Tell me about your 33/34 weekers

mamam · July 2010

I have a feeling I'm breaking through the Procardia and I don't have much longer. I've been contracting a lot today, even 1 or 2 hours after taking the meds. Anyway, so I'm curious your experience with NICU, etc. How long were they in, etc. Good or bad I want to be prepared.

Edit: I've already been to L&D twice and rec'd steroid shots and a 24 hr dose of Mag as a prophylactic for the babies. OB's said next time is it.

Danica · July 2010

I'm sorry you're in this situation! I had a 33 weeker after going into full blown labor at 27 weeks and then stopping it 4 times after that while on complete bedrest. I was given the steroids at 27 weeks and I thank God for them every day and then was on multiple other meds during those 6 weeks. They do help!

Brady wasn't in the NICU for very long, but his biggest challenges were after being home - severe jaundice (another hospital stay), under developed stomach and intestines which makes eating very difficult, zero to very little weight gain (he finally made it on the growth charts at his 15 month appt), delayed motor development until about 9 months.

Initially his NICU time was for breathing treatments to help him regulate his airways and breathing patterns and just some additional time to learn how to eat.

Whether these babies are in the NICU for a day or months, it is extremely hard and nothing can prepare you for it. Our neonatologist had brought us down to the NICU twice while I was on bedrest just so we were familiar with the area and could talk to some of the NICU parents there. It helped, but it still doesn't make it easy.

Hang in there! 33-34 weeks is great and you will most likely be in a wonderful spot! But just keep in mind that every single baby is different. Even full term babies can go into the NICU for unexpected challenges so you just never know. Our motto was "One minute at a time is all that matters at this moment."

MommyNoelle · July 2010

I'll be praying for you & your babies.

kloc2006 · August 2010

My water broke at 33w4days. I was on hospital bedrest for a couple of days and my daughter was born at exactly 34 weeks. She weighed 4lb. 7oz. I never got any steroid shots. My daughter was in the NICU for 19 days. She mainly had to learn how to breathe and eat at the same time. My daughter was a HUGE sleeper. The nurses finally realized that she would eat and sleep at the same time. She never had jaundice.

I have an older son who was a full-term baby. So, the first time I saw my daughter I remember thinking how small she was. I was so amazed at how tiny her head was. Even though this was my second child, I felt like I was a first-time mom. I had to learn how to hold her, how to feed her, etc. All the wires, monitors and IV needles took some getting used to also. Some nurses I loved, and some drove me crazy. The hardest day was leaving the hospital without my baby. I also learned to celebrate every milestone that brought my daughter closer to coming home--wearing her own clothes, getting rid of the feeding tube, moving to an open crib, passing the carseat challenge, not having any bradys!

Sending prayers for you and your family!

hailie · August 2010

DS was born at 33w 2d. I did not have steroid shots & he didn't need any help breathing. He was in the NICU for 11 days for "basic" preemie stuff...learning to eat, maintain his temperature & jaundice. He was 4lb 9oz. Good luck to you! I'll be thinking about you.

Vine07 · August 2010

DD was born at 34 weeks and did very well. I got the steroid shots as well prior to her delivery. She was growth restricted so was very tiny for her gestational age....3lbs. She spent 21 days in the NICU just eating and growing. She never needed any assistance breathing or eating. It was a tough experience but DD is doing so well right now and I look at how far she has come in 8 short months...she is now 15lbs 2oz.

Good luck!!!

Wally3 · August 2010

I had DS at 34 weeks. He was in the NICU for a week. He had an IV for 4 days. Never needed help breathing or anything else.

weezie825 · August 2010

hailie:
DS was born at 33w 2d. I did not have steroid shots & he didn't need any help breathing. He was in the NICU for 11 days for "basic" preemie stuff...learning to eat, maintain his temperature & jaundice. He was 4lb 9oz. Good luck to you! I'll be thinking about you.

Our DD was born at 33w3d and this was almost exactly our situation. Her NICU stay was 12 days long.

