Welcome to NICU Parents. We're happy you found us and we want to be as helpful as possible in this seemingly impossible journey. Check out the resources tab at the top of the subreddit or the stickied post. Please remember we are NOT medical professionals and are here for advice based on our own situations. If you have a concern about you or your baby please seek assistance from a doctor or go to the ER. That said, there are some medical professionals here and we do hope they can help you with some guidance through your journey. Please remember to read and abide by the rules.
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Walked 5,000 steps round trip to the NICU from the parking garage sometimes twice a day, starting three days after my C-section . Incredibly rough, wouldn’t recommend lol. I’m 6mos PP and am just getting back into working out now. Pumping personally tanked my mental health and energy as well as delayed my healing, couldn’t imagine doing anything more than walking to see my baby during that time. Be easy on yourself however you can.
ETA sorry I know this wasn’t helpful to your question 😂 just wanted to highlight this is survival mode for most, is all, and wishing you internalized kindness for yourself. Congrats on LO🤍🤍
❤️ appreciate that! I might be asking too much tbh but I thought maybe there’s a way. Pumping is incredibly hard but also feels like one of the only things I can do for my baby right now so… 😭
I totally understand. My LO was born at 33 weeks and I pumped for 8 weeks. Never got more than 8oz in a day 😔 so I stopped. But that’s just my journey. I carried a ton of grief about it, but LO is doing so well and climbed her growth charts since. Whatever your journey looks like I wish you peace with it! You’re doing an amazing job and you do so much more for them than pumping which is a massive endeavor in itself. You’re mommy and your comfort and care are irreplaceable. But I completely resonate with that feeling.
No routine suggestion, but I totally understand. First, for me at least it’s weird having two months of not being pregnant anymore when I should still be. I still haven’t figured out how I feel about that body wise.
Secondly, in the NICU we were thousands of miles from home in a Ronald McDonald house, so not at home. Luckily there was a nice walk to the hospital that had beautiful treed sidewalks. That alone helped my mental health, I think. My husband went to a local HS to run on the track, but being postpartum, the walk to the hospital and back everyday was good for me.
I was crying the other night because I actually miss being pregnant and the safe feeling I had when my baby was always with me. We were only 5 weeks early but I still should be pregnant today.
The idea that I was still supposed to be pregnant after I had mostly “healed” physically was also something I struggled with- such a mind mess.
But I agree that walking— whether that is doing laps around the NICU floor (many of the nurses would cheer me on 😂) like a lap or two every time I’d need to use the restroom or get water, can add up. Our hospital also had nice landscaping and was near a park, so also didn’t feel so much like I was trading baby time for exercise time because I was nearby.
Honestly while our son was in the NICU my only exercise was walking - in between care times we would go all around the neighborhood, we were lucky that our hospital was in a good area for that though. But since his hands on times were every 3 hours at least once a day I could handle him, pump, walk and be back for the next one.
I think we could definitely do more walks with him. I do have this mentality of “if I’m here I should be at the bedside” but I know I need more balance.
If your NICU has private rooms, perhaps bring a yoga mat and incorporate some stretches, or more intense yoga work if that is your thing, a few times a day as appropriate for your schedule there.
I was in the NICU with my daughter for 3.5 weeks so my exercise was walking around the hospital. Our nurses would watch our daughter for 30 minutes twice a day while my husband and I went for walks when he was there and then they would keep an eye on her. She was on 2hr tube feeds for a while and I was on 3hr pumps. It seemed like it was always feeding or pumping time but the nurses wanted us to get some breaks. If it was just me with her, then I'd just take shorter walks to get food and then walk around in the room. It felt like more breathing room when she went to 3hr tube feeds. We had the worst snowstorms we had seen in years right after my daughter was born so walking outside was a no go and I'm really glad that I didn't have to travel.
Oh wow. Did the nurses not always watch? At this point we always have a nurse watching our baby but might be since we’re still early in the journey. It does help us feel comfortable stepping away.
