The Official Daddies Club

[take_yer_points]

Started off in neo-natal high dependancy in the Royal for a little over a week, then they transferred us to Craigavon.
Still in neo-natal, but not high dependancy apart from a few days after the transfer. They spent a further 5 weeks in Craigavon, though one of them had to go back to the Royal for a couple of days for surgery.
We thought they could have got home earlier but they want them to be above a certain weight before letting them go...3lbs I think it was.
I remember when they first started to get fed via tubes, they would get 0.25ml per feed. Over the days it went up to 0.5ml and gradual increments until it got up to 5ml. This was all tube feeds at this point and the wee feckers kept pulling the tubes out.
Then in Craigavon when they tried to stimulate the sucking reflex they used to put the milk into the teat of the bottle and hold it in their mouth.

You learn a lot about how delicate life can be and also how resilient in those circumstances, but without trying to sound sanctimonious, you couldnt really understand the emotions and stress something like that puts you through.

One of the hardest parts was trying to explain it to our other kids, who just wanted to meet their brothers. But, only parents are allowed into the unit, so they had to wait the full 6+ weeks before they got to see them.

I'm going through something similar myself at the minute, though not to the same extent. Twins have been in high dependency in the royal for a week now with only us and the grandparents allowed in. Plenty of progress this last week but still no idea when we'll get them home. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks. Our tube feeds are 2 hourly 25mm and 28mm for the two of them. They're up to 1 bottle to every two bottle feeds today so hopefully push on from there. Both out of the incubators now too but talk this evening that one of them might be going back in.

The people who work in there are saints - can't praise them enough!

I know its stressful but the fact that they are out of incubators and that the tube feeds are increasing in volume are good signs (based on my own experience).
Dont be too concerned about going back into incubators, that happened us too. Ours were in incubators all the time in the royal, and we were never allowed to take them out or hold them but when we got the Craigavon they got out within another week, though one of ours finished up going back into it as he became jaundiced.
From what little you have said it sounds very similar to ours and it all worked out for us in the end so hopefully it will all go well for you too.

Good man, thanks for all that. Replied to PM there too

[Under Lights]

Getting better with the sleeping. Still roars for about 20 minutes when we put her down but has slept a full night two out of last three nights. Hopefully getting back to normal though going on holidays next week which will fcuk it up again.

[CD]

Getting better with the sleeping. Still roars for about 20 minutes when we put her down but has slept a full night two out of last three nights. Hopefully getting back to normal though going on holidays next week which will fcuk it up again.

Hope she settles for you! We always find that holidays etc have a big impact on routine. For us, routine is the key. We have 3 under 5 and every night it's bed at 7 for all three. Baby still gets a 'dream feed' at 10.30pm and goes through to 6am or so. The middle girl, having been a wee nightmare until she was 2, is now a breeze but wakes at 6am every morning. Now that they've settled our oldest girl who has just turned 5 has been up every night for two months with 'night terrors'. The only terror in our house at 2 in the morning is me!! It's always the way, you get one settled and someone else kicks off! We have a good system - If it's after 5am, I deal with it. My wife then gets a lie in. Works for us.

[gawa316]

Getting better with the sleeping. Still roars for about 20 minutes when we put her down but has slept a full night two out of last three nights. Hopefully getting back to normal though going on holidays next week which will fcuk it up again.

Hope she settles for you! We always find that holidays etc have a big impact on routine. For us, routine is the key. We have 3 under 5 and every night it's bed at 7 for all three. Baby still gets a 'dream feed' at 10.30pm and goes through to 6am or so. The middle girl, having been a wee nightmare until she was 2, is now a breeze but wakes at 6am every morning. Now that they've settled our oldest girl who has just turned 5 has been up every night for two months with 'night terrors'. The only terror in our house at 2 in the morning is me!! It's always the way, you get one settled and someone else kicks off! We have a good system - If it's after 5am, I deal with it. My wife then gets a lie in. Works for us.

That's more or less the same with us. Have a 2 month old, 2 yr old and a 4 yr old. Older boys go down at 8p and the baby around 9/10 or when we can get her to go down. She's a lot less fussy recently (touch wood) which helps. Wife basically looks after her and I look after the 2 boys. They get up at around 6 am every morning.

What time does everyone else put their toddlers (2-4 yrs) down at? There is a couple living opposite us that still have their kids out playing going on 9pm. Our oldest is always asking to go out, but if we put him or his brother down any later it does not effect when they get up so they are getting less sleep. The heat has also a part to play here, it can still be up around 90 degrees at 7pm so it is difficult to get outside and play. I'm in 2 minds whether to let them stay up and get some much needed outside play but this would mean they get less sleep...dilemma!