Good Luck!

jcsntms06 · August 2010

I had went to the doctors office for my 33 week appointment and was sent to the hospital because my bp was extreme high and I had gained over 20lbs in two weeks. I was told I was being sent for observation, what I didnt know was that I had pre-e and I had deliver the baby. I basically got one shot of steroid and about 8 hours later my water broke and 12 hours since I came in I had DD. She spent 12 days in the NICU for jaundice and was placed under the bili lights, she also was on the CPAP for 2 days, had an IV and had to hear how to take her feeds and maintain her body temperature.

I will be praying for your little one.

mrs.jen&dave · August 2010

my son was born at 34w1d. i was put in the hospital 4 days before he was born because my BP was high again so they kept me for monitoring; i was just about to be released on full bedrest when they did a growth u/s (i was due for one at the ob the day before but needless to say needed to cancel it since i was in the hosptial). they discovered that his head and body hadn't grown in 2 weeks due to IUGR and they induced me the following day, after giving me the steroid injections. he spent 20 days in the nicu, and was born with a weight of 4lb 7.2 oz. we were incredibly lucky that he never needed any assistance in breathing or oxygen.... he did have jaundice and needed to be put under the lights for the first few days. he had trouble eating at first since he was so small so they had the gavage tube to help feed him. all in all it was tough, but we had a good overall experience. we were able to learn to feed and burp him, bathe him, and diaper him with the nurse's help so we felt like pros by the time he came home. he's 3 months old now and while small for his age, he's just like any other baby. probably the toughest thing about the nicu were the monitors -- if any of the stickies started to come loose from him, the monitors would go off and completely freak us out! i also had really good days and really hard days where i'd cry all day before he came home (totally normal, but if you feel this way at all, you are not alone).

good luck to you--you will be in my thoughts and prayers!

sweetpea18 · August 2010

Reese was born at 34 weeks on the dot. She spent 10 days in the nicu. She was on the cpap for 12 hrs and had fluid on her lungs. She was severely jaundiced, and was under the lights for most of her time there. Other than that, she was a feeder and grower.

jnksmom · August 2010

DS was born at 33w6d and spent no time in the NICU. I was given a steroid shot approx 18 hours before he was born. He never had any trouble breathing and didn't need any oxygen. He did have some trouble eating at first and they kept us an extra day to make sure he was eating well...I spent a LOT of time with a lactation specialist. We went home together though. He was born on a Sun morning and went home on Wednesday evening. We also had to go to the pedi 4 times in the first 2 weeks for a weight check. He had jaundice as well and was under the lights for a night.

Hope everything goes well for you and you babies.

lpstjohn · August 2010

I had DD at 33w5d. I had been on complete bedrest for just under a month for pre-e when I checked my bp one day and it was through the roof. The doc admitted me to the hospital immediately and I receievd my first shot of steroids and a mag iv (worst thing ever, for me). 24 hours later I got another round of steroids and had a c-section an hour later. She weighed 3lb, 14 oz and had no major problems. Her breathing was fine and she had a feeding tube for her first feeding but took a bottle after that. She had jaundice a few days into the NICU and was under the lights for 2 days. Her only issue was apnea. She was sent home with an apnea monitor after 11 days in the NICU. We had to make several trips to the pediatrician just for weight check ins, but she is now doing great. We actually had her 4 month check up today and she weighs 10lb, 5 oz!!

Whirlgirl01 · August 2010

DD was born at 34 weeks exactly. Nobody knows why, but my water just broke and I delivered that afternoon. She spent a week in the NICU, with 4 of them being in a lower level NICU. I wasn't given steriod shots, and DD didn't need anything to help with her breathing. They only thing she did have was about a day and a half of jaundice and was on the biliblanket. They called her a "feeder and grower" because all she needed to do was feed well and grow a bit. She was 5.24 lbs when she was born and just under 5 lbs when we took her home.

hokiebrideVA · August 2010

DS was born at 34 weeks weighing 4lb 15oz. I had heavy bleeding due to placenta previa, so my OB ordered a c-section then and there. His apgars were great (8, then 9), but he actually regressed in the first 24 hours and ended up with a collapsed lung (pneumothorax) which required him to go under an oxygen hood for a few days. It repaired itself on its own though and his breathing issues worked themselves out. His total stay in the NICU was 12 days.

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