My fucking water broke (32 weeks)

aforst

My water broke last night and I'm on hospital bedrest now. I'm not contracting or dilating, which is good. I just had an ultrasound and she looks great but has "no measurable fluid." Last I heard, if she tolerates the lack of fluid, I don't go into labor and there is no sign of infection, they'll let me try to get closer to 34 weeks.

I'd appreciate any thoughts or prayers. I'd also love to hear from anyone who delivered around this time. Did baby have a lot of issues? Were you able to breastfeed (if that was your plan)?

littlestjerry

Will be thinking all kinds of good thoughts for you!!

MrsT0514

Oh shit. Thoughts, prayers, positive vibes...a coming your way. FX That baby girl stays cooking a bit longer.

missyishere

Lots of thoughts your way. Hang in there, baby.

MrsT0514

HilarityEnsued said:

Are they going to give you the steroid shots for her lungs? 

This would be my thought as well.

thebanich

I hope they can keep her in there a little longer! I think it is just different with every baby. I was a 34 weeker and they sent me home after 3 days. My 35 week brother was in the NICU for a while.

FX for all the best possible outcomes.

BluepointToasted

Thinking of you!  Rest up the best you can.  Try not to read too much about other babies, there is too much information out there and the negative stuff sticks out and will worry you.  In the past couple months I have had 2 friends deliver at 31 weeks and their little guys are doing great!

mrsweeber

I have been there. I delivered at 34 weeks, which is a few weeks later than what you're experiencing right now, but hoping baby holds out until then! I ended up pumping for the first few weeks because he would fall asleep at the breast and really wasn't interested in eating at all-we did a combination of finger feeding and feeding tube until he got better at sucking-then we went to bottle feeding. My NICU nurses said that's pretty common in premies and especially premie boys. He finally figured out the latching on at about 5 weeks (so closer to full term). Other than the eating thing, he did really well. He could maintain his own temps and blood sugars. The other problem we had was jaundice, but a billiblanket helped that! Make sure you take care of yourself during the NICU time. It's really hard to sleep, etc. but you need to stay healthy for when that beautiful baby comes home! Best of luck to you!!!!!

aforst

HilarityEnsued said:

Are they going to give you the steroid shots for her lungs? 

@HilarityEnsued‌ They are. I got the first dose last night

insertclevername

Thinking of you.  I know a few women who have had babies between 30-34 weeks.  Every single baby was healthy and some of them are now typical children and toddlers.  The woman I know who had a baby at 34 weeks had only a few days in the NICU and the breastfeeding relationship was not impacted.  If your baby needs NICU care there may be a few hurdles to breastfeeding but if you let the staff know how important it is to you it is possible.  You may have to pump using a hospital grade pump initially.  Sending lots of positive vibes your way.  I hope your little girl stays put for a few more weeks. 

aforst

ChickenOnSunday said:

All positive thoughts.

How are the boys handling you not at home? Do you have family nearby that can help?

@ChickenOnSunday‌ So far so good. We have a lot of family and friends around to help which is awesome. DS1 is on spring break this week so DH is bringing him here this morning. I can't wait to see him!! Thinking about being away from then is the only thing I've cried about so far!

NotSharknado

Shit. Thinking of you and wishing you guys the best.

colliebabe

Good thoughts coming your way!  Hang in there baby!

taggiecb

I am so sorry to hear that.  I have been there.  Mav was born at 34 weeks.  My water broke at 33 weeks.  I didn't go into natural labour, so I stayed on antibiotics for 5 days, and had 2 steroid shots.  Mav was born healthy, but had to stay in the NICU for about 3 weeks.  We were fortunate enough to let the steroids come into effect, but he did need a feeding tube for a while.  Right he was a little delayed in his first year with rolling, and sitting, and walking, but he is a healthy, happy 3 year old now.  

It's a stressful time for everyone.  I also had 2 little boys home when I was at the hospital.  Once I had him, going back and forth to the hospital, and trying to make up time I missed at home with the boys led to a lot of crying on my part.

My advice would be gather as much support at home as you can, and also head to the preemie board.  They are very supportive, and informative.

Rach7170

I'm sorry. My water never broke but, I went into labor and Oliver was born at 33 weeks 5 days. He did not get the steroid shots and still only spent 8 days in the NICU. He never had to have help for breathing, only feeding.

