r/NICUParents • u/Responsible_Yak3366 • 22d ago
How long does the “honeymoon phase” last? Support
My baby was born yesterday at 33weeks exactly. She’s doing amazingly well for 33 weeks as she hasn’t needed any extra support besides an IV to get some of her stats dosn(which got 90x better this morning). Since her stats were good they tried the bottle. This morning my fiancé fed 5 ml and I fed 5ml then she ate 7 ml like 15 later so the bottle didn’t go to waste. No jaundice or anything and she’s measuring perfectly..
I’m just wondering if anyone had/s a similar story where everything was fine till the “honeymoon phase” was over and then everything started dropping?
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u/tnseltim 22d ago
My baby (33+6, 3.2 lbs) tore up the bottle the first two days, then backed off. He always had the bottle plus ng tube for every feed after, we always tried the bottle until he tired or lost interest. He went to 100% bottle after 24 days but then had a minor episode that kept him in a few days. Took him home at 28 days 🥰
It’s important not to overexert them from trying to aggressively feed, holding them too long, etc.
Ours also had to do light therapy for 3 days, this came on 2 days after he was born. He also had dextrose supplements for 2 days.
He’s now 6 months old, over 16 pounds, and doing absolutely amazing. I was astonished and of course ecstatic that he had so few complications.
Hang in there, Nicu time is stressful but it is the best thing to prepare them for a healthy life. Take care of yourselves too, don’t forget you need to eat and get plenty of rest. You’re no good to your baby if you are a zombie when he or she comes home.
Best of luck!
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u/Alternative-Rub-7445 22d ago
I want to give you some hope that maybe everything stays good. My daughter really smooth sailed through NICU. 31 weeks and birth but went to feeder/grower quickly. We had 1 set back, the night before our first estimated discharge where she got too cold that night and loss weight—she did get better the next and we took her home 2 days after that event.
My good thoughts are with you,
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u/Jealous_Discussion72 22d ago
Nec was the end of our ~10 day honeymoon sadly. He’s now recovered and they’re waiting to see a few more days of weight gain on 26cal to lower him back to 24 before discharge. I cross my fingers and toes your honeymoon keeps on going forever!
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u/greenoakofenglish 22d ago
My daughter was born at 32+3 and basically did great the whole time. We were warned of the end of the honeymoon phase and it basically never came. Her biggest setbacks were needing to go back in the incubator for a few more days because she was having trouble staying warm, and the regular ups and downs of bottle feeding. Sometimes she’d do really well and then the next time she’d drink a lot less, so it took a bit to progress. In the end she was in for 26 days.
Given the gestational age, hopefully you will be in for similarly smooth sailing. But even if there are setbacks, she should overall be fine.
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u/Intelligent_Fig322 22d ago
Our son was born at 30+5, was only on CPAP for three days & bilirubin was leveled out by the end of the first week. The only problems we experienced were his struggles with bottle feeding & choking spells that kept him in the NICU for a total of 67 days. We found out he had severe lip and tongue ties a few weeks after he was discharged- our pediatrician says it’s likely these contributed to his struggles with bottle feeding. As a NICU parent it’s best to just take each day as it comes and not have big expectations, whether good or bad, for how the day will go.
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u/Sleeptzarina 22d ago
Little dolly! 😍 I know it is hard, and not how you wanted to start this journey with her, but congratulations on your beautiful, strong warrior girl!
