Our little one has been threatening to come early since 24 weeks. I am now at 31, and had the round of steroid shots at 24 weeks when i stayed at the hospital. I was just wondering what your experiences are when your Little one refused to stay put, and came after 30 weeks, but several weeks before term. Do you think the steroids helped as much as you were told ?
Thanks so much
Re: How long in the NICU at 32 weeks w/ steroid shot?
My LO guy was born at 31 weeks and I was on Mag for 48 hours to try to have him stayed put long enough for me to get the 2 shots and allow them 24 hours to work.
When he was born he was on CPAP the first night, then forced air the next day. He was on room air for a few days, but at 6 days old went on O2 and remained on it for almost all of his NICU stay. At our high altitude it's the norm for NICU babies to go home with O2. but Andrew managed to get off of it a few days before coming home. I do think the steriods helped a lot. We had a 7 week NICU stay (49 days).
Hope you're LO can get in some more baking time! GL!
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I had the shot on Sunday and he was born Wednesday at 32w3d - I absolutely think they helped because he only needed a nasal cannula for a couple of days and a C-PAP for a few hours. I thought for sure being born with RDS that we were looking an intubation but that never happened. He was 100% on room air only by day 4 or 5?
We stayed in the NICU for 30 days but most of his problem was just getting him to eat. Were it not for the feeding issues he probably would have come home in about half that time :-P
My LO was a lot earlier than yours, but she was 3 months early and came home after 2 months in the NICU.. so she came home a month sooner than she was expected. I completely think the shots made a huge difference for us. She was on the vent for 6 hours.. she was on a nasal cannula after about 14 hours. She came home on oxygen, but I think it was because she was discharged early.. they would have kept her if we wanted them to wean her off but I wanted her home and didn't care about having the oxygen stuff around.
One of her neighbors was a 32 or 33 weeker and only spent 3 weeks in the NICU, mostly feeding issues with him taking a bottle. He was never on the vent or anything.. I think she had fibroids, so they got the shots early also.
I was induced at 32 weeks due to HELLP/Pre-E. Abby was 2lbs 15 oz and had both steroid shots 5 days before birth. She came out breathing and did not need ANY breathing intervention the whole time she was in the nicu. Those shots are a miracle drug!!
She did not have any issues and just needed to grow and learn to suck/swallow/temp regulate. She came home after 31 days in the nicu at 3lbs 12 oz.
Good luck!!!
I think the steroids worked like they said they would.. my little boy did not want to stay put! my waterbroke at 32 weeks so they started the magnesium and steroids right away.. they told me i could stay weeks in the hospital before i delivered but after the 48 hours they took me off the magnesium at 6pm & my little boy gave me a few hours to eat, shower and rest then i started having contractions at about 12 or 1 am
he did have a breathing tube in when he was 1st born but they removed that the same day.. he is breathing great on his own & is able to take all of his feedings. the nurses are surprised how well he is doing for being young. he just has to stay in the hospital long enough to gain more weight and make sure he can still breath and regulate his body temp. on his own.
it's so cute because he gets sleepy while he's eating and tends to start falling asleep in the middle but as long as me or someone burps him halfway he wakes up again to finish eating