[Ulick]

4 under 5 here. They all go down just after 7. Will sometimes let the 2 year old stay up a little longer if she's had a nap earlier in the day.

[THE MIGHTY QUINN]

Oh the joys of sleepless nights, was fortunate enough the girls were great sleepers and didn't give too much annoyance, the one rule though was never let them get into a routine of sleeping in your own bed, the odd night (and I mean they've been in their own bed but came in during the night) is fine.

Think my wife grew to hate me for a period when one of the kids would have cried before bed briefly, I would have let her cry on, of course this was after we knew she'd been fed poohed and winded. I miss those days, now they cry all the time, need money for this need money for that, asked them to clean their room is like the worst thing on earth!!

Oh the joys......

Enjoy these days. You have sleepless nights ahead. The sleepless nights of a parent waiting for a teenager to return home after a night out. A worse level of sleeplessness than you experienced when they were kids

[laoislad]

Had the 2 year old in Crumlin today for a hearing test. They thought he had fluid in his ears and would need grommets which would be a common enough thing because of his condition.
Last time we took him he screamed the place down and couldn't get the full test done.
Thankfully today he was as good as gold and they got full test done. No fluid in ears and hearing is perfect so no need for grommets. Happy days.

[gawa316]

Had the 2 year old in Crumlin today for a hearing test. They thought he had fluid in his ears and would need grommets which would be a common enough thing because of his condition.
Last time we took him he screamed the place down and couldn't get the full test done.
Thankfully today he was as good as gold and they got full test done. No fluid in ears and hearing is perfect so no need for grommets. Happy days.

Good news, happy days indeed!

[Shrewdness]

laoislad, despite our differing opinions on other threads, i'm glad to see that everything turned out well re your post above.. Hello to you as well gawa316, and before you ask, the cousins are fine!".. One thing it seems we all have in common is that we are parents, and i'm reliably informed by those with older kids than me, that the worrying about our kids never stops.

[gawa316]

laoislad, despite our differing opinions on other threads, i'm glad to see that everything turned out well re your post above.. Hello to you as well gawa316, and before you ask, the cousins are fine!".. One thing it seems we all have in common is that we are parents, and i'm reliably informed by those with older kids than me, that the worrying about our kids never stops.

I'm only pulling your chain. I could be arguing with half my mates on here for all I know as they are Utd fans but at the end of the day they are mates and what football team we support doesn't come into it. Indeed it is nice to realize we have something in common that makes up most of our waking minutes and things like sports, religion, culture that we get so caught up on really doesn't compare (well that goes for me anyway).

Oh by the way I have 8 cousins but unfortunately none of them are ITK

[CD]

For those rainy summer days - a really decent price this week for Lego at ASDA. One of those toys that all kids seem to love

http://direct.asda.com/LEGO-Creative-Building-Cube---600-Piece-Brick-Box---10681/000772929,default,pd.html

[brokencrossbar1]

For those rainy summer days - a really decent price this week for Lego at ASDA. One of those toys that all kids seem to love

http://direct.asda.com/LEGO-Creative-Building-Cube---600-Piece-Brick-Box---10681/000772929,default,pd.html

Woo hoo,  everything is awesome!!!!  Kids are massive lego fans,  DC Marvel sets and Stars Wars Lego in particular

[Under Lights]

Great work CD. Keep the tips coming lads. Top Daddying there.

[laoislad]

For those rainy summer days - a really decent price this week for Lego at ASDA. One of those toys that all kids seem to love

http://direct.asda.com/LEGO-Creative-Building-Cube---600-Piece-Brick-Box---10681/000772929,default,pd.html

Woo hoo,  everything is awesome!!!!  Kids are massive lego fans,  DC Marvel sets and Stars Wars Lego in particular

Now I just need to find my local Asda in Dublin.........

[gawa316]

Right if your kids are in to toy cars this yoke is deadly.

http://www.blutrack.com

I can't can seem to post pics on here from the iPad for some reason so go into the link. Apologies for the union flew!! You can get it off amazon.

I guess it's kinda expensive for what it actually is (a big strip of rubber) but it keeps my 2 and 4 yr old (and me!) occupied for hrs. This can have no monetary value I'm sure you'll agree.

You can do loads with it. Just YouTube it and you see what it does.