Question About Visitation in NICU

[Anonymous]

I also delivered at VHC via emergency C and I was also wheeled in on the stretcher (on the way to my room which was also 2 floors above the NICU) to see my baby. Unfortunatley I was unable to do much more than lay a still hand on her body b/c her heart rate was so rapid, but at least I saw her. DH stayed with her into the NICU (as I had instructed--always stay with the baby if it's a choice between me or her).

I was not able to see her again until the next morning, but after that I went down every 3 hours round the clock to give her my pumped milk and to breast feed. I knew better than to try and have a nurse take me there and instead had a wheel chair delivered to my room and had DH or other guests wheel me down until I was able to walk there on my own (around the 2nd day). Nothing against the nurses--they are hard workers and were responsive--but they had a full house and didn't have time to transport me.

One thing I can say is that I had little to no control over my child's care while she was in the NICU. They treated her without any discussion or consent on my or DH's part. No updates to my room or anything unless I went down to the NICU. Not sure if this is normal.

Your friend must insist on knowing what is going on and seeing her children.

[Anonymous]

I delivered my son by C section at Sibley at 32 weeks. After they got him all settled, they wheeled me in my stretcher to see him and I spent an hour or so with him (this was the middle of the night). I unfortunately didn't get to see him the next day (except they put him by the window and rolled me by to look at him through the window). The day after that I was in a wheelchair and saw him as much as I liked. I should add during this whole time, my husband went in whenever he wanted - sometimes in the middle of the night to check on him.

[Anonymous]

I was wheeled into the NICU on a stretcher soon after the birth of a preemie. No restrictions on seeing the baby, except that for the first few days I needed someone to take me because I couldn't stand up on my own. Sounds odd that the mother is not allowed to see her babies.

[Anonymous]

I had twins via c-section at Inova Fairfax. They were in the NICU and I couldn't meet them for about 36 hours after birth because I was getting treatment for my pre-eclampisa-turned-HELLPS. When I did get to go down to the NICU it was pretty amazing, though!

[Anonymous]

why are they in the nicu at 37 weeks. that is full term. the mom needs to be way more assertive. these are her babies. a hospital can not keep you from your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are they in the nicu at 37 weeks. that is full term. the mom needs to be way more assertive. these are her babies. a hospital can not keep you from your child.

My DS was born at 41 weeks, ten pounds, but still spent a week in the NICU. He had a collapsed lung and aspiration pneumonia.

[Anonymous]

My son was delivered at Sibley via C-section and ended up in the NICU due to a collapsed lung. I couldn't walk to the NICU because of the C-section, so I was wheeled into the NICU to see him.

[Anonymous]

Did she develop preeclampsia? I had PE and if its severe you are on Magnesium Sulfate for at least 24 hours after birth. You can't walk so that might be why. I couldn't even sit up on my own. I was so broken hearted when they told me I couldn't see my baby for 24 hours and they then decided that they could wheel me in in my bed for a quick look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son was delivered at Sibley via C-section and ended up in the NICU due to a collapsed lung. I couldn't walk to the NICU because of the C-section, so I was wheeled into the NICU to see him.

wow you are the only other mom I ever heard of with a child with a collapsed lung! My son, too, had a collapsed lung amongst other things, he was 2 days shy of being considered full term.

I got to see my son as soon as I could get in the wheelchair, but the next day I had to wait until I could physically walk on my own by myself to see him again. I never understood that. I delivered at sibley, btw.

[Anonymous]

They didn't make me wait until I could walk - they just wheeled me in, bed and all. I didn't get to see him again for about 36 hours. It was awful to be laid up in my bed, unable to get up, and hearing all of the other babies on the ward crying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why are they in the nicu at 37 weeks. that is full term. the mom needs to be way more assertive. these are her babies. a hospital can not keep you from your child.

I'd love to see how assertive you would be if your 2-day old baby was running a 104 fever and you could barely move because you had a 16 hour labor, followed by 2 hours of pushing, and then a c-section. That was us (and DD was born at 40w3d). NICU isn't only for premies, you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I delivered my son by C section at Sibley at 32 weeks. After they got him all settled, they wheeled me in my stretcher to see him and I spent an hour or so with him (this was the middle of the night). I unfortunately didn't get to see him the next day (except they put him by the window and rolled me by to look at him through the window). The day after that I was in a wheelchair and saw him as much as I liked. I should add during this whole time, my husband went in whenever he wanted - sometimes in the middle of the night to check on him.

This was my experience as well - I was wheeled into the NICU at Sibley in bed 2 hours after my son was born and sat with him for 2 hours. The next day I could not see him until 2:00 pm (almost 24 hours later) because they were waiting for other babies to get settled into the NICU, but my nurse finally disobeyed orders and took me in in the wheelchair because she thought it was unacceptable for me not to be able to see him - I will forever be grateful to her. Once I had been wheeled in once, I could go in whenever I wanted. My husband could go in at any time.

[Anonymous]

Oh my gosh, this is all so horrifying. It's one thing if you're truly sick and need medical care yourself, but for a hospital to deny mom a chance to see her children seems criminal to me, especially last poster, who said nurses said it was because "they were waiting for other babies to get settled into the NICU." Sorry, mom gets to bond with her babies as soon as she's healthy, unless the baby needs to be protected against outside germs, etc, and then there has to be a pretermined plan for approaching that situation. I think I WOULD be pretty assertive in that case, but what do you do if you can't walk? Ugh -- this sounds so horrible to me. OP, can you update us? I assume by now your friend has seen her babies. What happened? Was she told why she couldn't see them? ARe they ok now?

[Anonymous]

I had twins at 33w5d and my doctor would not let me go to see them for about 24 hours because of severe pre-e with HELLP syndrome. She was concerned that the overwhelming trip to the NICU to see two healthy, but full-of-tubes babies would be more than my heart could handle and send my blood pressure skyrocketing. I fought and fought and finally at just shy of 24 hours she let my husband wheel me down to see them.

Sounds like there is more to this story, like the health of the mother, that is missing. I was at Fairfax and my husband was allowed in from the minute they were born. He even brought in our family and dearest friends (all of whom saw my children in the NICU before I did).

[Anonymous]

I'm a previous poster and just wondering if OP has an update. This post bothers me and I want to know that the mom got in to see her babies.