Advice on Well Baby Does If Deliveried as Soon as 32 Weeks Old????

I wish you all the best.... When I went into labor I was only 27 week and 2 days. My baby boy was born at 2.5lbs and he is now 2 and is doing well he has 1 issuse and that is something they say he should grow out of (small airways). He is like all the other kids his age (2) and never stops. He is at the top of the growth charts for weight(32) and height he is normal.
I will keep you in my thoughts, please let us know how this go.
Best of Luck

I delievered at 31 weeks and had severe preeclamsia also, I was admitted to the hospital a week before I delivered and they gave me the steroid shots to help develop the babies lungs along, she was born at 2 lbs 14oz and was in NICU for 4 weeks when I brought her home she was 4 lbs 6oz and we never had any problems with lungs or anything she is now 3-1/2 years old and doing fine

My son was born exactly 4 weeks early(his due date was Mar 26 & he came Feb 26) due to me having preclampsia also. He was real tiny 5.0, but his lungs were developed. My doc said his lungs probably were dev. early due to my body having preclampsia and all my prob. like I said, he's tiny (still) but he did well. He had and NG tube for the first few days because his sucking reflex wasn't developed. I breastfed to get him practicing & he was supplemented through his tube. I was not ready when my daughter came after him because she was so big to me & normal sized. Just hang in there and I hope it all goes well.

I've had severe preeclampsia TWICE! I've had a 33 and 34 weeker girls. My girls did awesome and still are.

33weeker- 4 lbs 17inches stayed in the special care nursery for 15 days and NEVER had respitory problems

34weeker 6 lbs 19 inches stayed in the special care nursery for 10 days and NEVER had respitory problems

Both needed to gain weight, learn how to suck/eat, get rid of jaundice and they could come home.

I had both of my kiddos at Abbott Northwestern. I've really been through alot medically like ALOT and know quite a bit if you have any further questions or need any advise just message me. My girls are now 4mos.old and 7 years old so I've seen the short and long term effects of being a preemie.

Be prepared to need a infant carseat that will hold a preemie well.

Buy some preemie clothes (Walmart has great selection)

Our daughter was born at 25 weeks and did amazingly well. However when I was on hospitalized bedrest the doctors were aiming for 32 weeks because babies born then usually have minimal if any issues. Be prepared for the fact that the baby will need to spend some time in the NICU and it can be a scary place but it will be okay. They typically say babies go home by their due date. We were lucky with our daughter and she actually went home a week early! It will be fine and the baby will be very healthy. If you have any additional questions that I may be able to answer feel free to contact me.

You didnt say what test you waiting for results on, did you have an amnio for lung maturity? I am a RN in Madison and work on an Antepartum unit witn Mothers such as yourself . You may be hospitalized for monitoring of your urine protein levels, blood pressure and preclamptic lab blood levels. you will prob get steroid shots to mature the baby's lungs, they will want to give 2 shots 24 hrs apart and then wait another 24 hrs to induce. At 32 weeks, your baby will go to the Nicu. Ask to speak to the NICU neonatologist and nurse to give you and idea of what to expect. Your baby will be smaller but will do pretty well, they will monitor temperature, jaundice, sucking and feeding issues, if you are breastfeeding they will have you pump and they will give the baby that through a tube or bottle, you will want to stay close to do skin to skin with your baby.Good luck, it will be fine!!

Hi C.! I also had my oldest son at 32 weeks. This was almost 11 years ago. He was only 3lbs 2 oz at birth. He only had minimal respiratory problems the first 48 hours, then the only issues we dealt with were jaundice (very common in preemies) and weight gain. There will be a lot of time spent in the NICU and I encourage you to breastfeed (pump and feed at first) if at all possible. I truly feel this is what gave my son a great start. He was only in the hospital for 3 1/2 weeks (normally they stay till about their due date-which would have been a full 8 weeks) and was doing so well they let him leave at only 4 1/2 pounds! Try to think positive and just do what you can. Good luck to you!

