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2nd Trimester
mommy2be1991
member
Viability Question, possible disappointing...
mommy2be1991
member
I talked to my nurse who I see regualarly since I was a teenager when I found out I was pregnant [standard in Canada] and she said 24 isn't a mark for viability... and it's more like 30 weeks which really made me anxious/disappointed...
anyone have any insight/anything that might not make me so anxious? Now it sucks I might have to be anxious/worried til 30 weeks! I'm a natural worrier and had a threatened miscarriage early on, so I'm nervous and have been for this whole pregnancy.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Viability Question, possible disappointing...
Have you been told anything to make you think you'll deliver pre-term? If not, I would stop worrying about it, the vast majority of babies are born healthy (and on time).
I've always heard 26 weeks was the point where a baby would have a better chance of survival, but I think it entirely depends on the baby in the situation. I've heard of babies surviving at 24 weeks and going on to do just fine, while I've also heard of 30 week old babies not making it (or having major problems). I don't think there is a general age, it depends on a number of factors.
It varies by locality. In the US 24 weeks is considered viability because that is the point when survival odds hit roughly 50/50 and a hospital will take life-saving measures. Before that date, most hospitals will not attempt any life-saving measures unless they are a level III NICU because the odds of survival are so low.
The further on you get, the better the odds for survival, and the better the odds for low or no complications. So the viability mark of 24 weeks can be misleading, but as someone whose son was born before that time (21 weeks), I'm desperate to get to that point because at least then we have a chance. With Gabriel, I had to push a healthy baby out of my body knowing he would die within minutes and that there was nothing that anyone could or would do.
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
In the U.S., 24 weeks is the standard point at which doctors will always try to save the baby's life, because there's a better chance that they will make it than that they won't. If you're concerned that the doctors would not intervene on behalf of your baby before 30 weeks, then discuss it with your doctor.
I found this chart online:
(Drat, the chart's not showing up. You can see it here - https://miscarriage.about.com/od/pregnancyafterloss/a/prematurebirth.htm)
It seems unlikely that doctors wouldn't intervene on behalf of your baby before 30 weeks, especially since there's 90% chance of survival by 27 weeks.
I had preterm labor with my son at 32 weeks, and it was a big deal. I was immediately admitted to L&D, hospitalized for 5 days and put on strict bed rest for 5 weeks. There was noting wrong with my son, but still it is very risky for a baby to be born before full term. I ended up having him at 38 weeks, so when he was born, he didn't have to put into NICU or anything.
If you start worrying abot every possible way that can go wrong with the baby, it's endless. Like pp said, if your pregnancy is going well so far, I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying. Drink LOTS of water, take it easy is your belly feels thight, eat well, rest before your fatigue overwhelms you... In the end, all we can do now is to take care of our bodies.
Proud mother of two breech babies:)
DH is a pediatrician and he works with a lot of ex-preemies. He said that he'll feel a lot better at 26 weeks, because even if the baby survives before that, it will have a very rough time. He will obviously feel a lot better when we get to 28, 30, 32, etc. weeks (as will I).
As the PP said, it really is quite rare and maybe something we shouldn't spend time worrying about (I know, easier said than done).
Premature births are really quite rare . . . when you start looking at the numbers, only .4% of premature births occur before 28 weeks . . . A lot of the increase in premature births has to do with the higher numbers of multiples due to fertility treatments . . . but multiples have different timelines anyway.
Just breathe and relax. You are more than halfway there!
I'm a NICU RN at a level 3 NICU and we treat babies born at 23 weeks. Babies between 23-26 weeks are extremely critical and are almost guarenteed to have long lasting effects of their prematurity. Babies born after 28 weeks generally do quite well and with my pregnancies, once I reached this milestone I felt a huge sense of relief (granted I certainly wanted to go full term). After 32 weeks, the amount of intervention is relatively low (breathing wise) and these babies are usually stable. After 35 weeks, babies may have some issues related to temperature, feeding, jaundice, and blood sugar, but they are usually fine.
***Prior to 23 weeks, the alvioli (the little air pockets in the lungs where O2/CO2 exchange happens) and the blood capillaries are not "connected", so no amount of breathing support will make a difference. Thus, this is before viability. However, we attend births that are dated after about 21/22 weeks, just incase the dating was wrong and the baby shows signs of life.
That said, I ditto previous posters that unless you have a history of pre-term labor this is not something I would spend much time worrying about. It happens to such a small percentage of women that you'll go crazy if you focus on every little thing.
DS1 born June 2008 | m/c at 9w March 2011 | DS2 born April 2012