NICU Success Stories? *Possible TW*

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I hope you ladies don't mind this thread.  After my visit with OB, yesterday,  I've been looking for successful NICU stories to keep my hopes up.  Does anyone have any that they would like to share? Thank you in advance!

ETA: Sorry ladies,  I should have been more specific.  For those who don't know,  short story.... asthma is severe and uncontrolled. OB is very concerned, talked about if this continues,  I'll most likely need to be hospitalized later,  preeclampsia,  induced around 34 weeks,  probably NICU for the baby, low birth weight,  etc.  I'm seeing MFM tomorrow.  But just trying to prepare mentally as OB advised.  Thank you!

imrachellea

So DD1 was born at 40+4 by induction. It was a 40 hour labor, 20 of which I had my water broken and epidural. About an hour or so before I was going to push I spiked a high fever. I got a uterine infection due to the length of time between my water breaking and actually delivering. The infection passed to her, so for precaution she we in the NICU for 10 days to receive antibiotics. She did amazing in there, was the chillest baby and loved by the nurses. It was over Christmas so that with a difficult delivery made it tough on me. But she came home three days after Christmas, healthy as could be, and I think it actually helped her be chill as an infant. She was so easygoing, I have no idea if that would have been the case if she came right home (it wasn't for my second). My case is a little unordinary because she herself wasn't sick or underdeveloped, but looking back it was hard.

kvh22

@expandcontract are you more concerned with the early induction and assuming you'd then go to the NICU? My cousin had an incompetent cervix and went into labor (water broke) at 25 weeks  and delivered on September 2nd/3rd. Her baby is still in the NICU but just got upgraded to the next level. That's definitely earlier than they're talking about inducing you (34 weeks, right) but he's doing pretty well considering how early he was born (due in December). Also, I think @secicc12 was induced at 35 weeks. I'm not sure if her daughter was in the NICU or not, though.

DuchessOfCambridge

What exactly is your worry? I don’t know if you’d consider mine a success story having read what happened but DS was in the NICU for 10 days. He was treated for seizures and did phenomenally. He was really rough to start off but at the end of the ten days he was like a completely different baby. He does a ton of OT/PT now but that’s not from the NICU. If you didn’t know to look for it, you wouldn’t notice that he was different from any other baby (I get told this a lot). DS was full term at 39 weeks. 

DuchessOfCambridge

Another - my friend’s sister had her baby at 27 weeks. He was in the NICU pretty much until his due date but he is thriving now and such a happy little boy. I think he’s close in age to your daughter. 

megsb615

DS had a short NICU stay compared to most, but I’ll share his story. I was induced at 38 weeks for chronic high blood pressure, and DS had to be in NICU for 5 days for fluid on his lungs, possible touch of pneumonia, low oxygen saturation level, and irregular breathing. It was emotionally exhausting, but they took great care of him, and we were lucky to stay in the hospital the entire time with him. I’m not sure if it was from all the noises in NICU or just his personality, but like @imrachellea said, he was the most laid back and chill baby. The newborn phase was my favorite even with the pain in the ass pumping with no success. Now, he’s a wild as can be and perfectly healthy 2 year old. On another note, my sister in law had twins at 35 weeks I believe, and neither one of them had to go to NICU. You never know how things may go. 🙂

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@kvh22 yes, I'm concerned of the effects it will have on baby.  Wow, 25 weeks for your cousin?! That's amazing! I hope her baby continues to rapidly get better! 

@DuchessOfCambridge Yes! I definitely consider your son's story a success! Im so glad he's doing so well!

@megsb615 your story probably closest to what I could be facing.  That's amazing he was only there for 5 days! 

@imrachellea and all the others, I would have never figured babies could potentially be calm due to having been in the NICU! 

Im so relieved by all of your stories! Thank you so much! Im very grateful that I live in America where we have access to the latest medicines and technology.  And of course the NICU nurses ecifically! I've heard some amazing tales of those pros. 

ETA: In case anyone missed it,  I added more details in the title.  

chloe97

My good friend had her baby at 24 or 25 weeks due to severe preenclampsia. She was in the NICU for many months, eventually had to have a tracheotomy and received all sustenance for 1.5 years via her trach. It was a very trying time in my friend's life, to say the least. They lived at the Ronald McDonald House for basically a year. She had the trach removed around her second birthday (I think) and the girl is now almost 14 and a freaking pistol. She is super bright honor student and you would have never known she was born at 1 lb. 
  

