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July 2017 Moms
Sassenach1743
member
Baby arrived early! TW Pre-term Labor
Sassenach1743
member
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to give a quick update, as I haven't been on TB for a few weeks... and I know my participation on this board was lacking as well. Anyway, I didn't want to disappear without at least sharing the news of my baby's early arrival.
I managed to make it to 28 weeks exactly, with no complications and very mild symptoms. On Wednesday, April 19, I had my monthly OB appointment at 27w6d and all was well. The next day, Thursday April 20, I woke up feeling a bit off. I was experiencing what I thought was gas pain... low pressure in my back and pelvis, like I was just terribly constipated. I also noticed quite a bit of mucus come out but didn't think it was my plug, as there wasn't any blood. I was tired all day and just figured I needed to take it easy. By 5pm I wasn't feeling any better, no real relief, so went to the store with my husband to get some Gas-X hoping it would relieve the pressure. At 6pm we met my in-laws for dinner, when I think of it now I have no idea how I sat through dinner at all! By the end of it I was getting more and more uncomfortable so we left and drove home. The car ride was unbearable, once home I was in real pain and promptly threw up my dinner. I tried to lay down afterward and couldn't, it was too painful to lay down. I was literally writhing in pain. At that point my husband insisted we go to the hospital. Getting back in the car I noticed that I couldn't see straight, could barely lift my eyelids and was having trouble speaking.
We arrived at the ER where they admitted me and sent us to Labor & Delivery immediately. I was already 5 cm dilated, a result of being in pre-term labor all day without realizing it! The gas pain I thought I was having was really back labor, which became increasingly painful and caused me to tense up all my muscles... it was next to impossible to relax. Once the nurses announced that I was to deliver that night I became even more tense, as I knew it was too early for baby at only 28 weeks. Luckily we were at a hospital with the best NICU in the area, the nurses assured me that the baby would be alright. He wasn't even showing signs of distress on their monitors, it was I who was in distress. After a terrible time finding a vein to insert the IV (I have very small veins, and due to being stressed from the labor and dehydration it took 4 nurses and the anesthesiologist to get it), they realized the baby was breech and an emergency C-section was the next step.
My doctor was called, the spinal block was given and my baby was delivered within the hour. At 11:01pm on Thursday, April 20, my beautiful son was born! He weighed 2lb 2.24oz and was just under 14 inches long. He was sent to the NICU and stabilized. I was sent to recovery and then spent 4 days in the hospital before being discharged. My surgery went perfectly, the incision is healing well. My doctor concluded that my pre-term labor was caused by two factors. The first was an infection of some sort, still no idea how it came about... possibly a tear in my amniotic sac that could have let in bacteria, was detected in my fluid and I also had elevated white blood count which indicates an infection. During my hospital stay I was treated with antibiotics. The second is that my doctor discovered the shape of my uterus is not the usual inverted triangle shape, but more of a heart shape! Apparently I have less space for a growing fetus and was at risk for a pre-term delivery the whole time but we didn't know it, as this type of thing isn't visible on the ultrasounds. She also said that if I were to have another child I would be at the same risk for a similar pre-term labor and delivery.
All that aside, my baby is perfectly healthy and doing wonderful in the NICU. He's two weeks old today and thriving! He spent 3 days on a ventilator and quickly graduated to a simple oxygen C-Pap and is breathing on his own. He's on an IV for fluids and nutrients. After 5 days they introduced feedings by tube of my breast milk, I've been pumping since the night he was born, and he's tolerating it very well. After losing some of his birth weight in fluids (normal) he's managed to gain it all back again and is currently 2lb 2oz today, all healthy weight. His brain development is standard, no signs of damage or hemorrhage. He's alert and responsive to our voices. We started skin to skin on the 1st and have enjoyed a few hours each day since. He's making wonderful progress for his age and size, the focus is nutrition and getting him to gain and maintain. He'll need to stay in the NICU through the end of June.
Elias John (we call him Eli for short)
I just wanted to give a quick update, as I haven't been on TB for a few weeks... and I know my participation on this board was lacking as well. Anyway, I didn't want to disappear without at least sharing the news of my baby's early arrival.
I managed to make it to 28 weeks exactly, with no complications and very mild symptoms. On Wednesday, April 19, I had my monthly OB appointment at 27w6d and all was well. The next day, Thursday April 20, I woke up feeling a bit off. I was experiencing what I thought was gas pain... low pressure in my back and pelvis, like I was just terribly constipated. I also noticed quite a bit of mucus come out but didn't think it was my plug, as there wasn't any blood. I was tired all day and just figured I needed to take it easy. By 5pm I wasn't feeling any better, no real relief, so went to the store with my husband to get some Gas-X hoping it would relieve the pressure. At 6pm we met my in-laws for dinner, when I think of it now I have no idea how I sat through dinner at all! By the end of it I was getting more and more uncomfortable so we left and drove home. The car ride was unbearable, once home I was in real pain and promptly threw up my dinner. I tried to lay down afterward and couldn't, it was too painful to lay down. I was literally writhing in pain. At that point my husband insisted we go to the hospital. Getting back in the car I noticed that I couldn't see straight, could barely lift my eyelids and was having trouble speaking.
