Babies: 3 - 6 Months
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Preemie mamas - how serious is this?
Hi ladies - my friend is 31 weeks, having contractions, dilated to a 4 and cervix is .8 cm. How serious is this? Sorry for my ignorance. We knew her cervix was short but it went from 1.5 to .8 in a week. She's had two steriod shots to develop the baby's lungs, is on Procardia, taking progesterone, etc. I'm worried...
I'll google this now but I'm wondering how developed her LO will be, how much time in NICU, survival rates, etc. Dr. estimated baby to be 3 pounds.
Thoughts? Please say a prayer for her and her little boy!
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Re: Preemie mamas - how serious is this?
My cervix was 1.8 as of 28 weeks and I started dilating at 29 weeks. Modified bed rest helped keep my baby cooking until 34w1d, though by 33w5d I was dilated to 4 cm, so I was sent to L&D and they expected me to deliver soon. My son spent 22 days in the NICU. They often want babies to stay in NICU until they reach term (37 weeks) but it really depends on the baby. DS was big for his gestational age (6 lbs 10.6 oz at 34 weeks) so his biggest issue was his breathing, he had respiratory distress so had to get that under control before he could bottle or breast feed. He is now a thriving 5 month old, and nearly 20 lbs!
I had to deliver asap because I tested positive for Group B strep. Despite procardia and mag sulfate I dilated from 4 to 6 cm in the hospital. If I hadn't tested positive, they wouldn't have induced me as soon as they had (I might have lasted another day or two.
Best of luck to your friend; I hope she can keep her little boy in til 32 weeks... and then some! I know it's a scary time, but tell her to hang in there... NICUs can do amazing things!
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kikijbunny (formerly kikijbird)
Our jbunny born April 17, 2011 at 34w 1d (EDD May 28) due to irritable ute + early dilation
Mommy Blog: And Baby Makes Pi
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I had my son at 31 weeks, 5 days. I was able to get the steroid shots to help with his development. I had to be delivered due to severe pre-eclampsia and was on bed rest for a little less than a week before he was born. I had no labor signs at all. My protein levels were 5000+ so I had to be delivered ASAP.
Logan was a champ. He was born at 3lbs, 12 oz. He came out screaming. They had a nasal cannula (sp?) in for about an hour then took it out himself and needed no respiratory help for the rest of the time in the NICU. He was in for 15 days and it was luckily very uneventful. He was a mighty mouse. He turned 3 months on Tuesday and is almost 12lbs. He is perfectly healthy.
Your friend and her little boy are in my thoughts and prayers. Hopefully they can keep her pregnant for a while longer. The doctors told me that for every day he was inside me it was 2 less days he would be in the NICU.
31 weeks isn't great but it's not horrible either. My first son was delivered at 26 weeks and they told me in healthy babies (just born prematurely) survival rate was close to 100% after 30 weeks. many of the serious risks like brain trauma are significantly reduced by 30 weeks GA. It doesn't mean the baby won't have some issues (breathing and eating are most common) and NICU time, it varies a lot baby to baby, but hopefully minor and nothing long-lasting.
FWIW My son, even being so early, is doing pretty well and he is 2 1/2 years old! He is delayed but most people would not know he is a former preemie.
T&P for more weeks!!!