is 2.5 hrs roughly. She had a scar (a thin line) behind her back.

She did go through 1 cycle of medication but the PDA is quite big to close.

KK is a gd choice if u gtg for low class. I choose C class, no cash payment. a relief financially. anyway, C class is no different when baby is in NICU.
 
Hi WH

Received yr PM . Thanks. Will try it as need to boost up my boy's immune system. End of this year , my boy will turn 4. He has speech delay too, now he can lable alot of things but still unable to form a sentence yet. But as compared to last time, really can see improvement on him . Just take things one at a time .
 
Suda,
Almost all of our babies were/are on MCT oil. It's perfectly safe and really helps in quick weight gain which our preemies need. Mine is still on it even though she has been home for 3 months. So don't worry about it.
happy.gif
 
Hi suda,

My baby was borned at 26 weeks + 5 days. He had PDA too. Doc gave med n it only closed after third dose. They will monitor closely cOs different med has different side effects.

As for MCt oil, my boy took it since NICU days. Now still taking after discharge. It helps him put on weight.

Dear all,

Bought for baby for follow up at Kk n doc mentioned that the scans showed a small cyst in kidney... Less than 1mm. She says just monitor.... If grow big then need op. Did anyone baby had similar case ? Will it disappear by itself ? Doc just say monitor ... Nothing will be done for now
 
Costa / WH n mummies n daddies
Sharing a story someone sent to me when I was upset after giving birth prematurely. think the title shld be changed to how premmie mummies AND daddies are chosen. The daddies in this forum showed a lot of courage too ..

How Premmie Mums are chosen"
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen? 

Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, 
selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. 
As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger. 
"Beth Armstrong, son. Patron Saint, Matthew. 
Marjorie Forrest, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia. 
Carrie Rutledge, twins. Patron Saint ... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity." 
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles. "Give her a premmie." 
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy." 
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel." 
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel. 
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. 
I watched her today. 
She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother. 
You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. 
She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy." 
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you." 
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness." 
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?" 
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect. 
She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied. 
She will never take for granted a spoken word. 
She will never consider a step ordinary. 
When her child says 'mama' for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it. 
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see – ignorance, cruelty, prejudice – and allow her to rise above them. 
She will never be alone. 
I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side." 
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air. 
God smiles. 
"A mirror will suffice."
 
Hi All,

Wow! so many responses. I thank you all for your responses and sharing of your experience, it truly helps to hear from other mummies and daddies. Thank you so very much!

My baby girl was born with a weight of 750 and then dropped to 550 and slowly been gaining weight and at times stagnant, she is now as of the last visit 830. Her weight gain is pretty slow, so that's the reason for adding MCT. They are starting at 0.05 and hopefully she would put on weight more and faster.

Costa , thank you for asking, she is so far doing well, had to change her formula to Neocate due to lactose intolerance issue, I thought it would be for the lifetime, but after talking to the doctor and the dietitian, they mentioned that because of her premature organs, she might not be able to process well, and thus might have this issue.

Bubbly me &amp; LAWW, Thank you for the detailed information. Much appreciated. The doctor said her PDA is 1.7 cm which is large for a baby her size, so it definitely needs to be closed. They are trying with medication, and if it starts closing, they will continue with a 2nd dose. If it does not, then they need to do surgery. The doctor didn't say about 3rd dosage but I think they will examine and a make a decision. I just hope she does not have to go to a surgery. If she goes for surgery then she might lose weight again and don't want that to happen and am afraid of complications etc.

Mint ocean, what was the size of your baby's pda may I know? Mine is 1.7cm and the doc said it was large for her size and definitely needs to be closed. How many weeks and size of your baby during operation? Also did she lose weight after the operation? Any info would be appreciated! thanx!

Viman &amp; Ning, Thank you for the info as it greatly helps. As mentioned, I hope the MCT would help her put on weight as she needs to put on weight and the PDA medication would help close the PDA.

Thank you all taking the time to response. I truly appreciate the support here.
 
Hi parents, my girl has been on tube feeding.she has made progress now n then and a few occasions she can complete her whole bottle.as she grows older, she seems to b removing her tubes very often.
A few Qn I wish to ask.
1.there r many occasions my girl refuses to drink even after 6 hr.(I try removing her tube totally) is that normal? I m so worried tat she doesn't haf sufficient milk intake.

2.we also try not feeding her at night.is this wrong?
 
ning,

thanks for your sharing....it indeed reflects many of the mummies/daddies here...

regarding kidney cysts, maybe you search the threads here to see if any of the mummies can shed light on it..This is because many of the mummies are not so active on this board as they cld be busy..

Suda,
your girl is just like my boy born at 750gm...slowly but surely she wld put on weight quickly..Five years back, i thought to myself when my son's weight wld increase..but after 1kg...it seemed to increase very quickly..so take heart..

regarding d milk powder, guess it wld not be a permanent thing..just to put it into perspective, our kids had to take like 1 ml milk at the early stage but later on, it would increase by leaps and bounds..

hope her pda closes by itself soon

julbee74,

may i ask how long has your girl been on tube feeding? I can understand how you feel as my son was on tube feeding...My son would drink till he falls asleep if we dun use tube..I used to get so worried that I had to rely on tube feeding for such a long time..But about two months after discharge, we removed the tube and let him drink slowly...

How old is she now? Correct me if im wrong or perhaps my son's situation only pertains to himself.The nurses told me that some preemies cant vocalise their hunger so I asked if at night, he does not cry for milk, must i still feed him. The answer was yes...at night i fed him thru tube feeding. But after we removed the tube permanently, he drank through his mouth but vy slowly.

maybe you can arrange an appointment with the feeding people in the hospital or ask the nurses fm the ward she was discharged from.
 
Laww, I'm back in sg. SMS anytime.

Also have an almost new babyplus prenatal education system. $170 full set. US set but battery operated.
 
Thanks coasta.she has been on tube feeding coming 2 months.y did u remove his tube?
If my gal is to drink very slowly after 3 hrs I wun b so worried.she doesn't want to drink at all.when she first remove her tube she can still finish her milk.after a while she doesn't wan to drink even after hrs!
 


julbee,
i removed his tube becuz i felt heartache to see him being fed by tube and i dunoe if i was wrong to do that but just could not bear it....

how is she today?did you bottle feed her?
 

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