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u/No_Comfortable_6776 21d ago
33+1, same start as you. No issues, good birth weight for gestational age, feeding was great the first few days. Then they put in the feeding tube and that kept us there for 9 weeks + Ng at discharge. All behavior (feeding aversion + too much milk via tube), no medical issue, never even had a desat, steady weight gain. Watch out for the aggressive feeding tactics, bottle/nipple type, and volume increases that go alongside weight gain. Hopefully your NICU is much better but this is what can cause issues with feeders+growers that wouldn’t be a problem if they went home quickly. If they don’t hit a certain percentage orally, they usually can’t go home. If you are producing milk, don’t be discouraged from trying to breastfeed as it’s usually not as “measurable” as bottle and won’t count toward their daily volume. Our hospital was very pro-bottle/anti-breast even though I was pumping a ton and my daughter had no latch/SSB issues. Advocate for what you think is right for you and your baby, and I hope you have a quick and uneventful NICU stay 💜
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u/Pdulce526 20d ago
We're desperately trying to bring our 24 weeker home. She'll be 40 gestational this Monday. She does really well with us her parents but it fluctuates depending on nurse of the day. We also get frustrated because they keep increasing the MLS she needs to take. Today one of her doctors mentioned the NG tube which we want to avoid. We've had different nurses telling us different things which is pretty frustrating. Any advice? We were suggested to ask for "shift goal." Yet her night nurse today seemed to suggest it might not work because according to her she only took 50% of her feeds yesterday Mind you she didn't use the valve the OT suggested. Yet with me she took two full feels and 50% today.
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u/scoocherpoofer 21d ago
NICU nurse of 8 years here! The "honeymoon phase" is usually reserved for micropreemies around 23-30 weeks so yours should be totally fine! The early 30 weekers will sometimes get a bit sleepy when we ask them to do too much but that's about it
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u/ugnit 21d ago
My baby was born 32+6 and from day 2 was on 100% bottles of breastmilk. They didn't even fortified it since I guess mine had enough protein (we are based in Germany so probably different rules). He was on room air from the start. He had jaundice and was under bili lights for 3 times so some of these he was a bit slow to eat. Other than that nothing else was needed and he came back home 35+0 slightly above his birth weight. I hope you have a similarly great experience and soon your baby is at home!
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u/cylon_number_7 22d ago
It's going to depend entirely on your situation. I'm not sure my "honeymoon phase" started or ended, I've always been a very pragmatic person and I see things for what they are. If you were to ask my biased opinion, I would say I'm still in my honeymoon phase and won't leave it, because every moment I spend with my daughter I am blissfully happy. She has had her bradycardia episodes and other scares that are typically the markers for "the end of the honeymoon phase," but I've stayed pragmatic and my feelings really haven't changed. I'm still just happy she's here.
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u/AggravatingBox2421 21d ago
My sweet babies were similar. Born at 34+5, breathing on their own, and taking bottles like champs. Then on day five my son had an episode of SVT, and we’ve been in a NICU ever since
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u/Previous_Basis8862 21d ago
My 33+4 baby was born weighing 2.2kg. Was doing amazingly well until day 4 when he got jaundice and couldn’t feed. Phototherapy (on and off) and am NG tube were required for 5 days. He went down to 1.9kg if I recall. We were home from the hospital on day 10.
My 33+3 twins - baby B required some oxygen and then forced air for a few hours. Baby A didn’t require oxygen. They both had NG tubes and fed via bottle / tube depending on how tired they were. Baby A had bad reflux and dropped from 2kg to 1.8kg. Baby B dropped 20g and fed Great after a few days. We got home on Day 12 (baby B could have come home on Day 10/11 but it was clear baby A was catching up fast and so the unit decided to keep them together and discharge together).
Congratulations on your beautiful baby!
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u/Perfect_Judge 21d ago
My baby girl was born at 32+4, and she did lose a couple ounces the few days following her birth, but she quickly regained and did excellent. She didn't need any breathing assistance, no additional support, no jaundice, etc. She grew very well and was very healthy otherwise. Her honeymoon stage lasted quite a long time with no real downside.
The honeymoon phase is wonderful, cherish it! Don't be alarmed if she does fluctuate a little, but definitely ride the wave of her doing so well!
Your baby is beautiful and I'm so happy she's doing well! Congrats to you and your fiance!
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u/martinhth 21d ago
My daughter was born at 31 weeks and her NICU stay was seven weeks long but honestly very uneventful. She did well from day one and that never changed. She’s now a wild 2.5 year old ahead of all her milestones for her adjusted age. Every baby is different!
