You are going to need lots and lots of receiving blankets and PJ's. We never thought we would need all that we did, but we did.
See, preemies (and maybe just newborns in general, I dont know) cant seem to keep their pee in their diapers. No matter if my boys slept a stretch of a couple hours or one hour, it seemed like all night long, we would be changing their PJ's and swaddling blankets. Much of they time they would awaken at night because of the wetness. There seemed to be no solution, bigger diapers did not help. I asked everyone and it seemed to just be what happened and there was no way around it.
So stock up on PJ's (gowns preferably) and swaddling blankets. You are not going to want to be doing laundry at 2 in the morning because baby just put on the last clean pair of PJ's. Trust me.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Gowns.
Nope, not wedding gowns. Those are a long way off for those of you with daughters and I hope I never see em' on my sons.
I am talking about those baby gowns. Seriously, I was given some and was like, no way in hell am I putting my sons in these. Yeah...mmm hmmm....
I put them on my sons for sure. With the amount of diapers you are changing, you dont want to waste your time taking legs out of sleepers. So do the gowns. At least for the first couple of months. It will make your life easier.
And get lots of em. You'll see why.
I am talking about those baby gowns. Seriously, I was given some and was like, no way in hell am I putting my sons in these. Yeah...mmm hmmm....
I put them on my sons for sure. With the amount of diapers you are changing, you dont want to waste your time taking legs out of sleepers. So do the gowns. At least for the first couple of months. It will make your life easier.
And get lots of em. You'll see why.
Baberoo Neck Saver
These neck pillows were great. If you are like my husband, you cant stand to see a baby sleeping in a swing with his neck crooked to the side or bobbing on his chest. Enter these neck savers. We had one for each baby and used them all the time. For their necks while sleeping and then as pacifier holders.
You can get them on Amazon, just search Baberoo neck saver.
You can get them on Amazon, just search Baberoo neck saver.
Sucker!
Babies like to suck! Unfortunetely, some preemies lack the skills of holding a pacifier in their mouths even thought they really love to suck on it. We had this issue with all of our boys.
Of course, it is not always convenient to hold your baby's or babies' pacifiers in their mouths. We had these neck pillows for the boys and we would position them on their chests in such a way as to hold the pacifier. It worked pretty well. More on the neck pillows later. I have to find them online.
Of course, it is not always convenient to hold your baby's or babies' pacifiers in their mouths. We had these neck pillows for the boys and we would position them on their chests in such a way as to hold the pacifier. It worked pretty well. More on the neck pillows later. I have to find them online.
Bounce, bounce!
Bouncy seats are another staple for any baby, not just the preemie or for multiples. Although with muktiles, you sometimes dont have enough hands or actually want to get some sleep without a baby on your chest and worrying that he or she will roll off.
We had the Baby Papasan bouncy chair. We only had one and Landon frequented it as a newborn. Many nights when he would not sleep in his crib, I would place him in this bouncer, turn on the vibration and music and place it near the couch. I would lie on the couch and, holding his pacifier in his mouth, go to sleep and so would he! Lifesaver!
We had the Baby Papasan bouncy chair. We only had one and Landon frequented it as a newborn. Many nights when he would not sleep in his crib, I would place him in this bouncer, turn on the vibration and music and place it near the couch. I would lie on the couch and, holding his pacifier in his mouth, go to sleep and so would he! Lifesaver!
And they were swingin'...
Baby swings are by far one of the greatest inventions ever. Especially if you have multiples. Things can get hairy and you can lose your sanity with 2 or 3 or more screaming babies. Even if you have help!
We had 2 Fisher Price Baby Papasan Cradle swings to start. We didn't get a third until the boys were about 5 months old. How much easier things would have been if we hadn't had to rotate babies among two swings.
I cant tell you how many nights my boys spend in their swings. They are great for colds too, because they seat the baby a little upright. I know many hours of sleep were lost but many hours were NOT lost as well, due to these swings.
My boys used their swings until 11 months of age, at which point we got rid of them because we felt like the boys were using them as a crutch to stay up when they should be sleeping.
If you can, get one that plays music and has a mobile. We liked that ours could swing front to back and side to side and the boys like it too. And the seat could lie flat and just stay reclined.
We had 2 Fisher Price Baby Papasan Cradle swings to start. We didn't get a third until the boys were about 5 months old. How much easier things would have been if we hadn't had to rotate babies among two swings.
I cant tell you how many nights my boys spend in their swings. They are great for colds too, because they seat the baby a little upright. I know many hours of sleep were lost but many hours were NOT lost as well, due to these swings.
My boys used their swings until 11 months of age, at which point we got rid of them because we felt like the boys were using them as a crutch to stay up when they should be sleeping.
If you can, get one that plays music and has a mobile. We liked that ours could swing front to back and side to side and the boys like it too. And the seat could lie flat and just stay reclined.
Got snots?
If not, you will soon. I think our boys gor their first cold around 2 months old, and werent't taking them anywhere really because we didn't want them to get sick. Lot of good that did!
Anyway, you will most likely be given your baby's hospital nasal aspirator to take home (along with anything else they used for the baby). KEEP IT! They work better than any other aspirator I have tried. A nurse friend of mine recommended this and I am so glad we held onto them.
Anyway, you will most likely be given your baby's hospital nasal aspirator to take home (along with anything else they used for the baby). KEEP IT! They work better than any other aspirator I have tried. A nurse friend of mine recommended this and I am so glad we held onto them.
Got extra diapers?