My water broke at 28 weeks, was looking at 6-7 weeks of hospital bed rest. I made it through 12 days of hospital bed rest. I went into labor at 29 weeks 5 days. I was very worried as you can imagine. My little boy was born at 3 lbs 11 oz, 17 1/2 inches. He spent 7 weeks in the NICU before coming home. This is my first baby, not exactly what I had hoped for. But long story short, he is now 7 months old. He is a happy, chubby little boy who loves to laugh. We are blessed that there are no developmental delays. Looking at him, you'd never know he was a premie.

I wish you luck with your baby. The people at the NICU are amazing. They really know what they are doing. It's not the ideal situation to have a premie, but you can get through it and your baby is just that much more special. I wish you and your family well. God Bless.

T.

My 2nd child was born at 33 weeks and has done amazing! We had a roller-coaster of a ride while she was in the NICU for 3 weeks, but we have not had any problems since. The doctors and nurses in the NICU were absolutely wonderful and totally understand the nervous/scared parents. :) Our 3rd child was also premature (34 weeks) and his time in the NICU was much more pleasant because we already knew what to expect and totally trusted the nurses. He also was there for 3 weeks, but has since been very healthy and no developmental delays.
The biggest concern for babies born before 35 weeks is underdeveloped lungs. You can see if your doctor would give you a steroid shot before they induce to help your babies lungs develop a little more. Also, don't be afraid to ask questions--the doctors and nurses will not be offended if you ask one or tons of questions. It helps calm your fears if you know more about what's going on.

My sister had her baby last week via c-section 8 1/2 weeks early. Her baby was 3 lbs. 7 oz. She had had the steroid shots to mature his lungs, so he was breathing on his own right away. He's doing amazingly well, was out of the NICU in 3 days, and they are planning to start him on bottles and remove his IV and feeding tube next week, more than a week ahead of schedule. If all goes well, he'll be home in a couple weeks.
Good luck! I know it's scary to have a baby so early. I may be having mine up to 8 weeks early due to low amniotic fluid.

My daughter was born at 31 3/7 and was 3lb 10oz. She lost weight right away in the first few days like all babies due, down to 3lb 3 oz. She was on a cpap for one day just to remind her to breathe- no oxygen needed. Her main issues were bilirubin and temperature. She came home after 24 days and probably could have come home sooner. They like to tell you in the NICU that they babies don't learn to eat and breathe together until 34 weeks but if you get a lactation consult ASAP and breastfeed they get it pretty quick! Our daughter came home just under 35 weeks at 4lbs 4oz. She was a mix of bottle and breastfed but she definetely did better with breastfeeding due to the flow not being quite so fast.

As far as getting bigger goes, they put her on a higher calorie formula twice a day and now at 8 1/2 months she is on regular formula and breastmilk and weighs almost 16 pounds. She still wears mostly 6 month clothes but she is cruising on the floor and chatting and being a pretty big girl. GOOD LUCK!

Like you, I had pre-elampsia (with both of my pregnancies). I delivered my daughter (my first) by c-section at 32 weeks after 3 weeks of bedrest. She was 3 lbs. 6 oz. and 19.5 inches when born. (My son was born at 35 weeks.)

She had some very temporary difficulties with digestion at the beginning, but then she sailed through everything. She spent the first week in the NICU in an incubator. (I forgot the name of those things. You can still have times to hold your baby, but respect what the staff say about how much time your baby spends out of it--they need the warmth.) And then she spent 2 weeks in a part of the NICU for the babies that were doing really well. We were able to bring her home at 35 weeks.

During the NICU time, we did a lot of "kangarooing" where we held our daughter on our bare chests--lots of skin to skin contact. It's great for preemies and good for you, too. It really helps preemies thrive.

The challenge was finding clothes and diapers that fit. :-)

When we had our daughter, we heard many stories of people who were preemies who are perfectly fine in every way.

