Preemies
Bluebird2318
member
CP/Intro: Emergency C-section at 29 weeks. Baby girl is here.
Bluebird2318
member
in Preemies
Cross-posting this as an intro after being advised by a fellow September 2012 due date mommy that this was a board I would most certainly live on for awhile. 
Well ladies, last night at about 11:00 PM I decided that the upper/middle back pain I had been having (gradually worse over a few days) was becoming unbearable. Even Tylenol would not fix the pain, so I trusted my gut and went to emergency care. It turns out that since my clean bill of health at my OB appointment last Tuesday I had suddenly developed severe pre-eclampsia.
The plan was to hold me for at least 48 hours so that I could receive two steroid shots for baby's lung development, but my blood platelets were getting so low that I had to have an emergency c-section about 7 hours after the first steroid shot or they would be unable to give me a spinal injection.
She was born at 10:11 AM (EST) this morning after a quick and successful surgery. (They managed to do a horizontal cut to preserve my chances of VBAC in the future.) Everyone was amazing and the experience was as positive as it could be given the circumstances. (Premature birth and c-section were my two biggest fears; go figure...) But I am feeling very lucky and blessed. Baby girl is only 2.08 pounds, but doing excellent; she is breathing on her own and the team of doctors in NICU have no concerns so far. I am doing equally well so far in recovery, though I can't get up and see my daughter for myself yet.
So far everything is going wonderfully, but positive vibes and prayers for our daughter are always welcome. Thank you for listening, ladies!
Slight edit from original post: She did receive some help during the night, via a tube supplying medicine to help lung development, and being on a respirator, which I'm told is very typical.
So, baby Skye Elise born at exactly 29 weeks (2.08 lbs) on June 27th. Thank you all in advance for the support and I hope I can be of some help to others here as well, present and future. Nice to meet you all.
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Re: CP/Intro: Emergency C-section at 29 weeks. Baby girl is here.
Congrats on your little girl! And what a beautiful name! I will be praying for you for a fast recovery and for your lo to have a quick and uneventful stay in the NICU!
First of all, thank you!
Second, I do know that my platelet count was worryingly low, but I don't recall them mentioning HELLP beyond my initial consultation where they told me that severe pre-e carried risk of developing HELLP as well. I don't know that they ever told me after my 2nd set of bloodwork that it had gone in that direction, just that my blood platelet count had dropped further and they couldn't wait any longer for c-section or they would not be able to give me spinal anesthesia. I'm supposing it's entirely possible that I did have it, even though they only mentioned the drop in platelets between my bloodworks.
Congrats on the birth of your baby girl! My DD was also born by emergency c-section at 29 weeks due to sudden severe pre-e. That's SO awesome they were able to do a horizontal cut instead of a classical so you can have a VBAC later. My OB wouldn't even consider it and I got a classical c-section.
I'm happy to hear your DD is doing so well! I hope she continues to do well and gets to come home very soon! My DD had some lung issues (pneumothorax- popped both lungs and required chest tubes and a ventilator) but she was on room air within a week. I actually got both steroid injections before she was born and she still had issues. Otherwise, she was just a feeder/grower and spent 8 weeks in the NICU. (we had issues with feeding or she probably could have come home sooner)
I wish you guys a short, uneventful NICU stay. If you have any questions, feel free to message me.
ETA: My DD is now a happy, healthy 14 month old. No health issues at all. She had some pretty fierce reflux in the beginning but other than that she is great! She's meeting all her milestones with her adjusted age. She's working on walking now and I think she will be by her next doctors appt at the end of July. She's still tiny but she's a fireball and is constantly into everything!
Glad to see you introed here
Id put my money on HELLP. The back pain and low platelets are classic HELLP. I actually didn't know I had HELLP (I thought it was just severe pre-e) until about 2w later when I had my f/u with my ob, and he was looking over my paperwork and mentioned it.
The good news is, pre-e babies (ESP girls) tend to do really good in the nicu. They are stressed in the womb, so their lungs start maturing faster than if they were just pushed out due to IC. I got the shots only an hour before her birth. She was on cpap for the first night, and then room air the next day. By the time I got to see her (the next day), she didn't have any breathing help.
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
Congratulations on your baby girl!! Wow, our stories are so similar -- with the exception of, you sound WAY more upbeat than I did one day out (actually I was still on magnesium and quite out of it!). (I also had pre-e and had an emergency c-section at 29 weeks... both things had been my biggest fear, too!)
Just to give you some encouragement, although I was terrified about how my 29-weeker would do since he seemed so tiny and frail, he actually did fabulously and now that he's 8 weeks adjusted (4 months actual), if you go by his adjusted age, you'd never be able to tell he was a preemie. 29-weekers usually do fantastically well. And, girls tend to do better than boys so your baby girl has great prospects! Congratulations again!!
Wow, the support system really is great over here; you ladies are amazing. (I'm sorry if the post made you tear up, PP! I very much appreciate the fact that you read it and responded to it at any rate, because hearing about other experiences is very comforting; thank you! This is all new to me.)
To those who had mentioned it: yes, I did in fact have HELLP. They hadn't said it to me by name prior to my surgery (except to mention that there was a risk of it when I was first admitted) but little Skye ended up needing a platelet infusion to get her count back up while they wait for normal platelet production to resume over the next couple of days. (Doctor said that sometimes they may need a second, but rarely a third infusion. It scared me and DH at first, but the way the doctor discussed it he didn't seem terribly worried, and made it sound like it was quite manageable.)
At any rate, to the person who asked, I I did finally get to see her and touch her little hand for the first time before they started the platelet drip.
Thank you also for the comments about positivity. It is a scary situation as I'm sure you're all familiar with, but I have heard so many positive and inspiring stories about babies at her gestational age doing so well that I can't help but hope for the best. From what I can tell, it seems like there is a much better chance that things turn out well than the chance that they won't. It also helps to know that she is nearby and under constant care/monitoring. I do get feelings from time-to-time of "I'm not ready to not be pregnant," but there's nothing I can do about it at this point except trust in the power of good care, good medical treatments, and good thoughts. I think it's going to be harder after I'm discharged from the hospital and DD isn't right down the hall anymore, but it's comforting to know that DH and I have 24-hour access to her either way, and he is taking some time off work to help me recover and pay visits to baby Skye.
And with that, I'm gonna spend some time resting and reading through the link at the top of the board so I don't end up being the crazy lady that asks too many questions. Thank you for all the awesome support so far and the great comments. I love seeing the proof of such awesome success stories in your LO's.
Congratulations and welcome, even though its always a bit of a heartstring pull when I see an introduction post on here - I'm glad to hear that you are so upbeat and that your DD is doing well - My DD was born at 22w 5 days - we spent 117 difficult days in the NICU but she is healthy and happy. This board is a wonderful resource and full of amazing preemie moms that have been through it all! I hope you have a short and uneventful NICU stay
ps. I didnt have HELLP - but DD did need multiple platelet infusions while in the NICU (far more than three - ) every baby is different and I found it was better not to "expect" anything at all - I never let myself think it was the last blood transfusion, or the last procedure or the last iv..... the NICU is a roller coaster and sometimes the unexpected is to be expected
Congrats on your little girl! Premature birth can come as such a shock. I'm glad the team at your hospital has been supportive.
My little man was also a 29 weeker. He was intubated to receive surfactant and was on the vent for about 18 hours. He was then on CPAP for 3 days then a cannula for a while. He has been blessed with few to no complications so far and is a happy, thriving guy.
The NICU will be a rollercoaster, we're all here to help and listen! ((HUGS))
BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.