Help... I'm in pre-term labor at 28 weeks

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Less than a month ago I was contracting and came to the hospital. I was 1cm, 50% effaced but responded well to the medicine and went home same night.
I am 28 weeks pregnant now and I was admitted last night to L&D, 75% effaced and 2cm dilated after my standard visit to the doctors office.
This time they gave me a steroid injection to help the baby's lungs development and started another medicine (procardia). They say I might be here in the hospital for a couple days.
I was unable to sleep all night and I need reassurance. Can you tell me your story? How far along where you when you baby was born and what were the circumstances? How long were your baby in the NICU and how is he or she doing now?
Sending you all positive vibes. Please pray for us. I'm scared

Missa_g · November 2013

I know its scary but try to take it one day at a time. Or even just one hour at a time! You are doing everything you should.

I went into ptl at 28w1d and was 3cm by the time I got to the hospital. I received magnesium to stop labor and two steroid shots. I went back into labor while on hospital bed rest and delivered at 29w4d. My boys spent exactly two months in the NICU and are now healthy 19 month olds. They are caught up to actual age in all areas except my oldest has a slight speech delay that is probably not related to prematurity.

jcsntms06 · November 2013

I went into the hospital at 32 weeks with high blood pressure, found out that I was contracting and was 3 cm, given steroid shot, two shots of terb, sent home with procadia and home bedrest. I ended up making it to 34w 5d. DD2 spent 2 weeks in the NICU. My DD is 19 months old and doing very well.

Praying that your LO stays put. While on Bedrest I prayed and just make sure I got through that day.

ashleymarie512 · November 2013

Hello! I'm so sorry this is happening and don't blame you for being scared. I hope your LO hangs out a little longer!

I went into L&D for high bp (200/140) at 29w6d and they found a lot of protein spilling. They also found that blood work showed elevated liver enzymes, hemolysis and low platelets (HELLP syndrome). Dr came in and told me this and then said "we have to take her". I got one steroid shot, but she was out via c-section barely half an hour later so I don't think it made much difference. Scariest day of my life. I was on magnesium sulfate for two days so I wasn't able to even see my baby until Monday afternoon (she was born sat night).

We were in the NICU 66 days. She had issues with jaundice, which phototherapy finally helped. She also was severely anemic so had to have a blood transfusion about a month in. Her biggest issue was lungs and breathing. She came home a month ago today and she's still on oxygen. We're going to the pedi to see if she can be weaned down on Monday. Overall, for a shitty situation, we had a good NICU experience. Our drs and nurses were amazing.

Like pp said, it can be hard so don't forget to take care of yourself too. Let others help if they offer and don't be afraid to ask for it. The NICU is the best place to be for our tiny little ones and yours will undoubtedly get the best care possible! I'll be thinking about you, keep us posted!

OMGTree · November 2013

Don't be afraid to ask for a sleep aid. I had to use one whie I was on bedrest best. Thing. Ever. Sleep is super important. That being said I had ptl starting at 25 weeks. I got sent home week 27 at about 2.5-3cm and was back a week later at 3cm 70% for anti-biotics due to a bulging bag. While putting in the IV my water broke. Thanks to meds and just allowing myself to do nothing but relax and rest.

I kept her in for another 2 weeks. My baby girl was born at 30 weeks 3 days. She had a 54 day NICU stay. Every day maters. Like pp have said just give yourself permission to do nothing. Sleeping, eating and resting are the best things you can do for your baby. Have your SO or family member bring you a laptop and settle in. I found a couple of tv series I had never seen and watched them from the start.

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Thank you ladies, your stories are encouraging and I will let you know how it goes. My heart feels very tight right now.

okashimochi · November 2013

DS was born at 32 weeks. I had been admitted a few days prior due to high Bp, but was sent home since they didn't find anything. They had picked up a few contractions that were irregular but nothing timetable. I spent Saturday and Sunday on bed rest. Monday morning I was thrown into active labor with basically no warning.
He came before we made it to the hospital. He spent 2 weeks in the NICU.

