Few questions re prem baby & steroids!

[MummyLovesPrams]

Hello ladies,

I am currently 34+3 (by NHS dates & 34+6 by my dates & private scan) with my second baby, a boy.

He decided to try & escape early last week at 33 weeks.

I was given steroids (2 doses 12 hours apart) & also put on a drip (Atosiban I think) to halt labour which thankfully did the trick

I had a MW appt yesterday & Little Man is now 2/5ths engaged (2/5th IN) & am feeling lots of back ache, period cramps, general cramps & acheyness etc along with wanting to clean anything that stays still lol!

I'm just wondering what I should expect if he does end up coming early?

Now that I've had the steroids & they were over a week ago do you think that means he would still need SCBU care??

Do you think he would be in hospital for a while or home fairly quickly?

Also can the steroids make your baby bigger??

I've been measuring bang on for dates but yesterday the MW put me at 36 yet last Friday I was measuring 34 - could I really have grown 2cms in that short space of time?

They have no explanation as to why my Little Man tried to evict himself early - I personally think he wanted to join in his sisters 2nd birthday party ;)

Any advice/insight/ingo very welcomed

Kymberly

Xx

[eandz]

no idea, but i was wondering about this myself.

[goingslowlymad]

I'd have thought at those dates he'd be taken to special care as a matter of course as he is premature. He may well be moved very quickly to transitional care if he is maintaining body temp, feeding well etc.

The steroids will have helped his lungs, but unfortunately the rest of him will still have to catch up.

[meemar]

Hi kymberly

DS1 tried this - it can be very worrying!

I went into suspected early labour at 29 weeks, had the steroids, but held on in there until 34+6 weeks.

He was in SCBU for 4 days (breathing himself but rapidly) and was quite jaundiced so stayed in hospital for a total of 9 days.

Not sure if steroids make them bigger but he was 6lb at 35 weeks so could be

You have got to a good gestation, so he should be fine as long as his birth weight is healthy.

Good luck with everything - looking forward to the birth anouncement (but not for a few weeks ) x

[cali]

Hi, most neonatal units will admit babies who are 35 weeks or younger, his lungs shouldn't be an issue as he is over 32 weeks and as he has had steroids, this will definitely have helped mature his lungs.

The steroids dont really have an effect on the baby's birthweight, their main function is to encourage surfactant production and mature lung tissue.

You can sometimes measure differently or larger than expected as babies will sometimes have a bit of a growth spurt or it could have been a different midwife measuring to too but it isn't anything to worry about.

If he was born now, his main problems would probably/hopefully only be feeding and possibly temperature control. The suck/swallow/breathing co-ordination doesn't really become fully efffective until about 36 weeks but that is not to say that babies who are born earlier can't feed, I've seen a lot that can and also a lot of term babies that are useless!

hope this helps, if you would like any more info, please let me know
good luck x

[cali]

sorry forgot to add,
we normally tell parents that babies will be ready for discharge around their due date but for babies who are born closer to when they should have been ie 34/35 weeks, then these babies are normally only in special care until they get their feeding sorted out and this is usually a 7-10 days, some sooner.
It all really depends on the individual baby which is the frustrating thing for parents because we can't give you a definite answer, just what we would expect a baby of 34 weeks to do.
If he holds on to 35 weeks, then hopefully he wont need to be admitted at all but you might have to stay in a postnatal ward for a few extra days, just to make sure his temp and feeding are ok.
Have a few friends who have had prem babies (all neonatal nurses too) 32 weeker in nnu for 3 weeks and 35 weeker went home when 4 days old.

[MummyLovesPrams]

Thank you ladies that's realy reassuring

To say he scared the poop out of me is an understatement lol!

It was such a shock as my first PG was pretty smooth sailing & DD was born at 39+4!

I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to me

Fingers crossed he will hold on til at least 35 weeks if not more - if I could get him to 37 weeks I'd be thrilled - I just have this nagging little voice saying 36 weeks - trying to ignore it though ;)

Meemar - so pleased to hear your DS1 held on a bit longer & wasn't to poorly when he was born - what a fab weight too!!!!

Cali - thanks for that info - it's really put my mind at ease. Could I ask you - if he was bornw between 35 & 37 weeks & he was doing ok do you think they would allow me to transfer to my local hospital (it doesn't have a SCBU & is more of a MW led unit IYKWIM??) or would I need to stay in the hosiptal that has the SCBU?

Also I've read/heard that if you have a preemie BF is encouraged - I'm planning on FF which I also did with my DD - would I still be able to do that?