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@chloe97 HOLY COW! That is by far the most impressive story I've read so far.  And to think this was 14 years ago,  too. So sooo glad she's doing well! Thank you for sharing!!

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@expandcontract like @kvh22 said, I got induced at exactly 35 weeks due to pre-eclampsia. DD actually didn't need any NICU time! She was tiny (4 lbs. 9 oz.), but did amazing. So, while it's hard not to worry, an early induction doesn't always mean automatic NICU time. They will also give you steroid shots to help develop baby's lungs if they have to be delivered early. I hope things turn around for you. It can be so stressful just waiting to see what happens. I've been obsessively checking my blood pressure this time around, even though it's way too early to have any pre-e signs.

megsb615

@secicc12 Thats amazing she didn’t have to go to NICU. My OB’s protocol is to induce 2 weeks early for those with high blood pressure in general, but looking back on it, I feel like DS wasn’t ready. I’d really like to try to go to 39 weeks if bp allows it, but I have a feeling my bp won’t go as well this time around with being a couple of years older and having to keep up with a toddler on top of everything else. Guess I’ll just have to see. 

anonellis

@expandcontract we had a very short NICU stay — so short that I myself was never even able to visit post c-section.  But I have friends who have run the gamut from a few hours to months in the NICU (I have twins and am friends with a lot of twin parents and they are more likely than singletons to need NICU time).  For what it’s worth, I was in the NICU at birth and my mom commented on how different it is now.  You have a lot more opportunity to hold and be with your baby and I guess they’re just generally much more baby and parent friendly than the olden days. 

It is very tough to have to leave your baby in the NICU if you get discharged first, especially if you don’t live close to the hospital.  However, everyone I know who had long NICU stays have said that the upside is how much you learn from the incredible nurses (and seriously they are all incredible).  

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@megsb615 It's such a hard call to make towards the end. I think if there hadn't been a super high amount of protein in my urine, they wouldn't have been as concerned with the high BP. But the combo of those two was a no-go. I also read having high BP/pre-e in one pregnancy, doesn't automatically mean you'll get it in the next. Fingers crossed we're lucky this time!

@expandcontract and others... Maybe we can start a high-risk check-in once we reach end of 2nd tri/beginning of 3rd tri? 

wishiwaspreggo

My water broke naturally at 35 weeks and my son was born 6 pounds 5 ounces. Healthy as can be. He was in the NICU for a couple hours to check his lung function but he didn't need to stay.

A friend of mine had poorly controlled gestational diabetes and her daughter was in the NICU for a couple weeks. She stayed at the Ronald McDonald House and they took very good care of her and her family.

Another friend had both her babies in the NICU after delivering early (25 weeks for one, 28 another) and they're both thriving now.

People speak poorly of the US's maternal/infant care but we do have it pretty good. I know many more NICU happy endings than I do tragedies.

megsb615

@secicc12 I have high bp even when I’m not pregnant (hereditary), so it’s an issue regardless for me. Luckily medication regulates it really well. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you won’t have to deal with it this time and that hopefully mine at least stays as decent as it did last time. 😬

I’d like to have a high risk check in. I think that’s a good idea!

anonellis

Oh I just read your edit, I hadn’t seen when I posted — if you know you’re delivering at or around 34 weeks, you’ll likely have the opportunity to meet with the NICU team and ask them lots of questions well in advance.  OBs and MFMs are helpful but better to hear right from the source.  I did that at 32 weeks and it made me feel a LOT better.  Ended up keeping them cooking for longer than expected but meeting with the team made me feel much more confident and secure.  

expandcontract

@secicc12 So you went home with a 4 lb baby? Or was your daughter in the regular nursery or something? I didn't know it was even possible for a baby that tiny to not have to stay in the NICU! That blows my mind. 
Again,  I'm so glad you ladies have such positive experiences to share! 
I was also thinking about the high risk thread.  Some of us are already in the 2nd tri so i think we could go ahead and start it.  

anonmona

@expandcontract at the hospital i delivered at, under 4 pounds automatically went to the NICU (obviously 4+ pound babies sometimes have to go too but not automatically triggered by their weight). 