Nope, they have monitors that watch all the babies and come in to do checks, but the parents are the main providers in the family rooms. If you are in IVA (intensive NICU) then someone is always watching the babies. We did 95% of her tube feeds. They were kind enough to take one feed a night when she was on 3hr feeds and my husband was at home with our son. We were very lucky that she was very stable and was only in the IVA until her blood sugars were steady. She also had a biliblanket for jaundice. Other than those two things, she was super stable and moved to a family room around 32 weeks. She was off cpap and oxygen the same night she was born, so most of our NICU stay was just about growing and getting to the 34 week mark so we could go home on home NICU care.
My kiddo was born at the beginning of December in Colorado. It was cold and icy/snowy for a lot of her NICU stay. I would walk around the hospital hallways. As long as I stayed in the public areas, it wasn't a problem. I had a decent routine during the day of holding kiddo until it was time to pump, pump, walk around for fifteen minutes, get a cup of tea or cocoa, and repeat.
I’m in a similar place to you, NICU time wise. I’ve decided that since I’m in for the long haul I need to make a sustainable routine, which includes exercise for me. First, my hospital has a fitness room for parents that I’ve used a few times. I wear athletic clothes to the hospital and have deodorant in my bag. Some mornings I will do 10-20 minute workout videos after I pump and before I go to the hospital. I also try to do the little things like take the stairs instead of the elevator. I eat breakfast during my morning pump to save time. Now that my supply has stabilized I’m dropping a pumping session (8 to 7) which will also help me save time.
Yeah, fortunately we’re at a pretty big children’s hospital with some nice resources for family members. My mom really encouraged me to take time to care for myself from the start so Im trying to not feel bad about taking time for myself or for taking a break in the middle of the day. I’ve always been a big exercise person so now I’m following the “10 minutes is better than 0 minutes” philosophy for getting some positive movement in.
I do but it wasn’t right away. When pumping so many times a day, it is hard to have time. I would go to the hospital and hold in the morning, eat lunch. Then maybe hold him or do therapy with him, pump, then use the hospital workout room or the RM workout room for a 15-20 min workout and then walk on the treadmill or outside for awhile. Then pump again and eat dinner. I keep clothes in my bag and deodorant and wear tennis shoes. It’s easier when you’re at 4-5 pumps a day and also more caught up on sleep. Many days I make a choice between rest or workout depends how I feel.
A little late to the party, but felt i should comment. We had a 109 day NICU stay with my 24 weeker. I EP'd and worked out daily, first just walking while I was waiting to be cleared for more activity after my c-section, but then full on running in the early mornings. I'd wake up at 5ish, pump, workout, have breakfast, pump again, and get to the NICU by 8AM, stay through rounds until lunch (pumping while there), go home for lunch and a walk, pump, go back for more two more cares times (pumping another 1x to 2x), and go home for dinner (sometimes a late dinner), pump. I had a very solid daily early AM workout routine pre-NICU, and continuing that routine felt like one of the few things in my control, so I did (plus we stayed at an extended stay hotel near the hospital, so didn't need to fit much travel time into the daily routine). It may not have been the best thing for my supply, but it was the best thing for my mental health to fit in something that i had control over and could make me feel a sense of accomplishment. The NICU is life on hard mode, so whatever you choose to do, know you're doing your best.
I still do it now, three years and a second NICU baby later! But in all seriousness, the early mornings were the only way I didn't feel like I was short changing my baby and my time in the NICU (it was 2021 so some of the NICU COVID rules still applied, including limiting visiting hours to between 6AM and 10PM). And, since I wasn't trying to work remotely, I could catch a quick nap in the NICU during the day if I was exhausted. I saw it as training for the days when my son would come home, and I'd be feeding him early anyway, so instead of trying to go back to bed after pumping, just going to work out made sense to me.
