I'm sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. Fingers crossed your lil one will soon be strong enough to come home with you. What a precious birthday gift that would be.

We all hope they are home well before their due date but unfortunately not all of them manage that, and reading your little ones story its a little fighter having gone through so much already!!!

Dont beat yourself up about the expressing, easier said then done. I have stopped this week as well and am trying hard to not beat myself up. With my son I managed to breastfeed for 6 months, now I only managed to express about 9 weeks, but I have to think of whats best for all of us and ever since switching to bottles and formula the lil madam is thriving and gaining weight a lot better.

Feeling cheated out of a 'normal' birth experience and pregnancy is a pretty normal feeling for prem mums, I know I still feel like that having never had the experience of giving birth and actually getting baby handed to you, both were rushed oiff to NICU.

I know it doesnt help much but just want you to know you're not alone in how you feel

i feel really sad that my son is still in nicu yet again i feel that my whole birthing experience was taken away from me, i ended up with a c-section and the epidural wore off!! then once my son was born i didnt really get to see him untill the next day. he had extreamly prem lungs and to this day still goes back and forth between high and lo flow. hes got chronic lung disease has had 3 lung infections a blood transfusion mrsa and well the usual crap after 8 and a half weeks i was so exhausted expressing that i decided to stop but feel so much guilt,i do have a 20 month old so felt it was all too much.they said hed be out by his due date 29/08. but hes still there fighting away and im just praying hell be home by my birthday maybe!! 04/09. having babies is the best thing and yet such a hurtfull time, all i want is my baby home where i feel hed be better off xxx