Spinoff...what did you keep?

lena1984 · Apr 25, 2007

alright, so the other thread(you know you're a parent of a preemie when..) got me thinking... 
what exactly do you have in your memory book? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> 
As of now i currently have... 
all hospital braclets,hers,mine and dh's..from both hospitals 
1 color of EACH name tag from the hospital<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment"> 
a ostomy bag 
a sticker from her first ostomy bag 
a bp cuff 
a bandaid from her foot 
and most importantly her first bottle that i filled with paint and swirled around until the 5 cc mark, just to show people how much that REALLY is! 
her binky 
and thats about it <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment">

intorainbowz · Apr 25, 2007

I kept most things. 
Nasal canula. 
BP cuff 
Bracelets. 
Several tiny outfits 
bows 
Jaundice eye cover 
wires 
the blanket they gave us that covered her incubator. 
I still have her little bath bowl. She used to fit in it. 
NICU bottle. 
2 wee pee diapers.. on to keep in box, one for scrapbook. 
I'm a scrapbooker... so I keep a lot.

Kailey's mom · Apr 25, 2007

-Both dh's and my armband "pass to get in the nicu" 
-all the decorations from the isolette 
-her sunblockers 
-her bracelett 
-her heart sticker from the monitor 
-a set of no-no's that she didn't need<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> only because they have carebears on them 
-her hat 
-notes for Kailey from each of her nurses

munkeesmama · Apr 25, 2007

I kept her bp cuff, a wee pee diaper, her bracelet, her first hat she wore at delivery. Her sunblockers, her decorations from the isolette, her isolette cover that i made for her, her first pacifier (although the thumbie one fit her better but it wasn't her first so, lol), and can't really think of anything else. Oh, 2 of my favorite itty bitty 1-3 lb isolette shirts.

OneWithTwo · Apr 25, 2007

I kept everything from bracelets, to anything that touched her or that was used on her, to her cord stub. 
I don't have many things in her memory book, just me writing everything down, but we have a memory box or rubber maid tub.

splendid · Apr 25, 2007

Since we were at 2 hospitals I have 2 sets of things: 
bp cuffs 
NICU bottle 
diaper (one preemie cloth and micro preemie paper) 
the eye covers when he was in the blue light 
both his linus blankets 
his little hat 
heart stickers 
both his incubator name signs from both hospitals 
pacifier 
a pamphlet entitled: "Welcome to the Special Care Nursery" (like I was winning some special prize <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> ) 
security braclets 
I have more but it escapes memory right now.

OGirlieMama · Apr 25, 2007

-all their bracelets, my bracelets, and Daddy's bracelets 
-a BP cuff (the second-smallest size, I think) 
-some nasal cannulas 
-their little "I'm a girl!" cards 
-the little Valentine's Day card their NICU friends (also 29-week twins) taped onto their crib one day 
-First hats - crocheted/knitted by volunteers. I put them on the girls sometimes and take pics to marvel at how big they are now. 
-They actually have 2 of the little volunteer-crocheted blankets in their cribs and love to play with them. 
-Lilly's cord stub (somehow we never got Kate's - I think the umbilical line messed it up) 
-the little plastic "bucket" they used to warm up milk, hold sponge-bath water - we use it to pour water on them in the tub. 
And I still have 90% of their preemie clothes. I can't seem to let go, though I did give away the "boyish" outfits when someone I knew had a preemie, and I lent some of the larger stuff out when my friend's FT baby was on the smaller side.

mrs_mandolini · Apr 25, 2007

Nametags from the isolette 
The card with his name & weight 
Some polaroids the nurses took on days we forgot the digital camera (including the day he was born... I DID NOT expect to be giving birth that day) 
the crocheted blanket 
the binkie, which is still the only one we own or use 
That is it. The BP cuff, bilirubin eye covers, cannulas, etc... all that medical type stuff just made me sad and I did not want to look at it any more. 
However, the polaroid that makes me laugh is the one they took when he got his (only!) blood transfusion. For some reason, "My First Blood Transfusion" just seems like the craziest thing to have a picture of.

tbavrbab · Apr 25, 2007

All bracelets (hers and ours) 
bp cuff 
name sign 
stickers and storage containers for breastmilk 
her first binky 
the quilt that covered her isolette 
the "washcloth" we used for the first bath I got to give her (it covered her whole body...it seems so tiny now...)

Amys1st · Apr 25, 2007

I have a box of stuff and in it is- a sleepr in the preemie size, that first little little binky, the diaper, leads, pics from her isolette we had hanging in there, some more bracelets she wore, all kinds of weird stuff.... 
I just recently tossed my "going home instructions" and her list of meds. I dont need reminders.

felix23 · Apr 25, 2007

I'm a pack rat so I keep everything!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> 
~All of the medical things that they would let me take: micro and regular preemie size. 
~One of the head nurses was REALLY into scrapbooking and she created memory pages for every stage of the NICU. They had a polaroid camera that would take pictures for the parents if they missed a special first (I missed her first bath), and she was really good about coming around and helping people put their album together. I'm glad she did this because I don't scrapbook at all and this is a wonderful book to show people. 
~Each week they would hang a little sign on the isolette that said how many weeks they are, what they could do at that time and how much they weighed. I just found the 31 week one and I was surprised that she still only weighed 1 lb 15 oz. In my memory she weighed more a couple weeks out. 
~Almost all of her preemie clothes. I have gotten rid of some of them though, but she has a ton. 
~The tiny diapers that were so big on her. 
~Our medical bills! People didn't believe me when I told them how much it cost. 
~We were there at Christmas and I saved the little gifts she got from some of the nurses. 
~The welcome to the NICU handbook. 
I'm not very craftsy, though, so it is all just in a box in her closet.