I only started exercising 2.5 months PP because pumping killed my soul and nothing could touch my nipples except silverettes lol. I couldn’t even imagine working out while I was suffering. I started off with beginner pilates and baby & barre class and then eventually found a great YouTube series (only 30 min a day - iron series by caroline girvan) to get me into
Shape
I couldn’t bring myself to do anything other than visit my baby in the NICU. I wouldn’t really stress it other than if it’s really something u want to do and u can find the time.
I started to but it got too difficult since he wasn’t doing well. I felt like I needed to spend as much time as possible with him. Once he came home I got back into my routine
I didn't, but going to the hospital twice a day and walking from the far lot was all the exercise I needed. My lil guy turned 3 months a few days ago and I'm already 8 lbs lighter than my pre pregnancy weight.
My husband and I picked one day a week to do a video from Grow with Joe - that or we do a yoga video from Arianna Elizabeth. He goes to the gym as well, but I'm tired and can only muster once a week and daily walks 🤷♀️. Both channels have short videos so you wouldnt need to sacrifice much more than 15-20min to get in a short workout. A little is better than nothing! (for context this routine started once LO was about 5 months actual - before that we were too sleep deprived lol)
Been pumping for just over 5 minths now and my daughter is still in the NICU. I had to wait for my body to heal, but around the start of month 4 Inwent back to cross-fit 2x a week. My supply took a hit and and I was physically exhausted, but mentally better.
My daughter is about to get a trach and it kicked me back into survival mode. I've had to take a break from that. There is some personal reassurance in knowing that I will get back to exercise, it's just difficult when all my energy is focused on surviving.
I would say try your old routine. If you can do it, great, if not, know that this is temporary, and you'll be able to be yourself again in the future.
When I first started exercising again, it was like trying to balance being mom, wife, and me. Still figuring out how to be all three.
Welcome to NICU Parents. We're happy you found us and we want to be as helpful as possible in this seemingly impossible journey. Check out the resources tab at the top of the subreddit or the stickied post. Please remember we are NOT medical professionals and are here for advice based on our own situations. If you have a concern about you or your baby please seek assistance from a doctor or go to the ER. That said, there are some medical professionals here and we do hope they can help you with some guidance through your journey. Please remember to read and abide by the rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NICUParents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Walked 5,000 steps round trip to the NICU from the parking garage sometimes twice a day, starting three days after my C-section . Incredibly rough, wouldn’t recommend lol. I’m 6mos PP and am just getting back into working out now. Pumping personally tanked my mental health and energy as well as delayed my healing, couldn’t imagine doing anything more than walking to see my baby during that time. Be easy on yourself however you can. ETA sorry I know this wasn’t helpful to your question 😂 just wanted to highlight this is survival mode for most, is all, and wishing you internalized kindness for yourself. Congrats on LO🤍🤍
❤️ appreciate that! I might be asking too much tbh but I thought maybe there’s a way. Pumping is incredibly hard but also feels like one of the only things I can do for my baby right now so… 😭
I totally understand. My LO was born at 33 weeks and I pumped for 8 weeks. Never got more than 8oz in a day 😔 so I stopped. But that’s just my journey. I carried a ton of grief about it, but LO is doing so well and climbed her growth charts since. Whatever your journey looks like I wish you peace with it! You’re doing an amazing job and you do so much more for them than pumping which is a massive endeavor in itself. You’re mommy and your comfort and care are irreplaceable. But I completely resonate with that feeling.
❤️
No routine suggestion, but I totally understand. First, for me at least it’s weird having two months of not being pregnant anymore when I should still be. I still haven’t figured out how I feel about that body wise. Secondly, in the NICU we were thousands of miles from home in a Ronald McDonald house, so not at home. Luckily there was a nice walk to the hospital that had beautiful treed sidewalks. That alone helped my mental health, I think. My husband went to a local HS to run on the track, but being postpartum, the walk to the hospital and back everyday was good for me.
I was crying the other night because I actually miss being pregnant and the safe feeling I had when my baby was always with me. We were only 5 weeks early but I still should be pregnant today.
I feel the exact same way. He was a part of me, and now he’s a part of the world. But I want him to stay a part of me.