A lot of carseats are approved for a minimum of 4 pounds and some are for a minimum of 5 pounds.  We specifically got ones suitable for 4 pounders bc we were expecting preemies.  

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@expandcontract Sure did! She was 4 lbs 9 oz. when we left the hospital. We stayed an extra day so she could be under the bili lights for jaundice. She was in our room the entire time. We definitely had more pedi check-ins those first few weeks than standard, just to make sure she was gaining weight. But honestly aside from being a peanut, she passed all her other tests and now, at 16 months, has physically caught up to other kids her age. 

DuchessOfCambridge

@wishiwaspreggo I think they speak of it poorly in terms of postpartum women specifically and compared to other first world countries. We are definitely medically advanced and the chances of survival here are much higher than other places but compared to those countries on our level, we have more deaths due to things like preeclampsia, which is very preventable, or postpartum hemorrhaging. I've heard this straight from nurses in postpartum complaining L&D doesn't always throughly check mothers before sending to postpartum, and they have more hemorrhaging than they should considering our advanced medicine, as well as read articles on it. A lot of it comes from not listening to women when they talk about how they're feeling and just brushing them off.

I don't mean this to argue with you! Just sharing where the criticisms may come from.

knarlytaurus

@DuchessOfCambridge I have heard the same thing. NPR did a series with ProPublica last summer about how the US has one of the highest rates of maternal death immediately postpartum than other industrialized countries. A lot of it was connected just as you said--pre-eclampsia and hemorrhaging. They also spoke about how often postpartum depression is not diagnosed, or that there aren't good supports for women who do seek treatment.
https://www.npr.org/series/543928389/lost-mothers

knarlytaurus

Ps - I posted about this not to freak everyone out, but the more we can be aware of symptoms or issues, the better outcomes we might have. I hope this doesn't freak people out! 

expandcontract

@secicc12 Your story brought tears to my eyes.  Thank you for sharing! 

I agree with @DuchessOfCambridge and @knarlytaurus... amongst industrialized countries we do have the highest maternal mortality rate which makes me sad.  Just add that to the list of women related issues this country needs to fix.  

chloe97

@DuchessOfCambridge and @knarlytaurus I think a lot of the postpartum care issue is straight up just health card providers not listening to the women and this is particularly a problem among women of color. Hearing Serena Williams’ story about how she begged the nurses to get a chest X-ray since she was having a hard time breathing and she was adamant that she had a history of blood clots and needed a chest X-ray. And that was Serena freaking Williams- the literal best athelete of her generation. She knows her body. It’s mind blowing. 

knarlytaurus

@chloe97 my love it is more of a fist bump of solidarity 👊. I was amazed when I saw Serena's HBO special and heard that! I've heard other mothers, too, who had to push to get care when they were hemorrhaging  etc. 

expandcontract

@chloe97 dude,  I did not know that about Serena! You would never think something like that would happen today.  I need to watch this documentary, now.

DuchessOfCambridge

@chloe97 I had no idea! I’m so glad she was relentless, how scary that must have been for her!

Stormiewinter

I was induced for severe pre e at 36 weeks. Ds1 was low birth weight (5 lbs 7 oz), and was monitored for low blood sugar and body heat for the first 24 hours. We spent about 6 days total in the hospital but mostly because he developed jaundice. Came home at 4 lbs 11 oz. he is now an energetic and bright almost 6 year old. 

Side note: I did not have pre e in my second pregnancy but I have to monitor my blood pressure starting at 19 weeks just in case. 

MaggieG183

My friend had twins at 32 weeks due to gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. She traveled to the only hospital at the time in Montana with a NICU a week before her boys were born for constant monitoring and for steroid shots to help their lungs develop. She had c-section without complications and the boys were born at 3 lbs 3 oz and 3 lbs 13 oz. They stayed in the NICU there for 4 weeks then were transported to the infant room in our town (4 hour ambulance ride for both boys) where they stayed for 2 more weeks. They are now happy, healthy, fit, active, thriving identical twins who are in 6th grade. They both have cute little girlfriends and one has just been awarded a soccer scholarship for a summer camp this year and the other is working to start a robotics club at his school. 

