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Preemies
lauraanddave
member
New mom w/a 32-weeker
lauraanddave
member
in Preemies
Hi Ladies,
I lurked on this board a bit over the weekend. Some of you have some truly amazing stories.
I had my daughter, Emerson Ann, on Friday, 11/7, after a week of bed rest, at 32 weeks and 2 days. She was 4 lbs. 9 oz. and 16.5" long.
My water broke at night on 10/30 and I've been in the hospital ever since. The docs have no idea why it broke...my tests kept coming back negative for infection. No pre-e or anything like that. I never went into labor and wasn't dilated at all. They were more concerned with keeping the baby healthy, so we may never know. I think they sent my placenta to a pathologist to try and find out what was going on - I heard that post-delivery so I was a little drowsy.
The baby was doing fine up until this past Thursday night/Friday morning, when I started getting some contractions and her heart rate dropped by 10 with each contraction. My doctor came in at 7 a.m. Friday to tell us we were going to have the baby, and she was born at 7:59 via C-section. They were concerned that the placenta may have detached if they waited to deliver her. In my doctor's words, she said she'd rather have a 32 week-old baby born than try to keep her cooking a few extra days and risk an emergency situation.
So far I think she's doing great for a 3-day-old. She's in the NICU in an incubator. Her first day she was on an oxygen tube in her nose, then had something called Vapo Therm coming out of a tube by her nose. They took her off the oxygen Saturday. She had a feeding tube in her mouth as well, but pulled it out yesterday,so now it's in her nose. I know they may put the tubes back in, but any progress is good, even if she takes a step back in a few days.
My milk came in (well, I think it's the colostrum at this point) and she is starting to get the hang of a bottle. At first she took 5 ccs of formula, but last night I fed her 15 ccs out of a bottle and she did really well with it and ate it all!
She had a couple Bradys while I was there the other day. It was so scary, just b/c of the alarm going off on her monitor. A few times she picked herself back up. Once the nurse just kind of squeezed/tickled her a bit and she perked back up. She had one last night while I was in there with my mom, and I rubbed her arm real quick and that was that - she was fine. My mom didn't even realize it had happened.
I was bottle-feeding her around 11 today and she ate about half, then had 3 consecutive drops in heart rate, and dozed off. I think it all scared me b/c it happened 3 times in a row, even though she picked herself back up, then she went to sleep. Every time one of the babies in the NICU has an apnea or brady it goes out to all the monitors in every room and to the phones that the nurses carry. But I'd been holding her for a solid hour just rocking her and she was pretty awake that whole time.
The hospital staff, my doctors and nurses, and the NICU team have been beyond amazing. I never thought I'd need a C-section, but am recovering pretty well and am walking around.
My own doctors, not the NICU staff, said she may only be in the NICU for a couple weeks. I'd prepared myself for about 4 weeks or as much as up until her due date (12/31), but I'm not even going to ask the NICU staff about it yet. She's only 3 days old.
I'm leaving tomorrow...I know it's going to be hard. DH and I are going to stay with my parents while Emerson is in the NICU - they already have our dog with them and my dad is retired, so he's home all day to drive me to the hospital while DH is working. They have been so supportive. They're about 10 minutes from the hospital and our house is about 30-40, so it makes sense.
So that's my long introduction. Any web sites or books that you'd recommend for preemie parenting would be very much appreciated. I'm still getting used to everything! I'm sure it will be a roller coaster ride - she's doing so well and I'm trying to prepare myself for a two steps forward, one step back situation. But we keep praying for the best, and she seems to be a happy little girl aside from being almost 8 weeks early!
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Re: New mom w/a 32-weeker
Congratulations! It sounds like your daughter is doing absolutely amazing for being only 3 days old! My daughter was also born at 32 weeks 2 days, but we had no warning. Did you get the steroid shots? We didn't have time, so Ruby was on CPAP for about 2 weeks and didn't start eating by mouth until then! And Ruby was having about 30 brady's a day at first, so I know how scary it can be. Just be comforted that apnea and bradycardia are totally NORMAL for preemies and she will outgrow them.
I bet she'll be home before you know it! So eventhough it is soooo hard to leave the hospital without her, get as much rest as you possibly can when you're not at the NICU so you can be nice and healed and ready to go when she comes home
As far as the books go, I have Preemies, the Essential Guide for Parents and it goes over all the basic information you need to know when you're baby is the NICU. I wish I had it on day one!
Congrats on the birth of your daughter! It's great to hear that she is doing well. Our NICU had copies of Preemies The Essential Guide for Parents of Premature Babies available for us to look at & I then went out & purchased it. The book has been a great resource for us both in & out of the NICU.
Like your daugther, DS was born due to PROM at 33w 2d. We never found out why he came early. He spent 11 days in the NICU.
Thank you all so much for the book suggestions! I'm hoping to get caught up on everything I need to do soon. Seems like there's so much.
I did get the steroid shot - I was in the hospital on bed rest for 8 days, and was really relieved after the second steroid shot had officially kicked in.
Welcome! My girls were born at 32w3d and spent 3 weeks and 4 weeks in the NICU. Alice was on CPAP fpr 24 hours as a precaution, Charlotte was on a vent for a week and then oxygen for a few days. Both had As and Bs in the early days, especially when feeding. They can be scary at first, but they are completely normal and they will outgrow them.
For us, we spent more time in the NICU because my girls didn't want to eat! They were slower to take to the bottle than some other babies. I EP'd for 9 mo, so they got EBM, and it took them forever and a decade to actually eat. It's very frustrating when you hit the stage where they just need to eat to come home, so be prepared... it can take longer than you think! Our NICU said that most babies go home between 35-37 weeks. It was true for us, largely because they just weren't ready to take all of their feeds by bottle until then.
Neither of my girls have any long-term issues whatsoever, and they were fully caught up by 6 months old. They had reflux when they were younger, but it seems to be nearly gone now. They are just perfect
Welcome! My son was born at 32 weeks, 2 days also (some details in my bio). He was in the NICU for 4 weeks. We were told most babies leave the NICU b/t 35 and 37 weeks gestational age.
My son is 4 months, 1 week now and very healthy. He is a joy!
I also recommend Preemies: The Essential Guide to Parents of Premature Babies. I also liked the Dr. Sears Preemie book.
Please keep us updated and come here when you need advice, to vent, etc.
((hugs))
BTW - I am in MD too...there are a few of us MD girls on the board. After RSV season, we'll have to have a GTG!
Are you a Terp? I am getting my Masters at UMD-CP right now!
A GTG is a must!
Yes, I'm a Terp! I have a print journalism degree. I haven't been back to the campus in so long...I miss it!
congrats on having your baby! sounds like she's doing good!!! hang in there. she'll be home before yoiu know it!
i also have a 32 wk 2 d DD due to heart rate decels and IUGR. she spent 17 days in the NICU and didnt need any oxygen or anything. she's now 6 months and 14+ lbs and doing fantastic!!!