He's six weeks now and doing extremely well. We just left his 6-week appointment and he's doing a lot better than the pediatrician expected.

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Update: just left the labor and delivery room after almost 24h there. I'm in a room in the maternity ward when I should stay until at least tomorrow. After that, bed rest until 36 weeks. Had the uptrasound and looks like baby is about 2 lbs 14 oz which is not terrible for the 28/29 week mark. feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your stories. Good luck to all of you

[Deleted User] · November 2013

Hey, you are not alone! Just last month, my water broke at 24 weeks and I stayed in the hospital until 27 weeks, when I began contracting and ended up delivering my son. He was 2 pounds. We are going on our third week in the NICU! He's a strong little fighter and is amazing how much he's grown and developed in the last 3 weeks. The NICU stay has been up and down but the nurses are amazing at explaining everything and will offer extra support when you don't even expect it. I know we have a long way to go until we go home, but it's comforting to know that he is in great hands!

PhillyGal34 · November 2013

I went in at 31w1d with severe pre-e. I was given both steroid shots and then induced. My son was born at 31w5d at albs 5 oz and was in NICU for 26 days. He was only a nasal canula for a few hours with limited oxygen (maybe 5 hours??) and had no complications (other than a round of jaundice) in the NICU and needed no medical intervention or medicine. He has been on target for his milestones with his actual age for the most part and is getting to be really big! We dealt with some anemia when he was about 9 months old but other than that we were extremely lucky and I wanted to share this as a story of hope that it can all go well... by no means was the experience easy and the NICU was scary as heck even without complications but every child is different and some have an easier time than others... there is no rhyme or reason to it either.

you are doing an awesome job... keep up the great work mom!

Missa_g · November 2013

icoelho said:
Update: just left the labor and delivery room after almost 24h there. I'm in a room in the maternity ward when I should stay until at least tomorrow. After that, bed rest until 36 weeks. Had the uptrasound and looks like baby is about 2 lbs 14 oz which is not terrible for the 28/29 week mark. feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your stories. Good luck to all of you

That's a great weight! My boys were 2lbs13oz and 3lbs3oz at 29w4d.

aessary03 · November 2013

icoelho said:
Update: just left the labor and delivery room after almost 24h there. I'm in a room in the maternity ward when I should stay until at least tomorrow. After that, bed rest until 36 weeks. Had the uptrasound and looks like baby is about 2 lbs 14 oz which is not terrible for the 28/29 week mark. feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your stories. Good luck to all of you

Great news! I'm new, but thoughts and prayers to you.

I had a 29w baby who weighed under 2 lbs. She is 10 now and has absolutely no adverse effects from being born too early. Also just had our son last Friday at 31w5d. He's in the 3lb range and doing well.

Fx you'll hold that baby in just a little bit longer.

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Ladies I'm still in the hospital but I'm crying from your responses and the encouragement. Thank you, thank you! I'm hopeful. Got the second steroid shot last night and they are keeping contractions under control with procardia. It's making my blood pressure really low so they had to space it out from every 6 to every 8. So for the 2 hours in between, I get some contractions but nothing crazy. They won't check my cervix again not to irritate it or trigger more contractions. Im feeling hopeful. My toddler came to see me last night and it was a breathe of fresh air. At some point I was crying a little bit and he climbed in my bed and said: "it's ok mommy" (he is just learning how to talk). Made my day.
Thanks girls keep the stories coming.

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

aessary03 said:

icoelho said:
Update: just left the labor and delivery room after almost 24h there. I'm in a room in the maternity ward when I should stay until at least tomorrow. After that, bed rest until 36 weeks. Had the uptrasound and looks like baby is about 2 lbs 14 oz which is not terrible for the 28/29 week mark. feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your stories. Good luck to all of you
Great news! I'm new, but thoughts and prayers to you.