intorainbowz · Apr 25, 2007

For some dumb reason.. the flier they gave us when they told us we got to room in is still on the fridge <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/dizzy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Dizzy">:

nathansmom · Apr 25, 2007

With my firstborn I didn't really keep anything nor did they have really give me anything. I was (and I guess still am) stunned that I had a full term nicu baby. I think I have his braclet and a few other small things like that. I know he never had a crib card or a nice decorated name tag like the others had. 
With my twins I kept tons of stuff. Right off hand I remember: 
the bills (so people could see how expensive it was) 
diapers 
nicu approved clothing 
the blanket all nicu kids received 
a sponge that we had to use to wash up 
their crib cards and name tags 
the paper showing what to expect for their week 
a copy of the log book 
blood pressure band 
I'm sure there is more but I don't remember

dbsam · Apr 25, 2007

I kept items, similar to PP's, but have since gotten rid of most. As they've aged there are so many wonderful items in their lives to keep I've gotten rid of all but the 'best' of the NICU memories: 
the tiny pink and blue hats 
a sketch of my daughter drawn on a paper cloth by one of the nurses 
the nurses drawings with the babies names that hung by their stations 
photos, my favorites are those of each of them going home 
I'm sure I still have the bills somewhere too!

BookGoddess · Apr 25, 2007

I am another pack rat. I saved... 
-my positive pregnancy sticks (all of them! I can picture my daughter saying "Ewww...you peed on this and saved it for me. Er..thanks Mom! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> ) 
- her hospital bracelet 
-her little crib card with all her vital stats and info 
-my hospital bracelet 
-my discharge papers 
-her tiny diapers 
-her cloth hat from the NICU 
-her NICU blanket 
-Her green Soothie binky 
-a lovely pink crochet blanket one of the nurses made for DD. It's so pretty and large enough for DD to use until she's in preschool <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/luxlove.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="throb">

OneWithTwo · Apr 26, 2007

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<div>Originally Posted by BookGoddess <a href="/community/forum/post/7950200"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I am another pack rat. I saved... 
-my positive pregnancy sticks (all of them! I can picture my daughter saying "Ewww...you peed on this and saved it for me. Er..thanks Mom! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> ) 
- her hospital bracelet 
-her little crib card with all her vital stats and info 
-my hospital bracelet 
-my discharge papers 
-her tiny diapers 
-her cloth hat from the NICU 
-her NICU blanket 
-Her green Soothie binky 
-a lovely pink crochet blanket one of the nurses made for DD. It's so pretty and large enough for DD to use until she's in preschool <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/luxlove.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="throb"></div>
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i saved my pee sticks too. the ones from the home test and the dr's.

intorainbowz · Apr 26, 2007

I also have the name sign they made. Because a friend of mine is an OB nurse there, I got the little cards they use on the baby basinettes in the regular OB ward... they did not use those in the NICU. She gave me one of each, and I've kept them all and filled them in. I posted the one from medella in her incubator. 
I also have the rose they put on the "celebration" meal we got. I also still have the mylar balloons I got.

mamadawg · Apr 26, 2007

I have my pee sticks too. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> I did two in a row, within minutes of each other (I was soooo surprised to be pregnant) and I kept both. I had twins, so I figure there's one for each baby. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1"> 
I also have: 
-their ID bracelets 
-my ID bracelet 
-my breast pump. Not the hospital grade one (it was a rental, otherwise I probably would have kept that! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/redface.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Embarrassment">) I just can't seem to part with it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/innocent.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="shy"> 
-the quilts each baby got in the NICU & the little knit hats. Both were made by charities. 
-Their name signs 
-A photo/sign thing one of the nurses made for us. IT has the date, the name of each baby & their heights & weights on that date. So cute. 
-NICU pacifiers (two) 
-lots of preemie clothing. I think I kept all of it, actually. 
-preemie diaper covers 
-a pack of NICU bottles 
-a pamphlet about breastfeeding preemies 
-a date sticker (our "badge" to get into the NICU) 
There's more, I just can't remember it all now. 
I never visit this forum and now I can remember why. After 3.5 years, I still get emotional thinking about the NICU experience. And, in the grand scheme of things, our's wasn't all that bad.

sunflowers · Apr 26, 2007

I'm totally impressed with those of you that have all that stuff together in one place<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> My dd is 18mos old and her stuff is still all over the house <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck">: 
I saved tons of stuff- 
from the weepee dipes to her binkies that fell on the floor. 
I have all the paperwork anyone ever handed me 
tons of bottles & my pump stuff 
the gel pillow she used 
a bunch of freddy frog positioners 
the snugglies she used- from the xs she started in to the med she used last 
most of her micro clothes, a ton of preemie clothes that I'd like her to be able use for her dolls 
the name signs and crib cards- there are quite a few 
a whole bunch of id bands (hers always fell off and they just made new ones) hats, blankets, her isolette cover, medicine syringes, I could go on forever... 
I'm a little superstitious and for some reason I feel like if I thinned out the stash, something awful will happen. Sad I feel like that so far down the road<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad">

OGirlieMama · Apr 26, 2007

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<div>Originally Posted by sunflowers <a href="/community/forum/post/7952860"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I'm totally impressed with those of you that have all that stuff together in one place<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"> My dd is 18mos old and her stuff is still all over the house <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck">: 
(</div>
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Who said anything about it being in one place? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

Spinoff...what did you keep?

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