Mothers of Premature babies?

Question

I will be 35 weeks on Friday... and have been having contractions for a week. I was sent to the hospital 6 days ago for a fetal weight ultrasound and although the cervix was soft and I had lost my mucus plug I was NOT dialated at all. I went to the doctor yesterday and now I am dialated 2 cm. My doctor decided that they will not try to stop an early labor. This whole pregnancy has been very different than my first one; I never went into labor naturally with him, I was induced two days after my due date and he was 9 and a half pounds. I am feeling quite nervous about the possibility of having this baby so early. I was hoping for some other mothers who had premature babies after 30 weeks to share your experience with me.
What kind of complications did you have?
How far along were you?
What was you babies weight and measurements?
How long did you/the baby stay at the hospital?
How is your baby now, have they had any development issues?
or anything else you care to share.
Thanks

Answer 1

First of all, your baby should be fine. Your pregnancy has gotten to the point where you don't even receive steroids to help mature the baby's lungs. By 35 weeks the long-term complication rate for your baby is nearly as low as the full term complication rate.

By 36 weeks, there is no difference between a premature delivery and a full term delivery in terms of longterm complications.

This is not to say that there aren't some short term issues to deal with. Babies born early don't always feed well, regulate their temperature or breathing well and will have to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) until they can do these things.

Having a baby in the NICU can be stressful because there are often little set backs. But you can visit around the clock, feed and hold the baby.

You won't have much contact with the doctors in the NICU (if your baby needs to go there) because they round on so many children. However, the nurses are phenomenal, in general and know more about your baby than anyone.

Long-term lung complications are rare at this age. This is especially true if the little one is a girl. Girls make surfactant earlier than boys. Surfactant is a substance that lines the lungs to keep them open and makes breathing easier.

Finally, just because you've dilated a bit, doesn't mean you're going to deliver. Modified bed rest is advised, but the biggest predictor of when you're going to deliver is your previous delivery.

I really think everything is going to be okay.

I'm glad you're reaching out to others though. You should receive a lot of comfort.

Answer 2

I had my daughter when I was 35 weeks also.....I had absolutely no complications just a 32 hour long labor and 2 epidurals.....my daughter weighted 6lbs 9.5 oz and 19 3/4 in. I was at the hospital on a wed morning at 6:00am ( i was working when my water broke) and didnt have her untill Thur at 2:15 in the afternoon and we both were released on that Sun..so a total of 5 days but after i had her I ended up having high blood pressure from the Friday while in the hospital for about 2 months after that...My daughter is now 20 months and is 35lbs can say a few ABC's and talks up a storm..started walking at 9 months although all children are different you cant help but compare to other children their age and my daughter doesnt drink from a sippy cup and I blame that on myself because i used the bottles with liners so she never had to turn the bottle up to get anything out. But she does drink out of a straw so its not that bad...CONGRATS and good luck!

Answer 3

I had twins at 32 weeks one weighed 3pds 13ozs the other weighed 4pds 8ozs. They stayed in the hospital for 3 weeks and then came home and were fine. A home health nurse came to my house about once a week to weigh them and stuff but other then that they are fine now. That was almost three years ago and they are normal happy three year olds.

My daughter was born 11 months after my twins at 34 weeks she had a little bit of trouble breathing on her own and some apnea but she came home after being in the hospital for 2 weeks and she weighed 6 pds 2 ozs. She to is normal and does everthing that a two year old should do

But I believe your baby will be ok!!! Good luck!!!

Answer 4

HELLO~

I HAD MY FIRST CHILD AT 35 WKS. SHE WAS HEALTHY. 5lbs 9oz. Was 19in. Long. The only thing that she did have was jaundice.
I was home after 3 days and she was home after 4. At 3 wks she got a URI. The Dr said that was not caused from premature birth.

My son was born at 37 wks. He was 7lbs 1oz and 21in. No health problems at all..

Both of them are fine. Right on track where they need to be.. Some times at 35 wks they are a little slower. I was blessed that my kids are good.

My Dr stopped my labor with my son at 35 wks due to boys take longer for there lungs to develop. Girls don't......

If the Dr. thinks that you are safe to have the baby then don't stress about it..

Always remember that you can still go Full Term...

Good Luck and Congrats :)

Answer 5

I delivered at 38 weeks but at 29 weeks they were concerend that i might deliver early. My goal was to make it to 34 weeks as with some care the babies generaly do very well. Also the lungs are more mature at 34 weeks. The baby may have to spend some time in the nursery but as i mentioned 34 weekers do well. When I was 36 weeks my OB told me that this was a good gestational age and that I could do whatever I wanted to bring on labour. At 38 weeks my baby was 6lbs 4oz and did not need any special care. I have a freind who was in the exact same situation as you and she went to 38 weeks and labour came on naturaly and baby boy was 7lbs 7oz.

