So I am 35 + weeks along and my high risk OB said I should be prepared for delivery on Thursday. Little one is measuring about 4 lbs 1 oz. I will be about 35 w 4 d on Thursday...
Anyone with a 4 pounder at birth? What was your experience? I am wondering about possibility of NICU stay as well as wondering what to expect in terms of breastfeeding, what is the likelihood he'll be able to or will I have to pump, have people rented pumps or should I go out and buy one???... I am pretty anxious so any feedback would be great. TIA
Re: Likely induction Thurs due to IUGR, questions?
My son was born at 35w5days. He weighed 4lbs 11oz. My son was in the NICU for 14 days due to apnea. I agree with PP, you should talk to your insurance company and see if they will cover one. Also, check with your NICU about loaner pumps. My NICU for my son had a loaner pump that we could sign out to take home while LO was in the NICU. I returned it the day he was discharged-- Best deal ever-- they get a pump, I get a baby! ;-) Also, speak with the LC at your hospital and see what they charge to rent one... I wouldn't recommend buying one yet!
My son did fine breastfeeding, and I pumped for him... they supplemented with formula when they ran out (and after he got home, so did I still) and I didn't notice any adverse affects. HOWEVER, I waited until he was home to talk to my insurance regarding the breast pump---big mistake!! It took them 2 weeks to figure it out and I had no pump for 2 weeks... completely ruined my supply.
Your insurance will likely ask for a prescription or some sort from your Dr's office, so I would call and find out what they need and try to get that squared away (at least as much as you can) before delivery, so you can focus on healing and your LO after delivery.
My girls were born at 35w2d. J was 4lbs 2oz and K was 5lbs1oz. They were in the NICU for 13 and 14 days respectively. J was there purely as a feeder and grower- both were on room air from the first day, and J had very few issues with Apneas/Bradys. By day 4 she was taking all of her feeds from a bottle, and was starting to try and nurse before she was discharged. Neither of them really took off with nursing until right around their EDD.
I wouldn't worry about buying a pump right now. The hospital will have them for you and the LC's can show you how to use it. If it looks like you will be pumping once you're discharged, you can either buy a pump at that time or rent a hospital grade pump. I rented a hospital pump for $60 a month for the first 3 months. Some insurance companies will cover the cost if your baby is in the NICU.
As I had twins, I did supplement with formula while I worked to get my supply in. I was able to drop the formula and just give BM when they were around 3 weeks old and they've been EBF since. It took them getting pretty close to their EDD before they had the stamina and organization to breastfeed, but once the lightbulb turned on, we were good to go. So don't give up if your LO isn't able to breastfeed for the first few weeks- it may very well be a maturity thing and if you can pump to keep your supply up, you can have a breastfed baby once she's a bit older.
my two were 4lb 13oz and 4lb 3oz. my boy, the smaller one, went to the NICU based on his weight, not his respiratory effort, which was fine. all babies less than 2000g went to NICU automatically.
he spent eight days there for nippling problems. i pumped and bottle fed him three times a day, but i was breastfeeding his sister, also. you may just want to rent one for a month or two to see how it goes before committing to buying one. i BF for three weeks before it got to be too much for my sanity.
we just went through the same thing four days ago! at my 35 week appointment, they estimated her at 4 pounds. all of her NSTs and BPPs were coming back normal, so they decided to let her go to 37 weeks. then they induced me (this was monday, 7/26)
the induction went great. she tolerated labor very well and was born vaginally.
well, it turned out she only weighed 3 pounds 11 ounces. none of the drs were expecting her to be so small. they whisked her off to the special care unit so fast, i didn't even get to hold her. they told me, "just give her a kiss goodbye."
luckily, her breathing was fine from the beginning, and all of her tests look great. she is doing well in the special care unit now, but she needs to stay until she can feed from a bottle. right now, she does 1 bottle feeding/day and takes the rest through a feeding tube. she metabolizes the food fine, but she's just too small and weak to feed on her own. we don't know when she'll be able to come home.
good luck with everything, and make sure you have a good support system in place, just in case. my husband, family and the nurses in the special care unit have been wonderful!