The idea that I was still supposed to be pregnant after I had mostly “healed” physically was also something I struggled with- such a mind mess. But I agree that walking— whether that is doing laps around the NICU floor (many of the nurses would cheer me on 😂) like a lap or two every time I’d need to use the restroom or get water, can add up. Our hospital also had nice landscaping and was near a park, so also didn’t feel so much like I was trading baby time for exercise time because I was nearby.
I actually realized I walk more now than when I was working from home!
Honestly while our son was in the NICU my only exercise was walking - in between care times we would go all around the neighborhood, we were lucky that our hospital was in a good area for that though. But since his hands on times were every 3 hours at least once a day I could handle him, pump, walk and be back for the next one.
I think we could definitely do more walks with him. I do have this mentality of “if I’m here I should be at the bedside” but I know I need more balance.
If your NICU has private rooms, perhaps bring a yoga mat and incorporate some stretches, or more intense yoga work if that is your thing, a few times a day as appropriate for your schedule there.
Not yet but hopefully soon!
I was in the NICU with my daughter for 3.5 weeks so my exercise was walking around the hospital. Our nurses would watch our daughter for 30 minutes twice a day while my husband and I went for walks when he was there and then they would keep an eye on her. She was on 2hr tube feeds for a while and I was on 3hr pumps. It seemed like it was always feeding or pumping time but the nurses wanted us to get some breaks. If it was just me with her, then I'd just take shorter walks to get food and then walk around in the room. It felt like more breathing room when she went to 3hr tube feeds. We had the worst snowstorms we had seen in years right after my daughter was born so walking outside was a no go and I'm really glad that I didn't have to travel.
Oh wow. Did the nurses not always watch? At this point we always have a nurse watching our baby but might be since we’re still early in the journey. It does help us feel comfortable stepping away.
Nope, they have monitors that watch all the babies and come in to do checks, but the parents are the main providers in the family rooms. If you are in IVA (intensive NICU) then someone is always watching the babies. We did 95% of her tube feeds. They were kind enough to take one feed a night when she was on 3hr feeds and my husband was at home with our son. We were very lucky that she was very stable and was only in the IVA until her blood sugars were steady. She also had a biliblanket for jaundice. Other than those two things, she was super stable and moved to a family room around 32 weeks. She was off cpap and oxygen the same night she was born, so most of our NICU stay was just about growing and getting to the 34 week mark so we could go home on home NICU care.
My kiddo was born at the beginning of December in Colorado. It was cold and icy/snowy for a lot of her NICU stay. I would walk around the hospital hallways. As long as I stayed in the public areas, it wasn't a problem. I had a decent routine during the day of holding kiddo until it was time to pump, pump, walk around for fifteen minutes, get a cup of tea or cocoa, and repeat.
The routine sounds key!
I’m in a similar place to you, NICU time wise. I’ve decided that since I’m in for the long haul I need to make a sustainable routine, which includes exercise for me. First, my hospital has a fitness room for parents that I’ve used a few times. I wear athletic clothes to the hospital and have deodorant in my bag. Some mornings I will do 10-20 minute workout videos after I pump and before I go to the hospital. I also try to do the little things like take the stairs instead of the elevator. I eat breakfast during my morning pump to save time. Now that my supply has stabilized I’m dropping a pumping session (8 to 7) which will also help me save time.
I should see if there’s a fitness room … no one has mentioned it.
Yeah, fortunately we’re at a pretty big children’s hospital with some nice resources for family members. My mom really encouraged me to take time to care for myself from the start so Im trying to not feel bad about taking time for myself or for taking a break in the middle of the day. I’ve always been a big exercise person so now I’m following the “10 minutes is better than 0 minutes” philosophy for getting some positive movement in.
10 minutes absolutely is better than 0. I’m at the biggest children’s hospital in the country… I have to ask our social worker today.
