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Preemies
Looks like I'll be joining you soon...
Well my water broke at 33w2d (Weds) and I am now in the hospital waiting it out on bed rest. We are hoping to get me to 34 weeks. We have no idea why my water broke, I didn't have any signs or any conditions that would have alerted us to an early labor.
I was able to get the 2 steroid shots in for her lung development. Right now I'm on bedrest, hooked up to an IV with antibotics and the fetal monitors. Everything is looking good and we had an u/s yesterday where she measured 4lbs. 8 oz., had normal levels amniotic fluid and received an 8/8 on her biophysical test.
So...any ideas on what I should expect? Still pretty much scared and freaked out at this point as we were not at all prepared for this. Any tips or thoughts are appreciated! TIA!
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Re: Looks like I'll be joining you soon...
Making it to 34 weeks is really good, but certainly still a scary experience. My preemie was born at 27w3d gestation.
I have a preemie parenting blog at Preemie Babies 101.com and I invite you to browse for a bit to see what you can learn. For starters, I'll recommend a few articles:
Trauma of Delivering a Preemie
NICU Nurses Good and Bad
NICU Survival Tip #1
Baby Shower While Baby is in the NICU
Overwhelmed at the NICU
I'm not suggesting these articles to scare you, but you want to be as prepared as possible for what you may face with your baby. I hope that you make it to at least 34 weeks, preferably 37 weeks!
Good luck!
Welcome to the board. If you have to deliver early, 34 weeks is a pretty good place to be. The steroid shots will make a huge difference. My son was born at 26 weeks and was able to breathe on his own at birth, largely because of the shots.
As far as what to expect- Probably a few weeks in the NICU, most babies go home between 37 weeks and their due date. Girls tend to do better than boys in the NICU. She may require a little oxygen assistance in the beginning, but I wouldn't think she would need too much. She will probably be tube fed at first. They get their suck/swallow reflex at about 34 weeks and are able to start bottles around then.
Good luck and let us know if you have any other questions.
My water broke at 33w3d. They weren't able to stop the contractions so I delivered that same day. I had previously been on bed rest for 10 weeks.
My son was born weighing 5 lbs, 4 ozs. He had to spend 11 days in the NICU. His most serious problem was jaundice (he had to spend two days under the bili lights). My son has not had any problems since he's been home. He's doing great.
I know this must be a very scary time for you. However, try to remain calm and think positively. You may very well be able to make it to full term and if not, your daughter sounds as though she's doing great. Good luck!
My son came at 34w1d, after my water broke at 31w4d. We'd planned to induce at 34w2d but he had plans of his own. Like the PP, he spent 13 days in the NICU and we had to deal with jaundice plus the usual preemie stuff (apnea & bradys).
Is it possible for you to do a tour of the NICU before delivering? I had been on bedrest for a while, and was allowed wheelchair rides so my first one was getting a tour of the NICU and meeting the nurses & doctors over there. So that way, it wasn't so scary when Tyler was there.
Good luck!
Welcome. DS was born at 34w5d after PTL due to (later discovered) partial abruption. I'd had a totally normal pg up until then too, so it was very scary and overwhelming for me as well. We didn't get the steroid shots so DS had breathing issues for the first 5 days. Not having to worry about breathing is HUGE - your DD will probably just have to worry mostly about gaining weight and learning how to eat. I was very surprised that preemies didn't know how to suck to eat. DS spent 9 days learning to take a bottle, and once he came home, I worked very hard to bf and we've been EBF since (well, solids starting at 6 mo., but all bfing and no formula).
You will likely be discharged from the hospital without your DD. That day was the worst day of my life. Depending on how she's doing at birth, you might not get to hold her for a while. It's very very hard and very different from any birth experience you might have been expecting. The good news is you get through it and you shouldn't worry about all the stuff other people do. I was esp. worried about bonding and bfing since I didn't get to hold him until he was 5 days old - both have turned out beautifully. Hang in there, keep us posted, and ask any questions you can think of! Everyone here is very supportive and knowledgeable.