[munkeesmama]

1. You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.<br><br>
2. You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.<br><br>
3. You count his weight in grams.<br><br>
4. The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!<br><br>
5. You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!<br><br>
6. The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!<br><br>
7. When someone asks his birthday, you reply, "Which one?"<br><br>
8. You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!<br><br>
9. You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.<br><br>
10. You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!<br><br>
11. You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office<br><br>
12. You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.<br><br>
13. You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"<br><br>
14. When someone says how tiny your baby is, you argue that he is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of him in NICU.<br><br>
15. You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit.<br><br>
16. You make people wash their hands before going near your child.<br><br>
17. You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.<br><br>
18. You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!<br><br>
19. You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.<br><br>
20. You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!<br><br>
21. You never take your child for granted.<br><br>
22. You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away . . .<br><br>
23. You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large!<br><br>
24. Your son gets a simple cold and her doc sees him within the hour!<br><br>
25. People say, "He CAN'T be __ old...he's too little!"<br><br>
26. It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!<br><br>
27. You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born at the same weight<br><br>
28. You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it to the airplanes

 

[felix23]

You've lied about your child's age because you just weren't in the mood to explain why your 17 month old looks like a 6 month old to a complete stranger AGAIN.<br>
(I just did this yesteday. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/duck.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Duck">: )

 

[Shenjall]

so true, soooo true. (and still very vivid after almost 7 years)

 

[Amys1st]

Add to the list<br><br><br>
You hit your annual out of pocket max on your medical insurance and its March 1st<br><br>
You are on a first name basis with most of the staff for many years to come<br><br>
People who are introduced to you are told "SHE is the 1 lb 12 oz baby I was telling you about"<br><br>
PDA does not mean Personal Digital Asst anymore <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad"> and never will again<br><br>
certain soap smells make you want to puke<br><br>
You have a diaper that is smaller than the palm of your hand stored in his/her personal baby stuff and it at one time fit them and loosely!<br><br>
You're excited when this child outgrows clothing<br><br>
You're excited when they meet a milestone before or on the corrected age or if they just do it.<br><br>
You have heard every version of elevator music you can think of from being on hold to the nurse's station at 5am while they get your nurse for that shift.<br><br>
You know all the shortcuts and the layout of the parking lot/garage of the hospital.<br><br>
You know the parking attendants by first name<br><br>
You hate scales, now instead of not gaining weight, you have a family member who has to.<br><br>
You know how to freeze 5 ccs individually.<br><br>
You have made more baked goods for the nicu staff than you ever made for yourself or anyone else in your life.<br><br>
Your nicu parent bracelet is now a badge of honor. One parent in our nicu joked it was his free drinks tickets and used to say to new parents- didnt you hear free drinks for all nicu parents!<br><br>
You can convert grams, kilos, etc<br><br>
You can rattle off abbvs with the best of them!<br><br>
You dont have to sit in waiting rooms because your baby is a premature baby. You get right in<br><br>
You know what house arrest would be like.<br><br>
O2 tanks can be part of decor- really!<br><br><br><br>
And DH's contribution<br><br>
You jump, cringe, have a beating heart when alarms go off anywhere<br>
or<br>
Your at an appliance store and they try to sell you anything from FisherPycall. (they also make washer and dryers)<br><br>
you hate stories about preemies in shoeboxes near the fire etc<br><br>
You hate medical supply companies esp their customer service.

 

[munkeesmama]

A agree Amy. I was in the ER the other day since Em pulled her feeding tube out and I couldn't get it back in. The ER doc said Ah, we finally meet at last. It's like Emma is a legend around there, everyone at her hospital and the surrounding hospitsals have heard about her. IT's crazy. It's nice in a way that she gets quick specialized care though.

 

[sarah1972]

You have lengthy discussions on line about ventilatory support <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/biglaugh.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="laugh">:

 

[munkeesmama]

LOL, sarah!

 

[AarenLisbeth]

How about "when you want to blow up your hospital-grade breast pump"?<br><br>
Although, yes, I am ultimately very greatful for that piece of machinery . . .<br>
I hated it, hated it, hated it!

 

[Zan&Zav]

when your 2 year old tells your aunt to use pooell (purell) before she touches the baby.

 

[Amys1st]

I could not WAIT to pass on my pump.

 

[tbavrbab]

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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>Amys1st</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7913480"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">And DH's contribution<br><br>
You jump, cringe, have a beating heart when alarms go off anywhere</div>
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I had that happen today. I was sitting there resting at the zoo holding Adara...and someone's phone rang and it sounded JUST like the alarm.<br><br>
I jumped so high that the person whose phone rang apologized for "scaring" me. Little did he know.<br><br>
I had NEVER heard a phone ringtone like that...and I honestly hope I NEVER do again!!

 

[OGirlieMama]

My contributions...<br><br>
Your babies' memory box includes a teeny tiny BP cuff with a bunny on it.<br><br>
Whenever your pregnant friends talk about having a lot of "Braxton Hicks" contractions, you get nervous and suggest they call their OB.<br><br>
You don't have any "going home from the hospital" pictures because you were so damn glad to get out of there you basically grabbed the baby and ran.<br><br>
You can tell which of your identical twins is which in their early photos at home mostly because of the nasal cannula on one of them.

 

[RightMama4]

You know you're a NICU parent when you look at nicu pictures and memerabilia while your baby/babies are IN the NICU everyday - cant get ENOUGH of it!, but a few months after they come home you cant even glance without crying.

 

[felix23]

~If you've ever had the NICU number on your speed dial.

 

[sarah1972]

.

 

[Shenjall]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">certain soap smells make you want to puke<br></td>
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Dh picked up a different laundry soap the other week. No biggie, whatevers on sale, right? But after the laundry was done, my clothes, me all of it smelled just like the nicu. The gowns they put on you; your baby; that smell that just doesnt leave the inside of your nose. I was anxious all day. That smell just brings back waaaay to many memories.

 

[sarah1972]

OMG! This JUST happened to me, but you know you're a preemie parent when the insurance company calls and asks how your baby is doing!

 

[susienjay]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>sarah1972</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7930211"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">OMG! This JUST happened to me, but you know you're a preemie parent when the insurance company calls and asks how your baby is doing!</div>
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<br>
I always hated that. The people always seemed to care but I felt like they were calling to see how huge a bill my baby was racking up.<br><br>
And along those lines I know exactly how to file an appeal with my insurance company. I was amazed at how many charges came through as out of network even though we were supposedly at an in network hospital.

 

[ksera05]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>OGirlieMama</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7919265"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">You don't have any "going home from the hospital" pictures because you were so damn glad to get out of there you basically grabbed the baby and ran.</div>
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omg, I thought this was just us!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[alliteration]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
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<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>ksera05</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/7931910"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">omg, I thought this was just us!<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"></div>
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My one photo was blurry, we were out of there so fast.