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@987abc We pay $22/hour for a babysitter in a median COL area. I've never gone away overnight. I'd probably call or text and check in if I was gone more than a couple hours. And we have cameras in kiddo's bedroom but not elsewhere in the house.

@mccouchsky Definitely agree. My advice is to give yourself grace to be there as long or as short as you need. A NICU stay at this age is a long haul (best case scenario) and it benefits no one to burn yourself out.

@straykat Totally agree with this - focus on the daily volume instead of each feeding. And if concerned about calorie intake, could you discuss with your pediatrician increasing the calorie count for the feeds? We were discharged feeding breastmilk fortified to 30 cal because baby had reflux and...

@imchad This is so bizarre. Unless you've expressed interest in switching to formula when you go home, there is zero reason for them to do this. I'd definitely speak up about it.

@adubb FWIW, zippers don't work with monitors! We brought our kiddo home from the NICU on oxygen and couldn't use so many of the newborn outfits we'd been given because the zippers don't work with the cords. Snaps and buttons, on the other hand, were perfect! Additionally, I have a hatred for 2...

@ajay003 Definitely talk to your ped about the covid vaccines! Both Pfizer and Moderna have versions for under 5s now (P is 3 shots, M is 2) though they can still be hit or miss in trying to find them, depending on where you're located. The peace of mind is so worth it though!

@chpjoe Totally agreed. We kept baby home as long as possible (and totally hibernated all last winter when he was a newborn) but daycare was something we HAD to do. I feel MUCH better about it now that he's had his first 2 Pfizer shots (in addition to the rest). LO LOVES the grocery...

@clstan I ended up exclusively pumping for 15 months. r/ExclusivelyPumping was an absolute life saver for making it that long. I wouldn't personally recommend peer to peer milk donations for a NICU kid though, and many NICUs won't accept it.

@tony101 My kiddo was on room air for about 36 hours and then went back on oxygen right before discharge. It's totally normal to have some ups and downs even though I remember feeling absolutely devastated about it. Do what you can to have realistic expectations, but it's normal to get your...

@elissanjuice Haha, us too! Kiddo was in our bedroom until a few weeks after his 2nd birthday. Then we moved him into his room and a big kid bed all in one fell swoop. We still bedshare from time to time (either in his or ours) but we've only been at it for a couple of months and I don't mind...

@daddydubya I almost never actually figured out how to tell the difference between active sleep and awake for my baby (especially in the middle of the night when I was also tired) but this is exactly what I think is happening here too. It's not just a preemie thing!

@gotz Prior to the surgery we were going every 2 weeks, then every week. That's when we just opted into the surgery when it was still optional. It felt like a brutal waiting game and with how brutal those visits were. After the surgery and one or two post op visits, we went 6 months later and...

@brendawwentz LOL I got a call today that my child's daycare is closing "indefinitely" and we have no support system where we live that can fill in. SOBBBB I need this so bad.

@gotz Our eye doctor only did preemies clinic-style so no appointment times, just first come first served. It was awful and honestly part of why we opted to do the ROP surgery when we were on the cusp after months and months. Now, 2 years later, kiddo doesn't need any visual assistance for now...

@mical Ditto. My husband and I did cares from 6 to 9 each day then went home. I also went back to work after just 2 weeks because we had a long stay ahead. I stayed overnight only the day before we brought him home. The only person who made me feel guilty about it was me.

@danielson0101 I think it's totally normal to grieve a little when you make big life decisions. By nature, you're closing the door on an entire alternate version of your life. Even if you were entirely comfortable with the decision, it's not crazy to grieve the alternate version. I am OAD for a...