The fact that you got steroid shots is going to help so so much. I hope you can get to 34 weeks!

Helenahhandbasket

Oh no!

I hope you can keep her cooking for a while longer.

My cousin delivered her twin boys at 33 w.  They were in the NICU for 10 days (for feeding issues) but she breast fed them both for 6 months.

Sending you postivie vibes.

Littledeer84

Sending you thoughts and prayers! I'm sorry you have to deal with this.

Pips09

I'm so sorry to hear that you find yourself here, but hopefully you are in great hands! Every preemie is so different, and everyone's experiences will be so different, but you are already at a good gestational point, and the further you can get, well, every day helps.

I have a 30 weeker, and we did have a bumpy ride, but no serious issues and she is a very healthy 2.5 year old now. I had really hoped to breastfeed, but unfortunately, it didn't work our for us so I EP'd for a time, but other preemie moms have had success. It's usually a lot more work to teach a preemie how to BF, but it can definitely happen. Most NICUs have LC's avalialble to help. Good luck!

ETA: The Preemie board is pretty awesome for support, so I would encourage you to post there, too.

RayRay007

Oh no! Rest up and hopefully she can stick it out for a couple more weeks! 

vandelay

Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts!  My good friend had her twins at 33 weeks, and although they spent some time in the NICU, there were no lasting effects and they are happy, brilliant, active 4-year-olds now.  She was able to breastfeed as well.  Importantly, she did not have time to get the steroid shots for the lungs, so you have a great advantage there.

A work colleague's son was born at 31 weeks due to placental abruption, and he graduated at the top of his high school class academically, as well as being the quarterback of his football team.

I also spent a lot of time on the IF and SAIF boards, where there were tons of twins born at 32 weeks and much earlier, and they were just fine.

I know it is scary and I'm sending positive thoughts that you keep that baby inside for as long as possible, but I think you guys will be just fine. Hugs to you!

kellyrn9956

Best of luck to you and your family. 

aforst

Thank you all SO much. I really do appreciate all the support and experiences.

@TyrannosaurusLex‌ I made the mistake of looking at Google images for 32 weekers. I looked down a few pics vas closed it bc there looked to be some fucked up shit on there. I scheduled for a NICU consult today so I'm interested to hear what they have to say. DS1 was in the NICU for 4 days due to temp regulation and low blood sugar. He never would latch so we didn't BF. I think I know more now so I'm hopeful we can make it work

RondackHiker

Oh no! ((Hugs)) I've never been there but you're in my thoughts.

lauralew

Huge hugs!! Hoping everything goes well so you don't have to deliver before 34w. I've heard every day inside is two days less in the NICU. So even one day will make a big difference in any NICU stay. More hugs!!

ASmallWonder

Oh I'm sorry  I only have third hand info.  My friend's cousin delivered at 30 weeks and she is doing AMAZING!  Technology is so incredible but it's never what you want to expect to deal with.  Fingers crossed for you for more time and a healthy squish.

ziggy903

Hi @aforst‌ ! I had my son at 32+2. My delivery was different, as my water never broke and we went straight to c-section, but I do know firsthand what a 32-weeker is like.
@RondackHiker‌ told me you were looking for stories so here goes.

We had a c/s and I was allowed to go to the NICU and see him 12 hours later. I think if you have a vaginal delivery you can go sooner- we had to wait until I had control of my legs so I could shuffle to the bathroom and into a wheelchair.
He was tiny... But looked like a baby. A tiny, adorable baby. They don't have much fat on them at this point, so don't be surprised if you can see bones in their hands and feet- that's normal. Their skin is pretty transparent too. I'll put some of his first pictures at the bottom so you can see- a normal baby, just tiny! My DS was iugr as well, so he was 3lb at birth. We had issues with weight gain that a larger baby may not have had.

