NICU Advice 

B came at 36 weeks as well. At the time it felt like the worst thing in the world, but in the end it was such a blessing. We got the best training from the nurses. We called it mommy and daddy boot camp.  I wanted write this post because I remember feeling like a failure and all alone.  My best friend who I was lucky enough to get pregnant with was in the room next to us with her full term daughter.  I reached out to an acquaintance who I knew had twins who were in the NICU.  She provided me with the best support and advice.   We learned great tips.

• Celebrate every milestone - Feeding tubes out, moving into a new crib.
• Take lots of pictures - At first when seeing all the tubes taking photos was the last thing on my mind, but I am so happy we did.  I love looking back at the photos to see just how far she has come.
• Embrace the schedule - Bailey was on a schedule when we got home and can sleep through anything.
• Ask lots of questions
• Leave the hospital and don't feel like you need to be in the NICU all day and night - we were so fortunate to have a hospital that let us stay there for the two weeks that Bailey was in the NICU.  It was easy to want to stay in the hospital 24/7.  We were allowed to see Bailey every 3 hours and the first day I thought we will go everytime even in the middle of the night.  Your son/daughter are in the best care possible use this time to get some sleep because when you get home you will most likely not have a team of professionals helping you.
• Breast feeding/pumping - B and I were not very successful with bfing so I pumped like it was my job.  I know it is not for everyone, but it provided me with sanity.  It was one thing I could do that the nurses could not.  I highly recommend a hands free pumping bra. You can get them in amazon. Gives you the opportunity to be hands free while pumping. And a nursing bra. If you continue pumping after I would also recommend an AC adaptor so you can plug you pump in while in the car. I wear a hooter hider while my husband drives. It got to the point where I felt trapped in the house because I was exclusively pumping and had to be home to pump every 3 hours.