Preemies
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Tell me about your IUGR baby
DD #1 was premature (34w2d) due to pre-e. DD #2 has decided that IUGR and low amniotic fluid are more her speed. I've been on modified bed rest for 3 weeks and so far baby is passing her weekly BPPs, though she has dropped into the 4th percentile for size.
I'm curious about other IUGR stories. When did you find out, how early was your LO, what was the deciding factor in delivering LO, and how did s/he do after delivery?
Thanks!
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Re: Tell me about your IUGR baby
My DD had severe IUGR that was detected starting at the 18 week ultrasound but wasn't officially determined until we went back for a 22 week growth to see if she was growing. Between 18 and 27 weeks when she was delivered she only put on 4 ozs and was born at 1lb 2 oz on 9/30/11 at 27 weeks exactly.
Her IUGR was so severe that initially the doctors didn't give us any hope she'd be born alive. I also had very low amniotic fluid and an absence of diastolic flow from the placenta. We decided to deliver at 27 weeks because the flow was showing signs of reversing and she hadn't grown in like 5 weeks. Also she started to show more signs of decels of heart rate so it was time.
Boy did she prove them wrong. After she was born she dropped down to 14 oz, but has been on the uphill ever since. She spent 95 days in the NICU mostly with respiratory issues, but no other major problems. She is super tiny for her age, but is growing just like they want her to.
Lots of T&Ps to you and your LO! These little girls are tough!!
What an amazing success story! You're right- little girls are tough! Thanks for sharing your experience.
Hope you don't mind if I post over here. My DD was dx IUGR at my 20w anatomy scan and then confirmed 4w later when they were doing another growth scan to re-evaluate. I started coming in for more frequent u/s, growth scans, AFI, and twice-weekly NSTs and BPPs. At 32w she was failing both NSTs and BPPs so I got admitted for monitoring for 3 days and received steroid shots for her lung development. After that point, I started seeing my OB once a week for NST/BPP/AFI and an MFM once a week for AFI, growth scan, and checking placental blood flow. Thankfully everything held up in normal levels until I reached 37w and they decided she was better out than in... I had a scheduled c/s since she was breech and I wasn't favorable for induction anyway.
She was born at 5 pounds, 1 ounce and they said 18.5" but that turned out to be a bad measurement... she was likely around 17". Her head was also very small. Thankfully, with the steroid shots, her breathing was good and she was able to maintain her temp with being super bundled up in hats and several blankets that she avoided NICU time. She was slow to get back on the growth curve at first but as of her 4 month pedi appt, was between 25-50% after a huge jump from her 2 month appt where she was below 10% on height and weight! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy... I hope your LO is born happy and healthy.
I was diagnosed with oligohydramnios at 28w (fluid at 2.5%) and made it to 34w2d when there was literally no fluid left. I had my weekly bpp and nst at 10:00am and he was born at 3:45 that afternoon. From 28w to when he was born they estimate he went from about 3lb 2oz to 4lb 8oz and now at 7 months old he just tipped the scale at 20lbs, which makes me feel he was truly IUGR and not just a tiny baby.
The deciding factor for delivery was there was no fluid left, there was reverse cord flow, and he wasn't moving anymore.
At delivery he had a trouble breathing and was put on CPAP right away and at 5 five he was taken off. He had RDS and TTN at birth as well. We spent 45 days in the NICU but they were mostly related to feeding and reflux.
Good luck and keep us posted.
BPF May 12, 2013 :: EDD Janaury 22, 2013 :: MC Began On July 14, 2013 at 12W4D
Born at 34w2d:
They detected (very) low fluid and slow growth at 28 weeks 5 days. I was sent to the L&D from a regular Doctor's appointment. I was monitored there for a week because they suspected (and told me) that I wouldn't leave without having the baby.
I think at the time, LO was in the ~12th percentile and my fluid was around a 7 or 8 (aka very low). He was passing every test though, so after a week they sent me home on bedrest with twice weekly appointments for NSTs and BPPs @ MFM.
My primary OBGYN doctors told me flat out that they'd be ecstatic if I made it to 31 or 32 weeks. My MFM doctor told me that she predicted 34 or 35 weeks would be a turning point in mine, or the baby's, health. She was right.
My fluid hung steady in that 6-7 range for 6 weeks, and LO stayed hovered around the 8th percentile. I was told that, aside from any signs of stress, baby is better in than out until 34+ weeks. At 34 weeks, he had dropped to the 4th percentile (I think), and fluid had dropped off slightly. MFM advised me to check back into hospital until LO arrived.