A 32-weeker does not have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex yet. DS got a picc line for iv nutrition, and we slowly worked up to feeds in his feeding tube. It started with 1cc to see if his body could handle it, and slowly increased to full feeds. The tube was inserted through his mouth at first because of his nasal cannula, but when he was cannula-free it was inserted through his nose.
At that point, he was in his 34th week and we could start trying to nurse. We started with non-nutritive nursing- I pumped before the feeding and then he would nuzzle on me while receiving his feed so he could begin to associate me and my breasts with a full belly.
After a few days of that, we started trying nursing once a day. Nursing burns more calories than bottle feeding, so we did a weighted feed and were on a 30-minute limit and could only nurse once a day. After that 30 minutes he received the rest of his feed through his tube, so he didn't burn too many calories while eating. We used a nipple shield and he latched well with it, but my supply sucked. The most he ever got from the breast was 18cc, less than half a feed. He was working so hard to get the milk that his weight suffered. Eventually we found that the days that I would nurse, even if I only did it for one feed a day, he wouldn't gain weight. I stopped trying to nurse for 3 days and they became happy with his weight gain and we got to go home at 36+5.

You might not have these issues- but feeding issues are really common with preemies. Keep working at it. Have lactation come to you in the NICU as much as possible.

Join us on the preemie board- there's a ton of girls with babies all over the place. Many of them do have success breastfeeding... I'm just not one of them.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. 32-weeks is a great place to be as far as preemies go, but I hope LO can stay put for a few more weeks!

jorkz821

Sending positive thoughts your way!

SpaceGirlSpiff

Thinking of you and sending all my good vibes!

ziggy903

I should add- DS is nearly 3 months, and thriving. Right on track developmentally, gaining weight well, such a happy baby.
You can do this. It's scary as hell, but you and LO will get through.

aforst

ziggy903 said:

Hi @aforst‌ ! I had my son at 32+2. My delivery was different, as my water never broke and we went straight to c-section, but I do know firsthand what a 32-weeker is like.
@RondackHiker‌ told me you were looking for stories so here goes.

We had a c/s and I was allowed to go to the NICU and see him 12 hours later. I think if you have a vaginal delivery you can go sooner- we had to wait until I had control of my legs so I could shuffle to the bathroom and into a wheelchair.
He was tiny... But looked like a baby. A tiny, adorable baby. They don't have much fat on them at this point, so don't be surprised if you can see bones in their hands and feet- that's normal. Their skin is pretty transparent too. I'll put some of his first pictures at the bottom so you can see- a normal baby, just tiny! My DS was iugr as well, so he was 3lb at birth. We had issues with weight gain that a larger baby may not have had.

A 32-weeker does not have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex yet. DS got a picc line for iv nutrition, and we slowly worked up to feeds in his feeding tube. It started with 1cc to see if his body could handle it, and slowly increased to full feeds. The tube was inserted through his mouth at first because of his nasal cannula, but when he was cannula-free it was inserted through his nose.
At that point, he was in his 34th week and we could start trying to nurse. We started with non-nutritive nursing- I pumped before the feeding and then he would nuzzle on me while receiving his feed so he could begin to associate me and my breasts with a full belly.
After a few days of that, we started trying nursing once a day. Nursing burns more calories than bottle feeding, so we did a weighted feed and were on a 30-minute limit and could only nurse once a day. After that 30 minutes he received the rest of his feed through his tube, so he didn't burn too many calories while eating. We used a nipple shield and he latched well with it, but my supply sucked. The most he ever got from the breast was 18cc, less than half a feed. He was working so hard to get the milk that his weight suffered. Eventually we found that the days that I would nurse, even if I only did it for one feed a day, he wouldn't gain weight. I stopped trying to nurse for 3 days and they became happy with his weight gain and we got to go home at 36+5.

You might not have these issues- but feeding issues are really common with preemies. Keep working at it. Have lactation come to you in the NICU as much as possible.

Join us on the preemie board- there's a ton of girls with babies all over the place. Many of them do have success breastfeeding... I'm just not one of them.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. 32-weeks is a great place to be as far as preemies go, but I hope LO can stay put for a few more weeks!

@ziggy903‌ Thank you so much for sharing all of that with me. Your BF experience sounds identical to my experience with DS1. They limited my time to try bc he would burn too many calories. We never got it down.

Thank you for the pictures too. It's hard bc (obviously) this isn't what I wanted for her, but it is what it is. Her being healthy is the most important part. This will be a csection for me also.

I'm hopeful the BF will work out. I know it's going to probably be difficult though.

wiggyslilsis

Thinking of you!

My SIL's water broke at 32 weeks and they kept him in for 4 more days and then she went into labor. She had been given the steroid shots. He was in the NICU for just under two weeks and his biggest struggle is that with his feeding tube in he would get "lazy" (not my words, hers) and stop breathing. They took the feeding tube out and tried to feed him with a bottle and he did great. As far as I know she is still breastfeeding him at 18months old even though she was unable to breastfeed right away.

