Hello everyone,
I am currently 31 weeks pregnant and my water broke last night. So far I'm not in labor and they are hoping he will stay in for 3 more weeks. So its seems my lo will be born early either way. Does anyone have any words of advice or experiences they can share that may put my mind at ease? I would really appreciate it!
TIA
Re: Advice and support for soon to be preemie mommy
Welcome to the board, I'm sorry you are joining us but this is a good place to be for support.
While you are in the hospital, ask for a consult with the Neos so you can get an idea of what to expect. Also, make sure your DH gets a tour of the NICU so he can see where your LO will be. It helps to have an idea of what your hospital policies are as well. Questions to ask:
-vistor policy
-pumping/milk storage
-what time are rounds? (this is your best chance to get all your LO's doctors in once place each day)
-what kind of support do they have for parents? (groups, social workers, break rooms, etc)
-what can you bring in to the NICU? (blankets, clothes, stuffed animals, etc)
Also, check out the Preemie Resource Blog (link in siggy) that the ladies on this board have put together. You will particularly want to check out the "Life in the NICU" section and maybe the "Preemie Stories" tab so you can read about other 30+ weekers. If you read our stories, keep in mind that each baby is very different so these may not be your experience. Ask lots of questions here, we are happy to help!
Our precious girl, born at 27 weeks.
BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.
I'm a soon to be preemie mom as well. I was diagnosed with severe pre-e on Monday and I've been on bed rest and meds since. They think they have everything stabilized but one blip and I'm delivering. They said 34 weeks is the longest they'll let me go so I'm having a preemie no matter what. Since we are going through this at the same time and around the same weeks feel free to pm me. I'm whims you te best and hoping these babies stay put for a little while longer!
Eta - Im on hospital bed rest. They sad I'm not leaving the hospital pregnant.
The March of Dimes puts together an excellent hand out (your hospital NICU will probably have a copy) that explains all of the various machines and common preemie complications... I found it to be an exceptional, short resource. I'd start with it. My husband and I have also been reading a book titled "Preemies" by Dana Linden and others. It's available on Amazon.
My son was born at 32 weeks and 0 days... it looks like he'll get to come home around 2-3 weeks before his due date. Our hospital NICU told us that we should expect to get him home by his due date, but they try to get babies home 2 weeks earlier, if possible. Girls learn to eat (e.g., to suck, swallow and breathe) more quickly than boys, so girls often get discharged faster.
Talk to your neo about birth weights. There is a threshold birth weight after which a lot of the major complications tends to be lessened. At 32 weeks 0 days, our son was over that threshold... hopefully your baby will be, too, by the time you deliver... you should be very close to it. Best of luck to you!