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Preemies
31 weeks 0 days in PPROM - moms of preemies at 31
I was trying to find out any information about how moms did on there 31 weeks preemie labor and delivery. How was your time in the NICU, ANd how did it affect the bonding time with baby afterwards, did it get better? Heres my story, I have been in ,the hospital for 5 days, my water broke 5 days ago, and I was only 30 weeks 2 days, I received 2 steroid shots in the first 24 and now am on antibiotics. The doc says if I don't start contracting or have any other issues( placenta rupture, marconium in fluid) I will deliver via csection at 34 weeks 0 days. My son is breech and I was hoping I could eliver vaginally, but my little one has other things planned. I am extreme,y nervous for csection, this is my first child, and I'm so nervous. I've had these pains after I eat and then turns out I have to poop (sry tmi) I always thing immcontracting it's weird, did any of u have symptoms like that before going into labor or other complications? Thanks in advance
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Re: 31 weeks 0 days in PPROM - moms of preemies at 31
I had my daughter at 31 weeks 3 days due to high blood pressure. I had a csection and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The spinal didn't hurt, it was just weird not feeling my legs. It is uncomfortable when they're pushing around down there, though. I saw my DD right away in the operating room, but then once they took her to the NICU I didn't see her until the next day because I was so sick from the high BP and magnesium. DD was in the NICU for exactly one month. She was on CPAP for a week and under the phototherapy lights for 2 days for jaundice. Once she was off CPAP, she just had to learn how to eat from a bottle, gain weight, and regulate her temperature. Our NICU was amazing and I went every day to see her for most of the day. I missed her when I was at home, but the time went quickly and now she's been home for a month and doing great! I would consider us bonded, though I'm not sure she knows who we are yet. She definitely loves being held and is comforted when we pick her up. I hope you keep your baby in to 34 weeks or beyond, but if you have to deliver, 31 weekers do quite well.
Copying and pasting my "story" from a few posts down...I went into labor a bit earlier than you, so hopefully you'll only have a shorter NICU stay.
Kudos for making it 5 days post pPROM -- hopefully you'll beat the odds and be in the "other" 50% -- the 50% that doesn't deliver within the first week of rupture!
My twins were born at 29w3d due to pPROM -- I ruptured sometime around 28w5d (we think), and was able to hold on for five more days (just enough time to get in the steroid shots and all of that lovely mag sulfate).
The evening I was at 29w2d, my water broke (although, no one said the gushing was abnormal with ruptured membranes -- it definitely broke), and shortly thereafter I started having contractions. They didn't want to do internal checks at all to try to avoid introducing infection, but I was uncomfortable enough that night that they did -- and I was still only 1cm (same as I was when I ruptured). They decided to go ahead and give me an epidural, but it wasn't a great one -- I was highly uncomfortable ALL night. I slept absolutely zero. By the next morning, I was REALLY really uncomfortable, struggling to breathe through the contractions, so the new nurse pulled them in to do another check (the doc's demeanor suggested he thought I was just some whiny first time mom unable to handle the discomfort...) -- at that point, I was fully dilated, and they could see one of the girls' feet. ::facepalm::
I was on the OR table within minutes -- they had to put me under since I could still feel all of their belly pinching, and there wasn't enough time to increase the meds to try to keep me awake and numb. All said and done, I was actually glad I had to be put under - I was so freaked out about what was going on (and how fast it had gone down), that being awake for that might have just been too much.
Thankfully, we had a long, but uneventful NICU stay -- the girls came home just shortly after their due date, and are trucking along according to their adjusted age pretty well. They both were on CPAP for a couple of weeks (they needed to hit 1500g before they would wean down to the nasal cannula). DD1 was off of oxygen weeks and weeks before discharge (I think around 36 weeks adjusted). DD2 struggled weaning off of her o2-- and actually came home on some (1/8th liter, barely anything), but they pulled her off of that cold turkey 6 weeks after discharge (they wanted to get her to "full" feedings first).
Feedings were a challenge for both of them -- as you'll find, that's usually the slowest (and at times, most frustrating) part of the process. DD1 was an eager beaver, but she choked like whoa. And, they were scary episodes -- I hated it. But, she got the hang of it completely like the day she was set to be discharged (they were going to let us bring her home with an NG tube -- we never used it at home). DD2 struggled more -- she was our sleepy baby -- and if she didn't fall asleep like 20mL into her bottle, she was also choking. Of course. She came home with an NG tube -- which we used a little the first few weeks, but she shortly got over that, too.
DD2 has low muscle tone, which they're watching, but not expressing any major concerns about as of yet. We'll see!
As for bonding, I wouldn't worry too much about that (you have enough to worry about). I spent 8 hours every day in the NICU (like PP, I just couldn't deal with being at home -- the only place I wanted to be was with the girls). I kangaroo-ed daily -- once they were off of CPAP, I was able to kangaroo them both at the same time, which was sweeeet. Today, they're snuggly and independent little buggers, all at the same time.
Hopefully you can bake until 34 weeks!!
Best advice is to just take it a day at a time. NICU time feels like an eternity until you're on the other side (and, you will get to the "other side" -- even though it often feels like you never will).
My son was born at 31w0d after pproming at 29 weeks. He spent 31 days in the NICU. The experience is definitely different than a full term birth (my 2nd went full term) but I didn't have any bonding issues. The night I went into labor, I though it was indigestion. Also ended up with a csection, but it really wasn't bad.
Fyi my son is 4.5 and absolutely fine. Good luck to you
7/30/12 - B/G twins born at 33w4d due to PPROM
7/30/12 - B/G twins born at 33w4d due to PPROM
BFP #3 via cancelled IUI ~ C (2lb 3oz; HELLP) 5/16/11
BFP #4 via the natural (free!) way ~ E (8lb 11oz) 9/13/12