Sounds like I'm going to have a preemie

DawnJM25

Hi all- it is my first time to this board.  My water broke this weekend at 31 weeks 5 days.  I'm in the hospital on bed rest until my labor starts, otherwise they will deliver by C- section at 34 weeks.  I'm so nervous and unsure what to expect.  The NICU doctors came in today to talk to DH and I; they sounded positive that even though 32-34 weeks is early, it is still a good time to be born in terms of a preemie if that makes sense.  Well, I will probably visit you all with questions.  I'm hopeful that all will turn out okay.  Thank you for reading!

JennaNAaron

We're foster parents, but LO was born at 32.5 weeks weighing 3.6lbs. She was on room air from day 1 and once she caught on to eating she did great. She was in the NICU for 25 days and now at 4 months is just shy of 14lbs. Wishing you the best of luck.

zmoss

Hello and welcome to the board!

This was my exact situation! My water broke at 31w 5d and I was on hospital bedrest until I hit 34 weeks. I was induced at that point and had my DS who weighed in at 5lbs 12 oz (pretty big for 34 weeks). 

We were told to expect to be in the NICU until at least my original due date, but spent about 15 days total. My boy was (still is) a feeder/grower and once he learned to eat well on his own we were discharged. 

My best advice would be to remain as optimistic as you sound to date! Some NICU nurses and L&D nurses might scare you with stories of all the things that could go wrong--IMO it was better to not resign myself that my lil guys would need so many interventions and instead focus on positive BPP's and weight gain. It wasn't so much worrying what could happen as just being prepared to accept my lil guy and give him whatever he needed when he was born. 

If you have any questions that I could answer please do not hesitate to PM me! 

Hang in there--just talking to other moms on this board was a lifesaver and a great step in seeking support!

jcsntms06

Both my girls were born between 33w and 34 weeks. My oldest had a 13 day NICU stay and C my youngest was in the NICU for 14 days. Both for different issues.  I pray that you can make it to 34 weeks. If you have any questions please ask away.

Brummy14

Sending good vibes in the hopes of making it to 34 weeks! I'm jealous of how far you are, already! That said, I know how terrifying it is to be in your shoes, but just know that each day you don't deliver us yet another day your little one is growing and growing. 34 weeks may seem very early, but many women have incredibly short NICU stays delivering that far along. Here's to hoping your experience is similar!

MinaE01

It's great that it seems they are able to hold off labor and keep LO in for awhile! My water broke and 32w3d and they tried to hold off labor until 34w. Didn't work - baby was born 10 hours after water broke. My little guy was in the NICU for 24 days. We were very lucky that he didn't have any major issues. We just had to wait patiently for him to eat properly.

Good luck! Relax and enjoy being pregnant for (hopefully) another 2 weeks. I only say that because I really miss being pregnant!

LegallyBlonde217

My water broke at 29 weeks 3 days.  I was on hospital bed rest until I went into labor at 33 weeks 3 days.  I delivered my twins at 33 weeks 4 days.  Both were born breathing room air.  They were in the NICU for 23 days just growing and learning to take bottles.  They are almost 4 months now and doing great.  DS has more than tripled his birth weight and DD has more than doubled hers. 

Good luck!  

DawnJM25

Thank you all for the encouraging words and experiences.  Baby is still cooking for now- but I'm starting to feel contractions so we will see how long it lasts.  We are still team green- I can't believe with all the ultrasounds I've had that we don't know the sex yet.  I hope I can stay pregnant until 34 weeks, but it sounds like lots of babies are fighters by this point in development in case I do go into labor.  I'm sure I'll be back to ask you all questions throughout this process!