Most people dont fall into the situation that we did, but if you do, this post is for you.
We had tons and tons of diapers before our boys were even born. My Mom had a drawing at my baby shower if you brought a package of diapers and some awesome women at my husband's work (corrections officer, so a prison with lots of workers) held a diaper drive.
Within a couple of months of the boys homecoming, we had multiple packages of preemie and newborn diapers left over. I gave the preemies away to a local Mothers of Multiples club since there weren't too many but I had 18 packages of newborns left. My husband and I were both out of work so we needed to get something for those diapers.
There are two options here, I found. Sell them on eBay. Or call the diaper company. In our case, it was Huggies. We called. They offered to send us 18 vouchers for a full package of diapers for FREE if we mailed all the diapers back to them. I calculated the cost of the vouchers minus shipping of the diapers and it was well worth it. So we mailed them back and received 18 vouchers for a free package of diapers.
Honestly, looking back, I think the eBay route is better. Well maybe not, unless someone buys ALL the diapers because you have to take time out to ship the stuff.
Generally, you can only do this ONCE per diaper company.
We had tons and tons of diapers before our boys were even born. My Mom had a drawing at my baby shower if you brought a package of diapers and some awesome women at my husband's work (corrections officer, so a prison with lots of workers) held a diaper drive.
Within a couple of months of the boys homecoming, we had multiple packages of preemie and newborn diapers left over. I gave the preemies away to a local Mothers of Multiples club since there weren't too many but I had 18 packages of newborns left. My husband and I were both out of work so we needed to get something for those diapers.
There are two options here, I found. Sell them on eBay. Or call the diaper company. In our case, it was Huggies. We called. They offered to send us 18 vouchers for a full package of diapers for FREE if we mailed all the diapers back to them. I calculated the cost of the vouchers minus shipping of the diapers and it was well worth it. So we mailed them back and received 18 vouchers for a free package of diapers.
Honestly, looking back, I think the eBay route is better. Well maybe not, unless someone buys ALL the diapers because you have to take time out to ship the stuff.
Generally, you can only do this ONCE per diaper company.
Getting free formula
For most preemies and multiples (since many multiples are preemies) high-calorie formula is needed, at least for the first couple of months. Common brands are Similac Neosure and Enfamil Enfacare. Even specialty formulas like Similac Alimentum can be free.
Contact your health insurance company. Ask them if a specific formula will be covered if your healthcare provider writes a prescription for it. Once our boys were born, they were in the NICU for 6, 12 and 19 days. They were on Similac Neosure. I called my insurance company and asked if Similar Neosure was covered with a prescription and they said yes!
So each of our boys left the NICU with a prescription for Similac Neosure, which we filled at CVS. Even though most preemies only need high calorie formula for a few months, we convinced our pediatrician to keep them on it for their first year. He said it would cause no harm and if it would save us money (lots of it!) he was willing. We never paid for formula. And going through 90 bottles a month, yes 90, it would have cost us about $630 a month in formula. So it was well worth the phone call.
If your insurance wont cover the formula, there are other ways to get "some" free.
First and foremost, most NICU's will give you whatever formula is left over for that baby. Our boys had cabinets under their cribs that were filled with formula, diapers, etc. We got all of that stuff upon discharge.
You can also get free formula from the formula companies. Our NICU gave us a form to fill out and we mailed that with birth certificates to Similac. We then received 3 cases of formula a month for three months. That was 18 bottles a month for 3 months.
Also, during your hospital stay, ask the nurses for formula diaper bags, which contain free formula. I saw various women walking out of the hospital with numerous diaper bags.
And if, for whatever reason, you get stuck paying for lots of formula, save your receipts for tax filing. I dont know what other states' qualifications are, but in Mass anything over 7.5% you get back.
Contact your health insurance company. Ask them if a specific formula will be covered if your healthcare provider writes a prescription for it. Once our boys were born, they were in the NICU for 6, 12 and 19 days. They were on Similac Neosure. I called my insurance company and asked if Similar Neosure was covered with a prescription and they said yes!
So each of our boys left the NICU with a prescription for Similac Neosure, which we filled at CVS. Even though most preemies only need high calorie formula for a few months, we convinced our pediatrician to keep them on it for their first year. He said it would cause no harm and if it would save us money (lots of it!) he was willing. We never paid for formula. And going through 90 bottles a month, yes 90, it would have cost us about $630 a month in formula. So it was well worth the phone call.
If your insurance wont cover the formula, there are other ways to get "some" free.
First and foremost, most NICU's will give you whatever formula is left over for that baby. Our boys had cabinets under their cribs that were filled with formula, diapers, etc. We got all of that stuff upon discharge.
You can also get free formula from the formula companies. Our NICU gave us a form to fill out and we mailed that with birth certificates to Similac. We then received 3 cases of formula a month for three months. That was 18 bottles a month for 3 months.
Also, during your hospital stay, ask the nurses for formula diaper bags, which contain free formula. I saw various women walking out of the hospital with numerous diaper bags.
And if, for whatever reason, you get stuck paying for lots of formula, save your receipts for tax filing. I dont know what other states' qualifications are, but in Mass anything over 7.5% you get back.
Welcome!
Welcome to my new blog. This blog is inspired by all of the new preemie and multiple moms out there who I know or have met. I was compiling a list of helpful tips, ideas and money-savers for a dear friend of mine who is the new mom of preemie twins and thought, "Why not just create a blog about it?" Then I can just send the link out to whomever. And so it begins...
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