We arrived at the ER where they admitted me and sent us to Labor & Delivery immediately. I was already 5 cm dilated, a result of being in pre-term labor all day without realizing it! The gas pain I thought I was having was really back labor, which became increasingly painful and caused me to tense up all my muscles... it was next to impossible to relax. Once the nurses announced that I was to deliver that night I became even more tense, as I knew it was too early for baby at only 28 weeks. Luckily we were at a hospital with the best NICU in the area, the nurses assured me that the baby would be alright. He wasn't even showing signs of distress on their monitors, it was I who was in distress. After a terrible time finding a vein to insert the IV (I have very small veins, and due to being stressed from the labor and dehydration it took 4 nurses and the anesthesiologist to get it), they realized the baby was breech and an emergency C-section was the next step.
My doctor was called, the spinal block was given and my baby was delivered within the hour. At 11:01pm on Thursday, April 20, my beautiful son was born! He weighed 2lb 2.24oz and was just under 14 inches long. He was sent to the NICU and stabilized. I was sent to recovery and then spent 4 days in the hospital before being discharged. My surgery went perfectly, the incision is healing well. My doctor concluded that my pre-term labor was caused by two factors. The first was an infection of some sort, still no idea how it came about... possibly a tear in my amniotic sac that could have let in bacteria, was detected in my fluid and I also had elevated white blood count which indicates an infection. During my hospital stay I was treated with antibiotics. The second is that my doctor discovered the shape of my uterus is not the usual inverted triangle shape, but more of a heart shape! Apparently I have less space for a growing fetus and was at risk for a pre-term delivery the whole time but we didn't know it, as this type of thing isn't visible on the ultrasounds. She also said that if I were to have another child I would be at the same risk for a similar pre-term labor and delivery.
All that aside, my baby is perfectly healthy and doing wonderful in the NICU. He's two weeks old today and thriving! He spent 3 days on a ventilator and quickly graduated to a simple oxygen C-Pap and is breathing on his own. He's on an IV for fluids and nutrients. After 5 days they introduced feedings by tube of my breast milk, I've been pumping since the night he was born, and he's tolerating it very well. After losing some of his birth weight in fluids (normal) he's managed to gain it all back again and is currently 2lb 2oz today, all healthy weight. His brain development is standard, no signs of damage or hemorrhage. He's alert and responsive to our voices. We started skin to skin on the 1st and have enjoyed a few hours each day since. He's making wonderful progress for his age and size, the focus is nutrition and getting him to gain and maintain. He'll need to stay in the NICU through the end of June.
Elias John (we call him Eli for short)
All in all, it was a scary delivery but a successful recovery. I'm experiencing some mild postpartum emotions, which is to be expected. More importantly though, baby Eli is healthy and growing stronger each day. I'm incredibly grateful for the care he's receiving in the NICU, and the care I received as well. We were very lucky. I didn't expect this to be my experience, or for my baby's life to begin this way... but it did. We're just taking it one day at a time at this point. In a couple months he'll be home and we'll move on. It's amazing how common preemie births really are though. So many people I know, either are or, have a direct relative who were born early and grew to be strong and healthy adults. This is my hope for Eli!
I hope I didn't scare anyone with this update. I just wanted to share. I'm a proud Mama! I do miss being pregnant though... enjoy the third trimester ladies, and I wish you all smooth deliveries in July! xoxo, Sassenach
Vive Les Frasers
Re: Baby arrived early! TW Pre-term Labor
DS1 - 7/2011, DD 12/2012, DS2 - 4/2014, MMC - 12/2015
What a story! I can't beleieve you went from dinner with in-laws to baby in a blink of an eye. That is also so great your hospital has the best NICU, glad you both are doing so well. I will be sending all my thoughts and prayers to you and baby Eli!! Please keep us updated!
Married: Oct 2015
Baby G born June 2017
TTC#2: July 2018
BFP #2: 2/6/19 MC 3/14/19
BFP#3 from IUI #2: 6/30/20 EDD 3/9/21
CP 3/2019
Married: Oct 2015
Baby G born June 2017
TTC#2: July 2018
BFP #2: 2/6/19 MC 3/14/19
BFP#3 from IUI #2: 6/30/20 EDD 3/9/21
Married: 6/2016
TTC:6/2016
BFP: 11/22/2016 | EDD: 7/29/2017
Our Angel: EDD: 05/11/17. MC at 6 weeks
Baby #2- EDD: 07/18/17
Met: 08/2001 ~ Dating: 07/2004 ~ Engaged: 11/2009 ~ Married: 06/2011
TTC: Since 09/16 ~ BFP 10/28/16 ~ EDD 7/5/17
Team Pink * Canadian Bumpie
my happy boy
Together since 2006
Married 01.17.15