Just want to share - placental insufficiency

[mumeny]

Hi - sorry to sound like a winging ratbag, but we've been bleeding since 14 weeks, I spent last week as an inpatient as now 7 weeks later this has not ceased.
We're holding in there, every day she's staying in is good news, but we've been told in no uncertain terms that as soon as we hopefully make it to 24 the steroid treatment will begin and she will be delivered as soon as there is an inkling of placental insufficiency. The great thing is that the care we are getting is fantastic, in my opinion, and she is growing still just now.
I suppose I'm comforted by reading the existing threads on here some amazing babies indeed - we have the longest three weeks to go through but I'm not stupid enough to think they'll be our last!!
How did you'all manage with your older children? We have a 19 month old toddler who is unsettled by a mummy on bedrest but not as unsettled as when I was in hospital.
Did any of you know your bub was going to be prem? How did you prepare and did it help?!

[babyjamas]

i had constant bleeding from 21 weeks until birth (at 27 weeks). i was admitted when the bleeding started and didn't come out again (i had a history of prem births and late miscarraige anyway) - had hoped that this would be my full termer, but knew myself once the bleeding started that that wasn't going to happen and it was a matter of how long i could keep her inside. it was a case of one day at a time really - the big countdown to 24 weeks. in all honesty i had prepared myself for losing the baby so when i reached 24 weeks it was a very weird mindset - coming to terms with the likelihood of having a baby that would probably at least born alive, when before i was expecting to lose her. then i paniced about how i would deal with an extreme prem, and how the rest of the family would. looking back, it was an awful, stressful time - but at the time i sort of just accepted things. if i had to be in hospital then so be it, it was for the best, life carried on without me being at home (my others were 5 and 9 at the time, so perhaps easier to deal with than your little one). as i said at the beginning every day was a day longer so i mentally ticked each day off as a success.
dd2 was born weighing just over 2lbs and spent 11 weeks in SCBU - now a feisty 2 year old.
i can tell you loads about neonatal - but i hope i don't have to and you manage to get to full term (i have known people to bleed constantly and still get to full term).

[jerin]

Hi Mumeny
Really hope all goes well for you.... I had no warning that I was having a premmie - I was very unhelpful during delivery as had gone into shock and just kept making excuses not to push! DS born at 32 weeks and spent 4.5 weeks in SCBU. I'm not sure that knowing makes it easier...sorry. Currently pg with no2 and hoping I can go full term but thats way off. Will also be concerned about leaving DS should I have to spend time in hospital - he's only 10 months now.
My SIL bled throughout her pg from 12 weeks, but was never offered anything so sounds like you're getting great care. She has a gorgeous 18 month old who was 5 days overdue!
Fingers crossed for you xx

[missjennipenni]

I had bilateral notching in my placenta/uterine arteries, so was told i was high risk of pre-eclampsia and the baby would probably be early because of this. We were able to buy prem clothes in advance, i had my bag packed from very early on and had childcare in place should i need a hospital stay. But my DS held on til 35 weeks, then only spent a week in SCBU.

My fingers are crossed for you x

[KashaSarrasin]

Hi Mumeny - I hope your lo stays put as long as possible.

I had bleeding intermittently throughout my last pg with DS2, although it wasn't until 24 weeks that it was clear that the bleeding was due to clots on the placenta. I spent days in hospital with each bleed, each time a scan showed normal growth though and that DS2 was fine. I had steroid treatment at 27 weeks, and was warned I'd be lucky to make it to 34 weeks. Eventually I went into spontaneous labour at 30+5, a week after a big bleed. DS2 was born after a very short natural labour (birthing the placenta was the difficult bit!) and was whisked away to SCBU by the paediatricians, he was there for 5 weeks and has now been home for 9 days.

Dealing with an older toddler is definitely one of the tricky problems. DS1 is 3.2 and was definitely affected by my hospital stays. He understood a bit better once DS2 was here and well enough to be visited at the SCBU. We were lucky that my DH was able to take lots of time off work and we had friends who were able to look after him at extremely short notice for the birth and few days afterwards.

I don't know how much preparation you can actually usefully do. Things I'd maybe like to have done but didn't would include visiting the SCBU, reading more about the procedures they use on premature babies and preparing for breastfeeding/expressing for a premature baby. At our SCBU they have a clothing bank so you don't need to buy clothes if you don't want to, you can even borrow some for when you go home.

I do hope your baby manages to stay growing inside as long as possible. I'm glad you're getting good care, I think feeling reassured that you're getting the best is the best thing for relieving anxiety.

Good luck, and keep us posted! xxx

[mumeny]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to write, the most fantastic thing is that at the end of it all you all have babies at home now - 9 days, wow, I hope it's going well.

Seem to have reached a lull for now which I'll enjoy, but after 7 weeks of this am just waiting for a new bleed to start up - if it doesn't that would be such a bonus!

lo is staying in and we're taking it day by day. A clothing bank sounds a really sensible idea. We were offered a visit to scbu but I'm just too chicken right now, but the idea of getting to know procedures etc. sounds worth pursuing.

I'll keep you posted and again thank you all, you'd be amazed how reassuring your posts are. x

[pipintroll]

Hi mumeny. I was in a very similar situation to you this time last year. I had placenta praevia which caused bleeding from 20 weeks onwards and got progressively worse. I was admitted to hospital for good at 24 weeks, given steroids etc. Very frightening time. I had a very good idea that my baby would be prem and just wanted to make it to 30 weeks which we did and ds was born at 31+4. While I was in hospital one of the midwives arranged for me to go to the neo-natal unit to see what it was like. I'm glad she did as it did prepare me for when it happened as they are very busy noisy places.

Did knowing that ds would be prem help me prepare? I'm not so sure overall. With me, and maybe most people, you just sort of go on autopilot and cope with it at the time.

If you do manage to visit Scbu I think it would be worth it. I hope all goes well for you, I'll keep everything crossed! x