Nervous about my early delivery - 34/35 weeks

Anonymous
I didn't know about getting a second steroid shot - I will look into that!
Anonymous
If you have pre-e, OP, perhaps prepare for the baby being a little smaller. That tends to happen with pre-e babies. Girls generally do much better --its crazy but apparently they are a little farther ahead in the womb?!

I have a boy who was born at 34.5 weeks, NICU for a week. He is now in the 75% percentile. he had some health issues in the first year, and some typical preemie boy delay issues. But here is the thing all of us preemie moms have to remember. He is here, breathing, smiling, here. And that is why he was delivered early.
Anonymous
As I write, my now 3yr old 34-weeker is charging around the living room pretending she's a "doctor-monster".

She was in NICU for 12 days, on air at first, then released with an apnea monitor that we had for two months. I did not receive steroid shots, however. Though the NICU was stressful, with time that memory has receded into the distance.
Anonymous
Mom of 34-weeker here. She was in the NICU for three weeks primarily for feeding issues and, in the early days, body temp regulation. I will note that she was among the longest one in the NICU (to my great stress!) - most of the babies in the NICU came and went much more quickly, even ones as early as 32 weeks, so the length of my DC's stay is probably atypical. She is now almost three and had no developmental delays and is as happy as can be. One interesting thing was that my DC was very sleepy until around 6 weeks after birth, at which point she became a totally different person. It's my understanding that the sleepiness really was related to being early and once she hit "term" she became much more alert. My early baby was a total surprise - the early part, at least - and I went into labor for no apparent reason and had the baby within eight hours, so I had no time to prepare. I think the good thing about your situation is that you have some time to think things through/plan, so you can have everything ready for the baby once he/she comes home. I was told that babies over 34 weeks generally do quite well. And, as I mentioned, we had no developmental delays.

One other thing - because my DC was early, we had biannual appointments with a developmental pediatrician to make sure she was on track. It was actually nice because it solidified that everything was okay. We stopped doing that when DC hit two years old. I believe different governments also provide assessment services for early babies, which can be helpful just to set your mind at ease or to help with any problems. I know Montgomery County has such a service, and it's free. Once your baby arrives, if you feel anxiety or stress about developmental issues, just know that there are resources like the developmental pediatrician and county services that can help you out.
Anonymous
OP, I was admitted at 33.5 weeks with pre-e on Thursday, had the steroid shots on Friday and Saturday, and was induced on Sunday at 34 weeks. The labor itself was easy, no epidural needed, since he was small at 4 lbs 5 oz.

DS spent 5 weeks in the NICU for A's and B's (actually just B's, he never had apnea). After that, he had a few sessions of PT for mild torticollis and is now a somewhat-small one year old (just 18 lbs). No nursing or feeding issues. He's such a happy smiley baby, now almost a toddler.

The whole experience was scary, but all of the doctors and nurses were fantastic, and I saw many of them, both before and after birth. For myself, it was weeks before the swelling went down and I could stop the bp meds. It was over 10 months before the proteinuria resolved. I had expected the pre-e would go away very quickly after birth, but I guess sometimes it takes a long time. Good luck.
Anonymous
At 35 weeks you may even avoid a NICU stay, right?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:At 35 weeks you may even avoid a NICU stay, right?


totally depends. My son had jaundice and so had to stay a bit (about days). I will say, as a preemie mom who is pretty active in other preemie communities and who talks to a lot of other preemie parents, I think the long term and shorter term risks, developmentally-wise, of delivering early and having an IUGR/small baby are not always made clear to parents. My son was late to walk and now is late to talk. That is pretty common for preemie boys, I have found. I would say maybe half of the parents of late term preemies I know (as in after 34 weeks) have dealt with delays and/or learning issues. These things are obviously better than the alternative and by no means true for all preemies, so no need to chime in with a but my kid/my neighbor's kid/etc., but they are much more common for early kids and I don't think parents are made comfortable enough with that fact. I am an anxiety nut, though, and I do have to say that now that my son is here, and 2, the fact that he is delayed is less scary than the possibility that he might be when he was born at 34 weeks, if that makes sense.
Anonymous
Thanks PP. That is an important perspective.
To be honest, I hadn't really thought about delays down the road. I am focused on the immediate aftermath - NICU- but of course it is important to think long term.
I just really want to make it to 37 weeks. Or even 38.
I just have to take it one day at a time.
Anonymous
Good luck OP! I can completely understand wanting to make it to 37 or 38 weeks!! My LO was just born at 36 weeks and required no NICU stay, came home with us two days later, so if your LO comes just a little bit early, hopefully you will have no need to worry. Best wishes in the weeks ahead!!
Anonymous
I recently bought a book called Preemies: The essential guide for parents ...

It's been helpful and comforting.
Anonymous
I had PE and HELLP, delivered at 36 weeks. No NICU time. That said, he didn't feed well and I didn't produce enough so he ended up in the hospital with jaundice 24 hours after release. Blamed myself for trying to breastfeed, not forcing him to eat.... Learned later that most "early term" babies do not feed well - wish I had known that going in.
He's a happy healthy first grader now!

Good luck!

Also, check out http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=19&sid=daad6fde5684ccf392749d18f4aa2875
Great forum for advice and support - especially when you need someone who understands what you're going through.
Anonymous
My sister's twins were born just shy of 34 weeks. The little boy came home after 2 weeks, and little girl took a little longer and was in for 6 weeks. Overall, they were very healthy. Just needed time to learn how to breathe/suck while eating. Little girl needed some extra time for a few other issues (like reflux) none of which lingered or is still around. By about 6 months, they had completely caught up on milestones and you'd never guess they were preemies. They are now 4 years old and rambunctious and crazy and 100% normal.
Anonymous
I've had 3 friends have their babies at 32 weeks. All of them have healthy, happy babies (or toddlers) that are meeting all of their milestones. One of the toddlers is a little small on the growth curve, but probably would have been anyway (short parents).

I know it's all anecdotal, but science is amazing, and you have a very good chance of having a perfectly healthy baby

Good luck.
Anonymous
I hired a night nurse for my twin preemies. They were in the nicu for a month. They are home healthy and getting big. Hire help it makes your life so much easier and you can heel and get rest at night. If anyone needs a night nurse I know one who is amazing.
Anonymous
OP, how are you doing?
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