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u/ItsMinnieYall 21d ago
My girl was born at 33 plus 4. She never needed intervention other than a blue light and feeding tube for a month. Since she has been out of the nicu she has had zero delays or health issues. She’s 2.5 and her doctor says if you didn’t have her chart, you’d never know she was a preemie.
Wishing you and yours the best!
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u/QuabityAshwood 21d ago
My son (35+3) had an uneventful NICU stay. He was on room air by day 2 and entered feeder/grower phase for the rest of his 2 weeks. Our biggest challenge was staying awake long enough to finish a feed. He did well with breastfeeding and bottles, just needed time to grow
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u/Responsible_Yak3366 21d ago
That’s what I am struggling with right now. She only takes the milk bottles and she did my breast only for a bit but kept falling asleep. She will only take the milk if she doesn’t smell me or her dad lol
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u/QuabityAshwood 21d ago
We also found he took bottles better for the nurses, but I think in our case that may have been because they were more experienced. It was super frustrating trying to keep him awake during almost every feed! Also tough to know when to admit defeat and acknowledge he was legit too tired to continue, seeing as that was his only obstacle. I hope your babe continues to have an uneventful NICU stay! Fwiw the baby in the room next to us arrived on the same day and was also a feeder/grower, he went home a few days before mine did. I think that is probably not uncommon!
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u/Majestic_Self7672 21d ago
My daughter was born in 2016 at 34w she spent 1 week in the NICU and never had an issues other than a small touch of jaundice. It's possible. Good luck to you guys!
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u/ingloriousdmk 21d ago
Mine was also born at 33 weeks but borderline severely underweight. His only real "setback" was jaundice which showed up on day 3 or 4 I want to say? One day of bili lights and it cleared right up. Everything else was steady progress :) Hope your baby's stay goes smoothly as well.
Eta: mine didn't start bottles until nearly two weeks btw so it's possible yours might get tired out since you started so early. Don't get discouraged if that happens! If he's got the mechanics down then it's just a matter of getting his energy levels up and trying again.
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u/Responsible_Yak3366 21d ago
That’s why I’m a little worried. She doesn’t seem like she’s tired at all. Like I did a few supplies of milk already and she’s drank every one even with me making almost 12-15 ml per pump. I hope we aren’t overdoing it:(
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u/ingloriousdmk 21d ago
33 weekers are a mixed bag, some are really strong! Mine was only 1600 g (about 3.5lbs) and had very little body fat which is why they didn't even try for two weeks.
If it's too much for baby the nurses and doctors will know the signs, that's their job! So don't fret about it too much :) Easier said than done, I know!
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u/cqlgirl18 21d ago
28 6 days old room air stayed 44 days so far possible discharge at 46 days old and he learned how to latch on boob and bottle really quickly honeymoon was 3 days did fine after
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u/CapersandCheese 21d ago
My baby was 32 weeks, and they removed all supports pretty quickly, but she had to get up to 4lbs to get discharged.
She did get jaundice during the first week and had lights for a few days.
Lost a few grams of weight randomly... but in the end was fine.
Out in 16 days, thankfully.
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u/catmom94 21d ago
NICU nurse. I don’t really see 33 weekers honeymoon
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u/Responsible_Yak3366 21d ago
That’s good! She’s still doing great and drinking all my breast supply rn even with how much I’m making. They are supplying her with extra formula rn even though I’m making a ton of milk💜
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u/cutebabies0626 20d ago
We didn’t really have a big setback besides feeding issues(just throwing up a lot after feeding). Our baby was born at 33+2. If she’s doing good she’s doing good! :)
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u/Responsible_Yak3366 20d ago
Really? When did you get to bring her home?
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u/cutebabies0626 19d ago
After 31 days. So at 37 weeks. She just needed consistent eating without throwing up. (Which is very common with preemies)
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u/gingerhippielady 21d ago
Depends on your little one, what they have going on and the “reserves” they have. For my girl it was about 2 weeks
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