I had a 29w baby who weighed under 2 lbs. She is 10 now and has absolutely no adverse effects from being born too early. Also just had our son last Friday at 31w5d. He's in the 3lb range and doing well.

Fx you'll hold that baby in just a little bit longer.

How is your baby doing? Does he need help breathing? The neonatologist went over all different ways they can help them breathe and it was overwhelming he amount of info. Good luck to you and I will keep you and your little one in my prayers

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Kvochka said:
Hey, you are not alone! Just last month, my water broke at 24 weeks and I stayed in the hospital until 27 weeks, when I began contracting and ended up delivering my son. He was 2 pounds. We are going on our third week in the NICU! He's a strong little fighter and is amazing how much he's grown and developed in the last 3 weeks. The NICU stay has been up and down but the nurses are amazing at explaining everything and will offer extra support when you don't even expect it. I know we have a long way to go until we go home, but it's comforting to know that he is in great hands!

I'm sorry to hear that but I'm glad he is doing well! It's amazing how strong they are and it looks from what I've heard that people are very supportive, from the staff to the other premie mommies. I will have my fingers crossed for you that your little guy grows quickly and things go smoothly.

knottie3c0525a8a3c64eaa · November 2013

Missa_g said:
I know its scary but try to take it one day at a time. Or even just one hour at a time! You are doing everything you should.

I went into ptl at 28w1d and was 3cm by the time I got to the hospital. I received magnesium to stop labor and two steroid shots. I went back into labor while on hospital bed rest and delivered at 29w4d. My boys spent exactly two months in the NICU and are now healthy 19 month olds. They are caught up to actual age in all areas except my oldest has a slight speech delay that is probably not related to prematurity.

This is encouraging. Thank you so much!!!

Brummy14 · November 2013

GL! I ruptured at 28w5d, and delivered 6 days later -- 2.5 lbs each. We had a lonnnnng NICU stay, but thankfully uneventuful. DD1 came home the day after her due date, DD2 came home 5 days later -- for an 81 day stay in total. For them, feeding was the major hurdle. DD1 was off of o2 completely after about 4 weeks, but choked on bottles for weeks and weeks and weeks, and then would tire out as a result. DD2 was just a sleepy, sleepy baby -- came home on o2 and an NG tube, which all were weaned about 6 weeks later. No chronic issues at this stage -- besides DD2's low muscle tone, for which she receives weekly PT visits vis our state's Help Me Grow program.

Hopefully you can continue to bake much, much longer!!

Mrs. Alice · November 2013

Praying for you! I delivered twin boys at 28 weeks. I was on hospital bed rest starting at 24 weeks.They weighed 2 lbs and 2.7 lbs. They needed to be on ventilators for about 2-3 weeks but gradually weaned to CPAP (a less invasive type of breathing assistance) and then just a nasal cannula with oxygen for a while. They had the typical issues like jaundice and they both needed a couple blood transfusions. One had a valve in his heart that didn't close on it's own so they gave him medicine. It was lots of ups and downs but overall they did pretty well and came home with heart and breathing monitors after 10 weeks in the NICU. They are 2 years old now. Both have developmental delays with one being a bit worse than the other. They feel he may have some sensory processing issues. They've been in therapy through a state Early Intervention program 1-2 times a week for the past 6 months. We're not sure what the long term effects might be but they are both happy rambunctious toddlers who make us crazy! Besides still being small compared to most of their peers, they are very healthy boys.

aessary03 · November 2013

icoelho said:

