You Know You're a Preemie Parent When......

....it amazes me how funny and true I found this..... it's amazing to me that it's been nearly three years. i used to know how many mL my kids were taking in meds and when they took them...i used to know how much they weighed to the gram.....i celebrated when Erin came off Oxygen....i cringed when people asked how old the twins were, because i would have to hear it AGAIN how small they were....



You Know You are the Parent of a Preemie When...

Compiled from iVillage's Preemie message board and some others from my mami and papi...

You use strange initials (C-PAP, CCs, NICU, NG) when discussing your child.

You actually remember how many CCs make up an ounce.

You count his weight in grams.

The skin on your hands is peeling from washing so often!

You hesitate when someone asks his/her age, but you know exactly how much he/she weighs!

The answer to "How old is your baby?" is a story 30 minutes long!

When someone asks his birthday, you reply, “Which one?”

You start to understand some of the things they say on ER!

You turn into Kung-Fu Mom when someone tries to touch your baby.

You attempt to measure just how much spit-up he/she just had before you clean it up!

You know how much he weighs before putting him on the scale at the doctor's office

You cry at Maternity Ward and get mad at Baby Story.

You see a 7lb newborn and say "Wow! She's so BIG!"

Your baby is months old before he can even go to the mall.

You have ever explained why your baby is on an apnea monitor.

When some says how tiny your baby is, you argue that he is huge -- and to demonstrate, you whip out pictures of him in NICU.

You do a health check on people when they come to your house to visit .

You make people wash their hands before going near your child.

You want to scream when someone says that she just wants to have this baby now - at week 28, 32, or 34.

You are so amazed when someone actually tells you your baby is big for his age!

You tried to find a place to buy newborn size diapers in bulk.

You called half your relatives when the baby grew out of their first pair of pajamas!

You never take your child for granted.

You worry about RSV season and it is still weeks away…

You know what “RSV” stands for.

You donate his/her tiny clothes to the NICU and marvel that they seem so small - when they were too darn large!

Your son gets a simple cold and her doc sees her within the hour!

People say, "He CAN'T be __ old...he's too little!"

It has taken them 5 months to grow INTO newborn clothes!

You pick up 2 pounds of ground beef and think that your baby was born at the same weight

You buy "Purell" in bulk

You can stare at your baby for hours when he sleeps

You know about oxygen tanks and regulators more than the company supplying it at the airplanes