I’m sorry you are going through this. Please lean on us often to get your worries out. Your mental health is just as important as a healthy baby @expandcontract

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@Stormiewinter That makes me so happy you didn't have pre-e second time around! I hope it stays away again this time, too.

peachy13

DD was born with pneumothorax, which is air pockets in the lungs that causes respiratory distress. It is usually seen in premature babies but DD was only four days early. I am still not totally sure what caused this, but we had a bit of an unexpected NICU journey that was definitely successful in the end. The NICU at my hospital was very welcoming and warm, and the nursing staff was great. I could tell they really cared for their babies, and even though they knew we wanted to get her home as soon as possible, they were very thorough and careful with their care, and made sure all bases were covered before discharging her. She ended up staying for 4 days, which I realize is not bad at all compared to other NICU patients, and I consider us very lucky. 

A few things though that were kind of difficult for me (and I'm just telling you in case it helps you prepare for what to expect):
- having the staff take DD away from me within minutes after delivering her. It was so not like what you picture after giving birth, cradling your newborn on your chest and having a sweet moment together. The staff wanted to get her to the NICU immediately.
- having the NICU staff know more about my baby than me. I mean, obviously they're going to know more because they are professionals who basically live in the NICU, but it is still kind of sad when someone else is telling you what your baby needs or likes or whatever. 
- probably the hardest, going home before your baby. Again, so not what you picture when leaving the hospital after having a baby. Going home solo was super sad. Everyone you know is asking if they can come visit you and you're like nope, no baby here guys. You go back into the hospital any chance you get but you're a freaking visitor, just hoping that today is the day you can actually take your baby home. I won't sugar coat it - it sucks.

@expandcontract I wonder if it would help at all to tour your hospital's NICU and meet some of the nurses there? If you are planning to breastfeed, you may also want to look into pumping stuff early so that you're all prepared at home to pump when you're not at the NICU nursing. I know this isn't easy but like @maggieg183 said, you should definitely feel free to share your concerns with us!

stella_700

**dirty lurker**

I went into the hospital at 32+2 with twins due to blood pressure issues, held on to 34+2 before scheduled c-section. Babies were 3.15 and 5.4, we spend 20 days in the NICU. Looking back I think our NICU was pretty conservative with them, we had excellent care. Spent 10 days in the higher care area and then were released to  a lower level of NICU care. This meant we could overnight with them in their room. I hope that wherever you deliver has that option, it really helped me cope emotionally with not bringing them home right away.

jla1018

I went into spontaneous labor at 36 weeks (which I know is a little later than you are thinking) and were told that our guy may have NICU time, but he was born tiny and strong!  He was 4lbs 10oz when we left the hospital, 48hours after birth! He never had NICU time.  Our only issue was that he was so tiny that he failed his car seat test.  The angle of the car seat was too much for him, and his oxygen dipped when he was in it, so we left the hospital in a car bed instead! He was in that until 6ish weeks when we transitioned him to a car seat.  He's now a thriving 13 month old that you would never know was a preemie!

expandcontract

@peachy13 oh my goodness,  thank you so much for the candor advice and insight! Touring the NICU is a really good idea,  I'm definitely going to ask about that! 
I also didn't even think that the nurses would know more about my baby than I would.... thank you for sparing me that shock. Reading that part certainly made me emotional.  
Im so glad your daughter was only there for 4 days but I'm sure it was agonizing.  

wishiwaspreggo

I thought my nurses were nuts when I was in recovery because they made me wear a blood pressure cuff 24/7 for the duration I was there and took my pressure every 15 minutes. I was going crazy because I couldn't sleep. Like clockwork, someone would come in and torture me with the cuff (it was so damn tight) and I got barraged with questions the entire time. I was climbing the walls wanting to get the hell out of there but in hindsight I'm really glad they did that. I had pre-eclampsia and I didn't know there was still a risk of death after giving birth. My L&D and post-partum support was fantastic. I was continually monitored for PPD and had nurses check on me after I went home. I didn't have any PPD at all, probably because I was so freaking happy to not be pregnant anymore.

ETA: It just sucks that not all women receive that level of care in the US. How it can vary so much from city to city, how difficult it is to get decent care in rural areas, how many doctors don't listen to women and their concerns... this country has a lot of work to do. That being said: VOTE, LADIES!!! Please.