Update: just left the labor and delivery room after almost 24h there. I'm in a room in the maternity ward when I should stay until at least tomorrow. After that, bed rest until 36 weeks. Had the uptrasound and looks like baby is about 2 lbs 14 oz which is not terrible for the 28/29 week mark. feeling better. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing your stories. Good luck to all of you
Great news! I'm new, but thoughts and prayers to you. I had a 29w baby who weighed under 2 lbs. She is 10 now and has absolutely no adverse effects from being born too early. Also just had our son last Friday at 31w5d. He's in the 3lb range and doing well. Fx you'll hold that baby in just a little bit longer.
How is your baby doing? Does he need help breathing? The neonatologist went over all different ways they can help them breathe and it was overwhelming he amount of info. Good luck to you and I will keep you and your little one in my prayers

My baby is doing quite well! He was only on CPAP for less than 24 hours. I was given steroids to strengthen his lungs before he was born, which I'm sure they'll do with you if they haven't already! I'm prayin' for ya!

Cst2CstBride · November 2013

I hope that they are able to keep your LO in for some time yet.
DD was born at 27 weeks by emergency c-section due to severe pre-e and HELLP. She was IUGR and weighed 1lb 11oz. I had the first steroid shot 1 hr before she was born. She came out crying and wasn't intubated and only had CPAP for a few days for the pressure.

She was in the NICU for 79 days, the last 10 days or so were because she was a slow eater and just didn't get bottles. She had some mild torticollis which caused a flat head. She had PT for a few months and both resolved. She is now 16 months old and is meeting all of her milestones. At her development appointment last month she was average or above average on everything for her actual age. We are incredibly lucky and she is healthy and perfect.

Bluebird2318 · November 2013

I'm so sorry that you're in that position and worrying, but I hope that you are able to keep baby baking awhile longer! If not, know that everything can still turn out just fine.

I had DD at 29 weeks exactly due to pre-e/HELLP. She was only 2 pounds at birth, and was in NICU for 67 days. She's a little over 16 months actual (about 14 months adjusted) and doing great. Apart from being a little peanut (1st percentile for weight, 25th percentile for height on the "normal" charts), she has had no issues due to being a preemie as far as we can tell. She's not quite walking yet (unless she's holding onto something), but she's a smart little cookie and she's got a few words in her vocabulary!

coastalmaine · November 2013

I am so sorry you are going through this

try to get some rest..I know it is hard. I went into labor at 28 weeks 5d and delivered at exactly 29 weeks. The magnesium did not work for me...but the positive side is that my son was born without any other complications...he only needed oxygen for a couple of days...he stayed in the nicu for 56 days. He just needed time to gain some weight and learn to eat. He was 2 lb 14 oz at birth and is now a healthy 18 month old. Best of luck to you!!

BLPL101 · November 2013

Praying for you.

lorelei99 · November 2013

My mom had problems with me while she was pregnant with me. They put her on bed rest when she started dilating around 25 weeks and gave her a steroid shot. She carried me until 32 weeks. I was in the NICU for 2 weeks and the only health problem I have related to my prematurity is underdeveloped sinuses- which were corrected during my teenage years with minor surgery.

I hope this helps you to cope honey. Rest easy, OK?

jennybean80 · November 2013

GL! I went in to L&D where I work as an RN at 26+6 weeks because LO wasn't moving much. By the time I got there I was contracting every 3 minutes and was 4cm dilated. I was given antibiotics, steroids, indocid and was sent to a hospital with a level III NICU by ambulance.
At the new hospital I had an U/S to confirm dilation and estimate baby's size. I laboured through the night in trendelenberg position (basically flat on my back with the foot of the bed higher than my head) and delivered the next morning at 27 weeks.
DS was 2lbs11oz and got artificial surfactant to help with breathing. During his stay he had an arterial line, was weaned from a ventilator to CPAP the low flow and then room air, antibiotics, a lumbar puncture, an insulin IV drip, a small IVH, feeding tubes, a blood transfusion and lots of tests.
He was discharged after 63 days and went home at 35+6, weighing 4lbs7oz. He's now nearly 3 years old, and has no long term complications! He is a smart, articulate handful and we wouldn't have him any other way!!

Hope everything goes well for you!

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