My daughter is 8 now. She is bright and happy and when I look at the *tiny* hat they sent her home with, I am amazed!

I wish you all the best with your delivery. The hospital staff are there to help you.

first I want to wish you well. I am a survivor of preclampsia with HELLP syndrome with my first child. She was born at 32 weeks and weighed 3lbs 7 oz at birth. She is now 9 years old and we have been so fortunate. She has not had ANY residual effects from her prematurity and is in fact at 9 almost 5 feet tall and very healthy. I was given steroids to mature her lungs before delivery and I did have a placental abruption as well, so she was born "blue" and spent about 2 hours on the ventilator. We spent 2 weeks and 6 days in the level two nursery while she worked on growing. I know this is a very scary time for you, do everything the doctors ask you to, and i'll add you and your child to my prayers.

All of my kids were born early and 32 wks is very safe place to be. The baby will be small and will need help at first, but should do very well at that point in your pregnancy. Good luck and try to relax. :)
S.

C.

your little one should be okay, it may have to stay in the hospital for a little while but it will be okay.. my youngest was born at 30 weeks and she did just fine she is now 7 months old and healthy,, she was only in the hospital for 1 week.. MY 2nd oldest was born at 26 weeks and he had some problems but a mothers love and you being there to hold them and do kangroo care and talking them they will be just fine

I had an emergency c-section at 32 weeks. It was scary. My son was born weighing in at 3 lbs 14 oz. We were very very lucky. He was taken to the NICU at another hospital where he stayed for about 3 weeks. He was breathing on his own. All he needed to do was gain weight. No major problems at all. I pray the same for you and your baby. Our son is now a very healthy 5 year old.

My younger boy was born 32 weeks because of water broken. He was 3 pound 8 oz and he stayed in NICU for 4 weeks in UIHC. He is 3 years old now. Everything is normal. His weight is 67% and height is 26% now. You baby will be fine. God bless you.

I second Beth H's answer completely. To add to her response, some of the issues the baby may have won't have anything to do with weight, but the baby's weight will be the most significant predictor of health outcome. I would deliver at Abbott Northwestern or UMMC-Fairview.

When I was pregnant with my twins, 32 weeks was always a possibility, and my OB said that if I went into labor or started having problems before then to just head over to Abbott. I hear their NICU dept is very, very good, and I'm sure your doc knows that, too. I ended up being induced at 37 weeks, but my twins fit the profile of 34 week babies and sufferred many of the same issues (bigger issues with the 4 lbs 4 oz son than the 5 lb 8.5 oz son). They were in "special care" for 4 weeks, but now are physically healthy as can be.

Good luck. I know it's nerve-wracking and I vividly remember those days. Trust in your doctors and nurses, it will help you feel better, and check out some books on raising a premie. I don't remember which one I borrowed, but I recall just having something to read about caring for premies was very, very helpful and made me feel less alone.

**Also, I strongly suggests finding friends and/or family who will help with watching your older son when baby 2 is born. The parents with older kids to watch were in the "special care" unit a lot less, and it just seemed like the baby in special care took longer to recover without the parents around. Just my impression, I wasn't looking at charts or anything....

My neice was born at 32 weeks. She weighed 4lbs 5oz and had some trouble breathing her first night in the NICU. She stayed in the hospital almost 3 weeks, which is a short stay for a preemie. One thing that we think really helped her was that someone from her family was with her at all hours of the waking day and even sometimes at night. We would stick our hands inside her isolette, one on her hand and one on her bottom and talk to her, sing to her and soothe her. The other thing that the nurses said gave her a leg up was that my sister pumped breastmilk for her and she got that in her feeding tube and she gained weight and got stronger much faster than they expected. She is now 10 years old and has no lasting effects from her pre-mature birth. I hope that was helpful!

