TTC after Preemie

cjbwifey2010

Hi Ladies,

It's been a long time since i've written, and I think it may have been under another name "mybb". Our DS is currently 2 years 10 months old, and DH and I believe that we are ready to TTC. Thing is, as much as I want another baby, there's always the fear that there is a possibility of having another preemie. For those of you who have gotten pregnant after delivering a Preemie, how did you cope? How was your pregnancy? Any tips?

Hope everyone is doing well!

flerlgirl

'ello! Have you checked out the Pregnant/TTC threads that @punky917 starts weekly? You can get a ton of awesome successful birth stories there from women who have had a FT baby after a preemie.

Speaking for myself, we did not exactly plan on another one so soon but I was very afraid of this one being early. My son was born at 26/1 and during the same time in this pregnancy I was very nervous and freaked out that this baby would be born early. However, I will be 38 weeks Tuesday with zero issues so far except for some minor BP elevation.

One thing that has helped me the most was finding a doctor who took the situation as seriously as I did. My dr has been very thorough, referred me to a MFM (which I would also recommend you do), and takes my concerns very seriously. Between the MFM and OB, LO has been checked constantly and a lot of the fear has been alleviated that way.

Also, come play in the check-in I mentioned! And come find us any time you need some reassurance - we're happy to help. Plus we are goooooood looking.

GL to you!

Wally3

I was terrified of having another premie and waited almost 4 years.  A switched obs and was highly monitored.  It wasn't and easy pg but we made it full term.  I would suggest talking to your insurance company.  Mine had all sorts of extra programs available to be because DS1 was a premie.  Including have a nurse call weekly to check on me and see if I had any questions.  I also recieved p17 shots from a nurse weekly and she checked me for any signs of ptl.  She was the one who caught my ptl at 32 weeks and rushed me into my ob who sent me to L&D where they were able to stop my contractions. I carried to 39w.

cjbwifey2010

Wow, thanks so much for the information ladies. We are definitely excited about the possibility of having another baby, I just feel I would be a little bit paranoid during the pregnancy. I tried to call my OB to have a chat with her about a game plan, but I can't get an appointment until August! During my pregnancy, she did send me over to another doctor that dealt with high risk pregnancies, but not because of anything I was going through, just because her office didn't offer some of the services he did like ultrasounds, etc. 

Now that you mention it, I will go ahead and see if I can make an appointment with him, and also possibly make an appointment with the other OB that used to work at her office but left to go to another practice, which specializes in high risk pregnancies. 

I'm so grateful for you ladies getting me to think about this stuff, and so glad you both made it to full term this time around! DS1 was born at 28/1 due to pre-e. 

I will also call the insurance company and find out more information on services they may offer. 

Thank you!!!

Oh, and i'll come check out the group as well. ;-)

cjbwifey2010

I actually think i'm on the list under "mybb" lol. 

punky917

@flergirl You never fail to make me laugh! About the good looking comment-not about the seriousness of the rest of your response.

We waited 3 years before TTCing again the 2nd time. We wanted to make sure we were ready emotionally as well as physically for me. I had a mmc at 10 weeks and had to get my gallbladder out which is part of the reason DS and DD are 5 years apart. The notion of long time bedrest was brought up by MFM, but no one really thought that I would be on it-and if I was, not for very long. Well, turns out that I needed it for almost the entire 2nd half of my pregnancy. I had PTL and cervix started to shorten at 21 weeks with DD. DS was born at 26 weeks due to pPROM so I was also on weekly P17 shots. I honestly think that the bedrest and shots combined are what resulted in DD being full term. It was definitely not an easy pregnancy-both emotionally and physically draining. I was lucky enough to have a DH that was more than willing to wait on me and and foot the whole time. Also, I was extremely lucky to have an MFM who was on the conservative side of things and took every precaution she could to ensure that I had DD cookin' for as long as possible.

Like flergirl said, join the check-in and you will definitely have some added support there through your TTC  and pregnancy journeys.

cjbwifey2010

Thanks for your response. I did look up a MFM in my area and have actually seen him before for my first trimester screenings. I contacted them and am waiting for a response as to when I can come in and maybe chat with him about a game plan for the next pregnancy etc. The information you all provided was great. So glad to hear wonderful stories about babies being born full term! I know this isn't always the case, but it's refreshing. I will definitely join the chat on your posts. Thanks again!

alphaphi98

My baby #1 was a 32 weeker. I got pregnant with baby #2 when she was 9 months old, They say every pregnancy is different. I had no idea why baby #1 came early, so I was just more cautious, had extra testing and genetic tests. My dr put me on pelvic rest during 3rd trimester to be on the safe side. I could have gotten the weekly P17 shots, but opted not to. Everything was great the 2nd time around. Baby #2 came naturally at 37 weeks. He's 3 months old now.

They say every pregnancy is different. Just because you had a preemie, doesn't mean it will happen again. Good luck to you! Don't stress!

cjbwifey2010

Thanks @alphaphi98! I totally agree with you that every pregnancy is different and that this may simply have been the way the first one was meant to happen. Just trying to figure out if there are other things that some women might have done that kind of helped them through the whole thing...like testing, and being followed by a MFM, etc. I'm so glad you shared your experience with me. I believe that naturally I will be more cautious in all I do this time around, and pray that this experience is different ;-)