All the good vibes your way!

lollitots

I had a 32 weeker because my water broke too, except I went into labor. She was in the NICU for a while because she was a "feeder". Basically that means no issues, just had to get bigger so she could regulate her body temp and learn the breath swallow reflex. I pumped while was in the hospital but she transitioned over to BFing pretty quickly once we got home. She hit her milestones initially with her adjusted age, but caught up quickly. It sucks going home without your baby, but the time goes so quickly. Now she is a sassy 7 y.o. with a little too much attitude and straight A's in school. Hoping your squishy is cooking just fine in there for maybe a few days longer.

theimpossibleastronaut

Sending hugs and positive vibes your way!

ziggy903

aforst said:

ziggy903 said:

Hi @aforst‌ ! I had my son at 32+2. My delivery was different, as my water never broke and we went straight to c-section, but I do know firsthand what a 32-weeker is like.
@RondackHiker‌ told me you were looking for stories so here goes.

We had a c/s and I was allowed to go to the NICU and see him 12 hours later. I think if you have a vaginal delivery you can go sooner- we had to wait until I had control of my legs so I could shuffle to the bathroom and into a wheelchair.
He was tiny... But looked like a baby. A tiny, adorable baby. They don't have much fat on them at this point, so don't be surprised if you can see bones in their hands and feet- that's normal. Their skin is pretty transparent too. I'll put some of his first pictures at the bottom so you can see- a normal baby, just tiny! My DS was iugr as well, so he was 3lb at birth. We had issues with weight gain that a larger baby may not have had.

A 32-weeker does not have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex yet. DS got a picc line for iv nutrition, and we slowly worked up to feeds in his feeding tube. It started with 1cc to see if his body could handle it, and slowly increased to full feeds. The tube was inserted through his mouth at first because of his nasal cannula, but when he was cannula-free it was inserted through his nose.
At that point, he was in his 34th week and we could start trying to nurse. We started with non-nutritive nursing- I pumped before the feeding and then he would nuzzle on me while receiving his feed so he could begin to associate me and my breasts with a full belly.
After a few days of that, we started trying nursing once a day. Nursing burns more calories than bottle feeding, so we did a weighted feed and were on a 30-minute limit and could only nurse once a day. After that 30 minutes he received the rest of his feed through his tube, so he didn't burn too many calories while eating. We used a nipple shield and he latched well with it, but my supply sucked. The most he ever got from the breast was 18cc, less than half a feed. He was working so hard to get the milk that his weight suffered. Eventually we found that the days that I would nurse, even if I only did it for one feed a day, he wouldn't gain weight. I stopped trying to nurse for 3 days and they became happy with his weight gain and we got to go home at 36+5.

You might not have these issues- but feeding issues are really common with preemies. Keep working at it. Have lactation come to you in the NICU as much as possible.

Join us on the preemie board- there's a ton of girls with babies all over the place. Many of them do have success breastfeeding... I'm just not one of them.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. 32-weeks is a great place to be as far as preemies go, but I hope LO can stay put for a few more weeks!

@ziggy903‌ Thank you so much for sharing all of that with me. Your BF experience sounds identical to my experience with DS1. They limited my time to try bc he would burn too many calories. We never got it down.

Thank you for the pictures too. It's hard bc (obviously) this isn't what I wanted for her, but it is what it is. Her being healthy is the most important part. This will be a csection for me also.

I'm hopeful the BF will work out. I know it's going to probably be difficult though.

It's hard- and that feeling doesn't go away easily. Talk to your SO and people close to you about watching out for PPD and PTSD. You'll be in survival mode and might not be able to see it yourself, but both conditions are incredibly common among preemie moms. I had some signs before delivery and it just went downhill from there. I wonder if that contributed to my BF issues, but its something I just won't know for sure.

If she's not in distress, they should be able to show LO to you in the OR before they take her to the NICU. Make sure your SO is taking a ton of pictures. That 30 seconds or so that I got with DS before they took him to the NICU are still so strong in my memory. The photo I've got from that moment is one that I will cherish forever.