Dear C.,
I am so sorry you are facing this stress. It is not fun! I had preeclampsia and a blood clotting disorder. Both of my boys were born at 35 weeks. Both weighed slightly under 6 pounmds. My first son had to spend a week in the NICU (the longest week of my life!). In the NICU we saw many babies at 32 weeks gestation. We even saw twins that were delivered at 26 weeks (and actually grew to be healthy little girls). My guess is that your baby would be about 4 pounds and need breathing assistance as his/her lungs won't be fully developped yet. There is a drug that your dr can give you now that is meant to help the baby's lungs develop faster. Ask for it, if you are not already on it. Your baby will most likely need to stay at the hospital for about a month (just my guess). It will be hard. You see all these moms leaving their baby in the nursery while you are dying to just hold your baby. It's so physically and emotionally draining to have a baby in the NICU. But, you will grow in your F. and maturity leaps and bounds and you learn to trust in God and put your life on hold for this little baby. I am glad you in a hospital where you can be observed and cared for. Rest now while you can. I just said a prayer for you and your baby. Best of luck!

I had pre-eclampsia with both pregnancies. With the first, I was in intensive care and had an emergency c-section to keep me from going into a coma (delivering the baby is the only way to improve the mother's health). He was born at 30 weeks. He is now 11 and has had no significant health or development problems. In fact, he skipped a grade. He is strong and healthy.

With the second, I had a lot of bedrest, and delivered (again by emergency c-section) at 34 weeks. He too was healthy and has no effects of the prematurity whatsoever.

The first child was on a respirator for 24 hours, and has asthma, and I think the two are linked.

Also, for some reason, my milk never came in, and I was unable to breastfeed my children.

Let me know if I can answer more questions --

Hi C., my boy was born at 33 1/2 weeks and he is just fine! I believe the doctor told me that 32 weeks was the earliest that a baby could be delivered with few issues. My Cole was in the NICU for 12 days. He had to maintain his own body temp, be eating on his own and a few other things. He had no major problems. If you have questions I would ask to talk to a doctor that specializes in premature babies - they know what they are talking about. I wish you the best of luck with your baby!

My youngest son was born at 26 weeks; 2 pounds, 6 ounces. He is doing extremely well. He received phenomenal care in the NICU at Children's Hospital. He was very forunate that he did not suffer an intraventricular hemorrhage (brain bleed). He did require steroids to mature his lungs and oxygen until approx. two weeks b/4 he was discharged. He spent three months in the hospital. He came home on his due date weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces. He came home on an iron supplement and apnea monitor. He was monitored for three months at home 24/7.

He is now 5 years old, in the 60% for his age and height and attends kindergarten 5 full days per week. He receives minimal support for some fine motor skill issues, but is expected to catch up to his peers. He has average to above-average intelligence and a terrific personality.

I wish you and your family well.

Our middle child was a 32-week preemie. He was 4 pounds, 4 ounces at birth and was only in the NICU for 12 days. He was quite a little fighter. Although he was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, he literally shocked the neonatologists with his ability to breathe on his own, nurse, maintain body temp, etc. All children are different, but medical technology is amazing. Your child will be fine. Sending prayers.

I guess I would want to ask is there anything else we can try first that is safe for you and the baby before delivering early. All the best.

Babies born by 32 weeks or later generally have fewer complications than those born earlier. Today's NICUs (Newborn Intensive Care Units) are able to care for very tiny babies--even those born at only 1lb. By 32 weeks, I would expect your little one to be considerably bigger than that. I had twins born at 35 weeks and they spent 2 weeks in the NICU--mostly because they were twins. Many singleton babies born at 35 weeks can go home with their mothers. I would say that you're probably looking at 2-3 weeks in NICU, but you're past the most dangerous time for premature births. Talk with your OB and tell her your concerns. Maybe they can do another ultrasound to tell you how big your baby is and set your mind at ease. Also, delivery at 32 weeks is safer for both of you than continuing a pregnancy with preeclampsia. Try not to worry!

J.