I checked in at 34 weeks 4 days. Everything looked good still - in fact, my Doctor told me she was okay with me leaving the hospital for a few hours for my baby shower that coming weekend! On Wednesday evening, baby looked good and fluid even appeared to be up (still not sure if that was Resident error or not, since the regular tech had forgotten to come see me earlier that day).
On Thursday morning, my fluid was virtually nonexistent. We delivered that night - 35 weeks exactly, 3 lbs 12 ozs. I elected for c-section because I was worried about the lack of fluid with cord compression, stress etc. The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, and he was taken to the NICU for observation.
Overall, his health was good. Slight jaundice and because of the low muscle tone, he spent about a week in the isolette. Beyond, that we just waited for him to learn to suck/swallow/breathe well enough to finish all 8 bottles required by our NICU. In total, he spent 31 days there.
William is now 9 months old and a normal, crawling, babbling, playful mess. He is tiny for his age (~14 lbs), but he doesn't know that:)! In general, IUGR babies do tend to catch up much slower than other preemies, but he parallels a normal growth curve (ie rate), which is what they primarily watch.
Did you Doctors mention preclampsia? My Doctors told me very early on that low fluid and IUGR were almost always linked to pre-e. Not trying to scare you, but I appreciated all information when I was in your shoes. My BP was actually low, no swelling, very minimal weight gain, no protein, etc. So it puzzled me that the Doctors were basically waiting for me to get sick. Sure enough, per my MFM prediction, two days before he was born my protein levels went over 300 (pre-e) and he was born before they could repeat the test.
The way it was explained to me is that pre-e can manifest in two ways - with fluid and LO's growth or with Mom's health. The latter is much more common. The former almost always leads to the latter, unless baby's health declines rapidly before it affects Mom. So, basically, for 7 weeks my Doctors couldn't find any reason why LO was IUGR/low fluid . . . then, finally, the protein in my 24 hour test showed up.
Gabe had IUGR, low fluid, absent and then reverse flow.
The reverse flow is what made them take him. Well, that and distress. He just started to get very agitated.
He was 31w3d and 2lb3oz. He was in the hospital for 41 days.
He never had breathing support. I was able to get the shots. But, babies with IUGR actually usually have pretty good lungs. The stress in utero cause their lungs to develop. The fact that your LO is a girl also is good. Girls do better than boys.
The biggest issue he had was weight gain. It was a slow climb.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
There were indicators at my anatomy scan that there was iugr and I would develop pre-e later (uterine notching, I think it's called?)
When we went back 4w later, there was still iugr. The plan was to have every other growth u/s at the Mfm, and every other week pre-e checks with my ob.the weekend before I delivered, I developed HELLP syndrome. I had abdominal pain. My ob had me do bloodwork and a 24 hour catch. On Monday morning, I get a call from the nurse that my labs were back and the dr wanted to see me. From there, I went straight to hospital bed rest (protein was 600+). A few hours later, they decided to take DD via c section. She was 2lbs 3oz at 31w1d.
For the most part, our 5.5 week nicu stay was fairly uneventful. She was a girl, and she was stressed in the womb, so even though I received a steroid shot only an hour before delivery, she was on the cpap for less than a day, and then went to breathing room air.
Id much rather have an iugr 2 pounder than an IC 2 pounder. They do better, on average.
We dealt with standard preemie stuff:jaundice, body temp, etc. but she never had breathing issues/apneas/bradies.
Shes still petite for her adjusted age (right now, she's 14.5lbs), but she is hanging out along her "iugr preemie growth curve", so the pedi is happy. You're going to get a lot of use out of newborn sized outfits.
BFP #3 via cancelled IUI ~ C (2lb 3oz; HELLP) 5/16/11
BFP #4 via the natural (free!) way ~ E (8lb 11oz) 9/13/12
So true! Other Moms complain all the time about how their LO's blow through sizes, etc. My 9 month old is now ~14 lbs and still wears 3-6 month clothing from Baby Gap! Granted, Gap runs long and lean (great for IUGR preemies!), but still. I get my $$$ worth of clothes for sure! We just moved up to Size 3 Pampers, and I have a whole case of Size 2 unopened. I offered them to my friend with a 4 month old, and she laughed - guess they use 4 already:)
Yes! And preemie! Gabe wore them 6 weeks after he came home and 2-3 in the hospital.
We'll miss you sweet Debbie Girl (4.21.12) and sweet Cindy Girl (8.9.12)
It was discovered Liam had IUGR at our 20 week ultrasound. We were then sent to a MFM doctor who couldn't determine why Liam was so small. We managed to last till 27w6d until we had to deliver Liam via emergency c section. He was having reverse blood flow.
At birth he weighed 15oz and was 11 inches long. We spent 101 days in the NICU before we were discharged. Liam's biggest problem was always weight gain. At 5 months he is now 7lbs 4oz.