[bumpkin]

I'm going to be bringing a six week old home from a hospital setting where she has been since birth. Is there anything special that you all can think of to make this transition from hospital to home easier for her? Someone had told me before that they leave the lights on at the hospital all night, so she might be use to that - any other tips or tricks I should be aware of?

Thanks
Val

[yanknrebel]

I would just make sure and swaddle her at all times and put a hat on her head. Our daughter (who we brought home at 2 days old) LOVED to be swaddled and if I were to put her to bed without a hat, she would cry until I did. ALso she would wake up from a nap with a head cold if I had forgotten to put a hat on her. SHe wore a hat until she was about 9 months old. Maybe a colored lightbulb in a lamp (nightlight) would work good. I would hate the electirc bill leaving a light on all night as well as it might make it very hard to get the child to actually sleep in the room without a light as he/she gets older. IMO.

[tlc4kidz]

bumpkin....I forgot, is she a preemie? There is a book that's called Preemie Parent's Companion that we recommend to parents of preemies (I'm a mother/baby nurse). It has a section on coming home that might be helpful. Also, remeber that with the drug exposure she might get overstimulated easily and need to figure out what works for her.....decrease in lights, sound, touch. I would try to hold her as much as she'll tolerate for bonding, but don't worry if she can't handle alot of snuggling at first. It's hard to say which way it'll go. I've seen some babies that want to be held continually and others who get fussy quick. A sling or carrier is great if she can handle it.

I know you must be excited! Of course, it goes without saying, get as much rest as you can before Tuesday.....yea, right ! I know, explain that to your twins, huh?!

[kllee4]

Hi, Bumpkin,

For my preemies, we had a nurse for the second one due to his extreme special needs and she began to collect the hospital blankets from his bed and not wash them because the smell was familiar to him. The hospitals are also pretty busy so we had to come up with a way to have some sort of "background noise" because he had difficulty sleeping with it being so quiet (the nurse came up with this conclusion). So we got some music tapes (that we had played while he was in the NICU) and we had to slowly wean him down from those. We noticed that he didn't like the extremely bright colorful decorations above his bed, nor the mobile. So we had to tone down his room (placing them in a bassinet in the beginning will probably be the best along with swaddling).

If I think of something else, I will certainly add it, but that's all I can come up with right now. Good luck!

[Kate1129]

Use white noise. A hospital is not quiet. So the lack of noise may be unsettling to the baby.

Good luck!!!

[Withay]

Some preemies are also uncomfortable in a full-size crib. I have found that if I place the child with their head at the back of the crib and their feet at the front it helps. I also take a very large pillow and put a towel around it and use this to create a 'smaller' bed area by placing it about 2 feet from the end of the crib. You can gradually move the large pillow further away from the end of the crib until you are able to remove it completely (about 2 months later).

[seanbeck]

Hi there! Sounds like you may already be home with your baby. How big is she? Is your infant car seat small enough? They make some that are only 4 inches from back to belt. My preemie was only 6 pounds when he came home at 4 months. We played music for him in the hospital and then at home- just calming music. He LOVED the quietness at home and for the first time ever, slept through the night. He did love to be held and swaddled, but always wanted to look around. He never liked kangerooing or the front pack unless he was sleeping. I agree that it really depends on what your child's problems have been/are. Mine was still on oxygen, an ng tube and an apnea monitor, but didn't have any withdrawls or injuries or anything like that. Good luck and enjoy!