Sorry for all the Q's this is all a little daunting ;)

XxXx

[cali]

I think they may you to deliver where there is a scbu but I would that if everything was ok then you could be transferred to mw led unit.

We are all meant "persuade" mums to BF as yes it is good for babies but imo this can be a bit too forceful and it is up to each mum to make an informed choice as to how they feed their babies.

I would much rather see a happy mum who is ff than an unhappy mum who feels she has to bf.

If he does end up being admitted to scbu and they are pilling the pressure on, express for the time he is in then ff when you get home, lots of mums do that

[cali]

sorry computer was about to die and was rushing reply, missed out a few words but hope it made sense!

[MummyLovesPrams]

Fab thanks for that - until he had tried to escape I'd hoped to deliver at the MW led unit but have excepted that won't be possible now which is fair enough

That's good to know that I might be able to transfer if all is ok though

Ok so if they are really insisting on BF if would be ok to express?? That sounds like the best plan.

Thanks again for all your help - here's hoping after all this he goes to term ;)

XxXx

[LiegeAndLief]

Hope all is well and he is staying put! If he is born now he would probably be unable to bf immediately anyway and would have to be tube fed for a little while until he got the hang and sucking/swallowing/breathing, in which case your only choices would be express or ff (via tube). Breast milk is especially beneficial for prem babies so if you did manage to express, even if only a few times, it would still be great.

My ds was born at 34+3 after 2 lots of steriods - unfortunately he did have trouble breathing and was in SCBU for 7 weeks, but this is very unusual and most likely was because he was born by cs. My friend's baby was born at 35 weeks and was only in for 8 days! If you can hang on until 36 weeks he may well not need to go to SCBU at all.

Must be very worrying for you - really hope it was just a scare and he doesn't come out for another few weeks yet.

[MrsMagooo]

Hi ladies,

(Sorry had a name change since I posted last, was MummyLovesPrams)

Am very thrilled to say I have today made it to 37+0 so now offically full term

Had a small scare last week where they were concerned about babys growth as was measuring 3 weeks behind so sent for a scan, all was deemed fine & baby was weighing in at approx 5lbs 3oz - still measuring behind but I think he'll just be dinky like his big sister (she's 2 but in 9-12 months clothes)

Have had a few false starts in the past few days & for the past week have lots of 'pre labour signs' whether that will come to anything or not I don't know but we are now offically full term & I'm ready to meet Little Man wheneer he decides to arrive

Thank you for all your kind replies
Xx

[fairibell]

Iona arrived at 34 +5 - we knew she would be early as had precelampsia and as a previous loss due to pre-eclamspia last year we had steriods at 26weeks!

They were all ready to take her to special care, had incubator booked just incase etc - well she came out screaming, fed straight away, we were in 5 days - more due to me as she was ready to go home after 3! she was straight on the ward with me and had no problems! they kept an eye on her jaundice and temp but that was all!

good luck - must run as off to our 2nd swiming lesson!!

[missjennipenni]

My DS was born at 35 weeks, but without steroid injections, and he only spent 1 week in SCBU

[TinkerBellesMum]

He will be taken in because of his gestation but the steroids will have given him a better chance because they will have matured the lungs. They need 24 hours to get into the baby's system so he has had enough.

Tink was 31 weeks, no steroids and she has done fantastic, other than her size and asthma you wouldn't know. Don't worry, he is far enough and had enough steroids to do really well.

[gems25]

hi all, here i am again with something new, i went into prem labour last sunday at 34+2 and got to 4 cm dilated after 12 hours then it all stopped, this may have had something to do with the pethidean they gave me to get some sleep,we were so ready for our 2nd lil man to arrive all peped up and full on contractions along wiv the gas n air.
so coz it all stopped the put me up on the ward and ended up there for a week they gave me the steriod jab to mature his lungs and kept on telling us that they would be srprised if i make it to the end of the week but here i am now at home and 35+2 so hes held on for another week which is good but ive growN so much in the last week its getting dreadfully uncomfortble,tight and painfull in the back ribs you name it, im only a lil person anyway so tiz huge to me,so im wondering if i am likely to go to full term and if he does come will he be in scbu for long as the thought of seeing him in care is very upsetting and for my very excited 4yr old too who is very much looking forward to being a big brother.
im still getting the period like drawstring pain across the bottem of my tummmy and my back too but they not as frequent or as painfull as last sunday so this makes me think im still in labour but very slowly.

any advice or simalar happenings would be great ladies. many thanks gems