Visitation Guidelines

Before I type all of these out please do not feel offended in any way. We are only outlining the expectations we want to have in order to maintain the health of our family; especially the premature ones who are still growing and maturing not only their bodies but their immunities. Thank you for your understanding.

These are guidelines Yuri and I agreed upon after discussion with NICU staff and other parents of preemies.

In order to visit the twins please:

• no cold/flu symptoms or exposure for 3 days to any illness
• no visitation if exposed or have had contagious disease such as chicken pox, mumps, measles, etc...
• use hand sanitizer upon entry, between babies (even Yurchik) and between touching any toys or other objects that the kids may come in contact with (sanitizing between ensures that if one has a bug/germ it is less likely to be passed to the others). The outside laundry room has a sink with soap and towels if you'd like to "scrub in" as well.
• 1 set of visitors per day (ie one set of grandparents per day... ). This helps to limit the germ exposure as well as to ensure the twins do not become overstimulated. They need rest to grow. Please call/txt/email in advance to ensure you can come on the date in question.
• whooping cough vaccine- this is a must. Adults can be carriers and not even realize. Both boys were on ventilators for respiratory distress and Luca is still requiring oxygen. This illness could cause permanent damage to their lungs. The dTap vaccine is good for approx 10 years.
• restrictions will be in place for at least 2 months from Luca's discharge date (unless pediatrician states otherwise). This includes but not limited to visitations as well as their leaving the house.
• babysitters need infant CPR training as well as lessons on how to hold/feed/burp/give medication as these are all different for preemies than full term babies.
• More than one person has suggestion asking for people to bring meals over when visiting. I'm not sure on the tactfulness of this but if you'd like to drop something off for us with or without a visit we would appreciate it. I'm sure once all the boys are home preparing meals will not be an easy task. We just ask that nothing need to be frozen as our freezer is being used to store breast milk and there is no extra room! If you have any questions about anything please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for your understanding.