Bringing baby home is going to be different to every high risker. I know many have spend days or even months in the NICU. Some blessed parents only need a few hours in the NICU or not at all.
In my case Little Man and I both had a short hospital stay with far fewer problems then most. Little Man had issues with jaundice which is not totally uncommon. We had to bring him back into the hospital quite a few times to draw blood and keep everything in check but the problem eventually went away.
The other issue we had was weight. Little man was born a long and lean baby. He was 21 3/4 inches long and when we left the hospital a meager 6 lbs (and to be honest I forget the oz). He had frequent weight checks. He measured small at all his check ups sometimes not even charting. Our pediatrician had expressed concern for his size. Its frustrating but not uncommon. Babies tend to pack on the lbs at the end of pregnancy. Little man short-changed himself of a few weeks- he was eager to meet Momma!
I wasn't prepared in the beginning for everyone's comments and concern over Little Man's size. He had no rolls, no Buddha belly. He was not the plump little baby everyone expects to see. 3 months later he has begun to develop little possible leg rolls but we have yet to see a baby Buddha belly.
Today in particular though, it hit me how hard it can be. When you see other babies the same age, talk to mom's with babies the same age and realize that your baby might not be where they should be. Little man has just started wearing size 1 diapers. I happened into a message board discussion about babies his age and younger who were in size 2 and 3's. The little flaps on his size 1's still overlap!
Its a little thing but it can be very frustrating. Don't forget to continue to reach out after baby arrives.
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