Look up the march of dimes web site for info re preemies.

All the best

Answer 6

I had my baby through emergency c section at 36 weeks. He was 7 lb 4 oz (so he was a big baby for 36 weeks). He was okay at first, but he ended up in NICU for pneumothorax's. They gave him a chest tube and nasal cpap. He was there for a total of 7 days. I was there for four. He came home and has been doing just fine!!! But they think that the problem he had was due to the c section (fluid not being pushed out like when having a vaginal birth) so thats what caused his problems, not really being 36 weeks. So, i wouldn't worry too much! I am sure baby and you will be fine!!!
My other son was 2 days late.
Good luck!!! and congrats early!!

Answer 7

i went into labor with my first child at 34 weeks. i was in labor for 26 hours and after she was born they immediatly took her to the nicu. she spent about 2 days with breathing tubes. after that she spent about 12 days in the hospital due to feeding issues. she was 5 lbs 2 oz when she was born. she is now 2.5 years old. we have not had any issues with her health. she has never even had an ear ache. she actually has a pretty advanced vocabulary and most people think she is about 4 yrs old by the way she speaks. i hope this helps.

Answer 8

As they say any idot can be a parent but it takes a great person to be a mother or father. Yes she may have found this to be the only way she knew how to handle the situation however with medical advances she would have had pre warning that he was going to have medical issues. That is of course if she had prenatal care, but it does cramp a clubbing life having to go to annoying doctors visits. Fingers crossed she forgets she's got a son and he will be given a chance at a family who really wants a child.

Answer 9

Please don't worry so much your baby will be fine, I had my second baby at 35 weeks it was a long labour but he was fine and got to come home in a couple days.. He weighed in at 5lbs 7ozs. His lungs were developed.. Now my son is 17 he is a big boy.. Your baby is fine, if the doctors felt there was a problem he would have let you know...35 weeks isnt realy all that early.. They save baby's born at 26 weeks...Good luck to you

Answer 10

Almost a year ago I gave birth to my son. He came along at 32 weeks. I was losing amniotic fluid so I was put in the hospital on bed rest.This lasted a week before I started my contractions.While waiting for his arrival, I was given 2 steroid shots to increase his development. I was also on a course of antibiotics to prevent any infection that might occur. The birthing was hard for me, I had him naturally with no meds for pain. Of course being a male he came out face up the hardest way to deliver!!
He was 3lb 13oz. 21inches long and went directly to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I was sent home 2 days later. His apgar was 4 and 8. He stayed in the NICU for 1 month. During this time and until he was 10 months old I breast feed him. The only time he had formula was in the NICU and the added it to my milk to increase the calorie intake to make him gain weight faster. He had Jaundice and was put on bilby lights ( full spectrum lights) to help his body clear it up. He had apneas which are times when he forgot to breathe. These both cleared up. He was in there for 3 weeks then was moved to transitional care for 1 week. He came home Christmas Eve. What a Christmas present that was! He also needed the RSV booster shots which was covered by my Province's health care plan. If you're in the States, you might check to see if it is covered for you as they are really expensive - $1500 CDN per shot and he needed 5 of them - once a month Dec to April.

Developmentally he was behind. My due date was January and he was born in Nov so he was 2 months behind. This was noticeable up to 5/6 months. This was rough for me because I had a daughter who was 1 week late and was ahead of the development curve. I had to really change my thinking and remember that he was different from her.

At a year old my son is almost caught up. He is pulling himself up on my furniture and will walk when someone holds his hands. He is also trying to cruise. He has no learning disabilities that I know of. He babbles all the time says Dada, Nana and ah ah ah which is what we use for No. He hasn't said mama yet which I am currently working on!!

I used the book - What To Expect: the first year quite a bit. making sure that I took the 2 months off his actual age to check out how he was developing. I also talked to my local Public Health Nurse for help when I had a question that wasn't important enough to pester my doctor about.

I was also scared about giving birth to a preemie. I knew the risks for him as I know a parent who's son was born at 27 weeks and has Cerebal Palsy.

Be as strong as you can mentally. Have as many family and friends around you that you can call on as you will be house bound for atleast 3 months after your little on comes home, (I went stir fried!!) also don't allow anyone with a cold, sniffles runny nose in your home for the first 3 months. If you need repairs ask for a cold free service person. Inforce a wash hands rule or sanitizer before touching your preemie. The reason being is that your preemie's immune system isn't fully developed yet and new bugs comming into the house can cause sickness and worry. I know this is hard with the Holiday season comming up but if it means giving your child the best start it's worth it!

I trust that this will help you out a bit!