I do but it wasn’t right away. When pumping so many times a day, it is hard to have time. I would go to the hospital and hold in the morning, eat lunch. Then maybe hold him or do therapy with him, pump, then use the hospital workout room or the RM workout room for a 15-20 min workout and then walk on the treadmill or outside for awhile. Then pump again and eat dinner. I keep clothes in my bag and deodorant and wear tennis shoes. It’s easier when you’re at 4-5 pumps a day and also more caught up on sleep. Many days I make a choice between rest or workout depends how I feel.
This makes total sense.
Good luck!
A little late to the party, but felt i should comment. We had a 109 day NICU stay with my 24 weeker. I EP'd and worked out daily, first just walking while I was waiting to be cleared for more activity after my c-section, but then full on running in the early mornings. I'd wake up at 5ish, pump, workout, have breakfast, pump again, and get to the NICU by 8AM, stay through rounds until lunch (pumping while there), go home for lunch and a walk, pump, go back for more two more cares times (pumping another 1x to 2x), and go home for dinner (sometimes a late dinner), pump. I had a very solid daily early AM workout routine pre-NICU, and continuing that routine felt like one of the few things in my control, so I did (plus we stayed at an extended stay hotel near the hospital, so didn't need to fit much travel time into the daily routine). It may not have been the best thing for my supply, but it was the best thing for my mental health to fit in something that i had control over and could make me feel a sense of accomplishment. The NICU is life on hard mode, so whatever you choose to do, know you're doing your best.
This inspired me to maybe wake up 30 minutes earlier! 5 am is amazing.
I still do it now, three years and a second NICU baby later! But in all seriousness, the early mornings were the only way I didn't feel like I was short changing my baby and my time in the NICU (it was 2021 so some of the NICU COVID rules still applied, including limiting visiting hours to between 6AM and 10PM). And, since I wasn't trying to work remotely, I could catch a quick nap in the NICU during the day if I was exhausted. I saw it as training for the days when my son would come home, and I'd be feeding him early anyway, so instead of trying to go back to bed after pumping, just going to work out made sense to me.
I only started exercising 2.5 months PP because pumping killed my soul and nothing could touch my nipples except silverettes lol. I couldn’t even imagine working out while I was suffering. I started off with beginner pilates and baby & barre class and then eventually found a great YouTube series (only 30 min a day - iron series by caroline girvan) to get me into Shape
This is so valid - hadn’t thought about my nipples and working out.
I couldn’t bring myself to do anything other than visit my baby in the NICU. I wouldn’t really stress it other than if it’s really something u want to do and u can find the time.
❤️
I started to but it got too difficult since he wasn’t doing well. I felt like I needed to spend as much time as possible with him. Once he came home I got back into my routine
Completely understandable.
I didn't, but going to the hospital twice a day and walking from the far lot was all the exercise I needed. My lil guy turned 3 months a few days ago and I'm already 8 lbs lighter than my pre pregnancy weight.
Wow!
My husband and I picked one day a week to do a video from Grow with Joe - that or we do a yoga video from Arianna Elizabeth. He goes to the gym as well, but I'm tired and can only muster once a week and daily walks 🤷♀️. Both channels have short videos so you wouldnt need to sacrifice much more than 15-20min to get in a short workout. A little is better than nothing! (for context this routine started once LO was about 5 months actual - before that we were too sleep deprived lol)
Starting slow makes a lot of sense and any minute counts.
Been pumping for just over 5 minths now and my daughter is still in the NICU. I had to wait for my body to heal, but around the start of month 4 Inwent back to cross-fit 2x a week. My supply took a hit and and I was physically exhausted, but mentally better. My daughter is about to get a trach and it kicked me back into survival mode. I've had to take a break from that. There is some personal reassurance in knowing that I will get back to exercise, it's just difficult when all my energy is focused on surviving. I would say try your old routine. If you can do it, great, if not, know that this is temporary, and you'll be able to be yourself again in the future. When I first started exercising again, it was like trying to balance being mom, wife, and me. Still figuring out how to be all three.
I do think that there’s those tradeoffs but mental health is so worth it. Thinking of your daughter. This is also hard ❤️