DuchessOfCambridge

@expandcontract just to add, once I was discharged from the hospital I was allowed to stay in a parent room for free and got free meals because I was pumping/breastfeeding. That's a good thing to look into if you know you're likely to have a NICU stay. I got to be in the hospital for four nights due to my c-section but I was so not ready to leave and sobbed when I was being discharged. They were soooo nice about it and set me up with the parent room and told me not to feel bad and that's what it was there for. It was hard being there without H (I felt bad making him stay when there wasn't any reason for him to not get a good night's sleep at home though in retrospect I wish I had asked him to stay) especially because I no longer had a hospital bed and was still in a lot of pain when I went from laying to sitting to standing. But anyway, I'm getting too much into my story. Parent rooms are awesome, free meals are awesome even if you are so freaking sick of the hospital food. I delivered in a big city so a few times I sent H out for sushi

DDRRT1982

Lurking...

I am a Respiratory Therapist that works with adults and NICU, plus I am the mom of a former 25 weeker.  I am by no means offering medical advice, but would like to offer you information that could provoke questions so that you can be an informed patient advocate for yourself and your baby.  Ultimately, the goal should always be to get you to full term. Obviously, if you or your baby’s life is in danger then the benefits of delivery outweigh the risks.  I apologize if you already asked your provider these questions or do have a regiment.  I hope I am not being redundant.

Are you on a maintenance inhaler like Advair, Symbicort, Breo, etc. These meds offer an inhaler steroid and long acting bronchodilator that has been proven to decrease symptoms of asthma.  Do you have access to quick acting bronchodilators, such as albuterol.?  Are you already on a regiment that could decrease or prevent your symptoms?  You might benefit from seeing a pulmonologist during this time to manage your symptoms and possibly medications.

From a NICU standpoint, 34 weeks and above generally do well in the NICU.  They are still early, so they could still have issues with breathing, blood sugar control, eating, jaundice, and temp regulation.  This is why I stress it’s important to get to term or as close to term as possible.  I really think you would benefit from the utilization of a MFM and pulmonologist during your pregnancy.

I have worked with many moms with asthma and have seen lots of positive outcomes and full term deliveries.  I am optimistic your healthcare providers can do that for you, too.

nnewman4

I have known plenty of NICU babies and they are all thriving now three years on. I had two friends have their babies about 3 months early (around 28 weeks) and both are doing great! One even hit all her milestones early with crawling, walking, etc despite her tiny size. My brother was 8 weeks early (32 weeks) and 36 years on he's doing fine!

Especially since they're watching out for you, I'd expect everything to be fine. They'll keep a close eye on you and the baby and make the best call. Everyone I know who went early, it was a surprise, one even saw her OB that day, not expecting her water to break that night! While it can be scary to go home without your baby if they have to stay in the NICU for extended time, know that medical advances have made it possible for very pre-term babies to have a extremely high rate of survival. Almost any hospital is equipped to deal with 32 weeks. If your baby arrives sooner, you can find out if your hospital can accommodate or which hospital your baby might be transferred to.

expandcontract

@DDRRT1982 Thank you for posting! 
Yes,  I am on Symbicort, Atrovent, Singular,  Albuterol nebulizer, and Prednisone.  I am under the care of MFM and pulmonary.  Even with all these meds,  though, asthma is still not under control (have to use rescue about three times a day). That's why my OB sent me to see MFM right away instead of waiting until 20 weeks as previously had discussed with me.  

@nnewman4 it's seriously so good to know that there have been good outcomes for NICU babies! Reading all these stories has really helped.  It was an initial shock when my OB mentioned it and I'm so glad that she did because I feel better prepared. Honestly,  I don't know anyone who has had a NICU baby recently and that was the most frightening part.  My cousin was a NICU baby for a heart defect but I was like 7 yrs old at the time.  And her mother NEVER talks about it so it's not like I can ask her.  Again,  I love this community! You guys are also like my therapist in some ways. Hehe. My husband should be very grateful for you because otherwise I'd be unloading all this crap on him.  😝😝

knottie0d8cc4d43bacc09f

@peachy13 Hugs ❤️ That must have been so hard leaving the hospital without your baby. 

Stormiewinter

@secicc12 fingers crossed for you too! My mom had it in all 4 pregnancies so I am still higher risk to develop it, which is why I have to start monitoring at 19 weeks.