u/kareet1704

Hello Everyone,

My baby was born at 28w4d and is now 36w2d, weighing 2340g today. She’s been doing really well recently and honestly felt very close to discharge, so now I’m overthinking everything.

She started oral feeds about 11 days ago. At first she could only do 1–2 bottles a day, but now she’s usually taking 5 out of 8 feeds orally, sometimes even 6. During feeds she has had a few dips here and there (maybe 2–3 times total since starting bottles), mostly heart rate drops, and the team didn’t seem too concerned because they were related to feeding coordination.

But yesterday something happened that scared me. She had an eye exam (she’s had 3 before this with no issues), and afterward she had a bigger episode where her heart rate dropped to the 50s and oxygen dropped into the 70s. It wasn’t during a feed.

What’s making me anxious is that she hadn’t had a real “spill” in almost 2 weeks before this. Before, if she had events, they were usually just brief heart rate drops while feeding and only happened 3 times max.

Now I’m worried this means she’s not actually close to coming home anymore. Has anyone else had their preemie suddenly have a bigger desat/brady after doing really well, especially around eye exams or around this gestational age? Did it delay discharge by a lot?

I know preemies can be unpredictable, but I’m feeling really discouraged today.

My baby girl was born at 28+4 and is now 35+2 corrected. She currently weighs 2170 grams (4 lbs 12 oz). Everything else is looking really good now — oxygen levels, heart rate, breathing, temperature, etc. She’s off respiratory support and overall doing amazing.

The only thing we are waiting on is feeds. She is taking bottles, but not consistently every feed yet. Sometimes she takes every other feed fully by bottle, and sometimes she surprises us and takes two full bottle feeds in a row. Other times she gets sleepy and needs the rest through the tube.

For parents of preemies born around this gestation, when did your baby finally “click” with feeds and come home? Did feeding suddenly improve around 36–37 weeks?

NICU life feels so close to the finish line now, but the feeding part still feels unpredictable.

Hi everyone,

My baby was born at 28+4 weeks and is now 34+2 weeks corrected, weighing 1,992g. She’s been doing really well overall—off CPAP/high flow by 33 weeks and now on room air. She still has an NG tube.

We tried breastfeeding for the first time yesterday and again today. She latches really well (she’s been on a pacifier since around 30 weeks), but she gets tired very fast—within about a minute—and then stops. I don’t think she is really transferring milk yet.

I could see she was getting exhausted and it honestly made me emotional.

Is this normal at this stage for preemies starting breastfeeding? How long did it take your baby to build stamina?

Thanks 💛

Hi Everyone My baby is in the NICU and the doctors heard a heart murmur during examination. They did an echocardiogram, and after that they said her condition looks stable and her vitals are normal.

I’m just trying to understand: how common are murmurs in premature babies, and if the echo looks okay, does it usually resolve on its own or need follow-up?

Baby was born 28w4d now she is 34w today weighing 1902g

Any similar experiences would really help.