FalconCrest

Thinking of you and sending positive thoughts and prayers your way!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

MrsCodeMonkey

Many Ts and Ps that baby stays put a bit longer.

aforst

ziggy903 said:

aforst said:

ziggy903 said:

Hi @aforst‌ ! I had my son at 32+2. My delivery was different, as my water never broke and we went straight to c-section, but I do know firsthand what a 32-weeker is like.
@RondackHiker‌ told me you were looking for stories so here goes.

We had a c/s and I was allowed to go to the NICU and see him 12 hours later. I think if you have a vaginal delivery you can go sooner- we had to wait until I had control of my legs so I could shuffle to the bathroom and into a wheelchair.
He was tiny... But looked like a baby. A tiny, adorable baby. They don't have much fat on them at this point, so don't be surprised if you can see bones in their hands and feet- that's normal. Their skin is pretty transparent too. I'll put some of his first pictures at the bottom so you can see- a normal baby, just tiny! My DS was iugr as well, so he was 3lb at birth. We had issues with weight gain that a larger baby may not have had.

A 32-weeker does not have the suck, swallow, breathe reflex yet. DS got a picc line for iv nutrition, and we slowly worked up to feeds in his feeding tube. It started with 1cc to see if his body could handle it, and slowly increased to full feeds. The tube was inserted through his mouth at first because of his nasal cannula, but when he was cannula-free it was inserted through his nose.
At that point, he was in his 34th week and we could start trying to nurse. We started with non-nutritive nursing- I pumped before the feeding and then he would nuzzle on me while receiving his feed so he could begin to associate me and my breasts with a full belly.
After a few days of that, we started trying nursing once a day. Nursing burns more calories than bottle feeding, so we did a weighted feed and were on a 30-minute limit and could only nurse once a day. After that 30 minutes he received the rest of his feed through his tube, so he didn't burn too many calories while eating. We used a nipple shield and he latched well with it, but my supply sucked. The most he ever got from the breast was 18cc, less than half a feed. He was working so hard to get the milk that his weight suffered. Eventually we found that the days that I would nurse, even if I only did it for one feed a day, he wouldn't gain weight. I stopped trying to nurse for 3 days and they became happy with his weight gain and we got to go home at 36+5.

You might not have these issues- but feeding issues are really common with preemies. Keep working at it. Have lactation come to you in the NICU as much as possible.

Join us on the preemie board- there's a ton of girls with babies all over the place. Many of them do have success breastfeeding... I'm just not one of them.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions. 32-weeks is a great place to be as far as preemies go, but I hope LO can stay put for a few more weeks!

@ziggy903‌ Thank you so much for sharing all of that with me. Your BF experience sounds identical to my experience with DS1. They limited my time to try bc he would burn too many calories. We never got it down.

Thank you for the pictures too. It's hard bc (obviously) this isn't what I wanted for her, but it is what it is. Her being healthy is the most important part. This will be a csection for me also.

I'm hopeful the BF will work out. I know it's going to probably be difficult though.

It's hard- and that feeling doesn't go away easily. Talk to your SO and people close to you about watching out for PPD and PTSD. You'll be in survival mode and might not be able to see it yourself, but both conditions are incredibly common among preemie moms. I had some signs before delivery and it just went downhill from there. I wonder if that contributed to my BF issues, but its something I just won't know for sure.

If she's not in distress, they should be able to show LO to you in the OR before they take her to the NICU. Make sure your SO is taking a ton of pictures. That 30 seconds or so that I got with DS before they took him to the NICU are still so strong in my memory. The photo I've got from that moment is one that I will cherish forever.

That's a great idea about the pictures.

I had a very hard time when DS1's BF didn't work out. I wanted it so badly and never prepared myself for the fact that it might not work. I was able to BF DS2 (he was full term) and I loved it.
I'm nervous that I'll be really down if it doesn't work with her. I'm already crying thinking about it. I also know I need to remain positive to give it the best effort we can.

I don't know why I attach so much importance to it. This will be my last baby and I think I'm just feeling heartbroken that we're probably going to struggle with it.

Sorry for the novel.

ppants

Sorry to hear that! I delivered my twins at 32w3d when my water broke. DS was 4 lbs 9 oz. DD was 4 lbs. They had to stay in the hospital for 22 days. Hang in there and keep baking that baby.

shadypines

Hold on for a little longer. Ts&Ps

klondikebar

Hugs. I hope she stays in as long as possible.