what can i do to help?

[Linds]

Hi!
A close friend of mine (and next door neighbour) yesterday gave birth to a little girl at 34 weeks weighing 3lb 12oz. She was induced on Saturday evening due to pre-eclampisa and ended up having an emergency c-section at 6.10pm yesterday evening. She's had an awful pregnancy from the start, poor love.
Bubs is breathing well, but has to be in the nursery under lights. My friend will be discharged on Friday but bubs has to stay in for a few weeks after that.
I spoke to my friend last night a couple of hours after the birth and she seemed quite well, even though she'd only had a quick cuddle with her daughter before she was taken to the nursery. I don't think it had really hit her yet what she is about to go through in the coming weeks. I told her i would wait until she contacted me again before i go to visit her so she has some time to rest and recover and get her head around it all.
It was supposed to be her baby shower yesterday - she was so disapointed to miss it! And i now have games prepared and prizes etc! Not that that matters one bit!!
So my question is, does anyone have any experience with supporting families with premmie babies, or if you've had a premmie, what would have helped you?
I plan on preparing a meal or two for them for when they come home without baby assuming they will be spending a lot of time at the hospital. Any ideas what else i could do to be of help??

[johT]

oh no good bubs is doing well though.
um, not heaps sure but id say easy food would be good and maybe even company when shes in hospital or expressing??

[twinmama]

Yep food. You spend so much time at the hospital, visiting bubs, and then there is the travelling time, and when you're at home you just want to sleep and pump. Probably even doing some washing or cleaning too.

[Theresa]

ditto... food and just the general upkeep of the house etc - even mowing the lawn so hubby can spend as much time with bub and mum as possible... Actually even popping over and seeing if HUBBY needs anything done too - he might have been in the middle of something that has now ground to a halt.... (Pete was supposed to be moving me to our new home then going back to work for two weeks and then having leave - well he never made it back to work and it was chaos for him as he was trying to email/phone everything through and setting up our new house and helping me with our little bubba...)

I'd keep the baby shower stuff and do a welcome home party or something like that (once they are ready obviously!) so that she gets to experience the whole thing - even if it is out of whack a little...