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Premature baby advice

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
My daughter (who is nearly 10) was born at 31 weeks & weighed 3lb 12oz.
I am pregnant with my 2nd & will be 31 weeks on Sunday & am worrying about having this one early too!

There are lots of things that have changed since i had my last baby & I have been told by my midwife that I have to see a consultant asap. Does anyone know what this consultant appointment is for?! I have asked my midwife, who replied it's just a precaution due to my previous premature baby. So that helped a great deal!! If anyone has been through the same process I would appreciate any advice you have. Cheers :nervous:

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm afraid I don't know that much about premature birth to give you any solid advice, but there's a website here that has some links to websites, information and support.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I asked my midwife the same question as my son was born at 35 weeks, so I wondered if this one was likely to come early too. I think its mainly to do with WHY the last one came early. Some prem births are just a one off, some are due to pre-eclampsia, some a weak cervix, all sorts of reasons. From what I can gather, you will be more at risk having had one prem, but that doesnt mean to say it WILL happen. According to BLISS your risk is about 15% of having another prem.
    They will probably just want to keep more of an eye on you now, and there are drugs they can give you to slow things down if anything starts happening too early. Just make sure you take it extra easy from now on :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Thanks guys.

    I've read all about prem births on lots of different sites & was especially interested in reading about these progestrone (excuse spelling!) injections. Thing is, it states that you have these early on in pregnancy & they haven't even been mentioned to me. I don't know why I gave birth prematurely last time, they never told me. I think it may have been to do with my size, as I was only 16 at the time & weighed 6 & 1/2 stone b4 I got pregnant. But no-one told me why!

    I went to my midwife appointment today & she measured my uterus (they never used to do this procedure in my last pregnancy) & she said the measurement hasn't changed much since my last, so she's concerned the baby isn't growing very quick. (I measured 27 cm at 27wks, which was over average but now it's 28.5 cm, which is below average). I've also been having alot of Braxton Hicks & having a great deal of tightening, so my midwife thinks I may be on my way to having another prem baby. I am taking it easy & can't do alot anyway, as I'm suffering from Sciatica (& have been since 13 wks). Suppose I will just have to wait & see.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Take care of yourself please.6& 1/2 stone? My hamster weighs that.Good luck and god bless.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I hope it goes ok for you. It IS pretty normal to have Braxton hicks at this stage. Obviously they will keep a much closer eye on you and thats a good thing, as long as theyre not making you panic. Are your braxton hicks coming regularly or irregularly?
    On the plus side, is 31 weeks isnt too dangerous. Your baby has a very very good chance if born now, although best to keep cooking for a bit longer obviously, and its not very nice to have them in SCBU. Have they given you an estimate of the weight yet. 3lb odd isnt bad for 31 weeks for the last one.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I haven't really noticed a pattern in the Braxton Hicks tbh. I have them anytime of day but they don't last very long. So I don't think it's the real thing yet! It's been so long since my last pregnancy, I seem to have forgotten what it all feels like! I actually dont remember having any BH at all in my last pregnancy. I'm not particularly worried about the baby's survival chance (meaning I know there's a high chance baby will be fine, not that I don't care!) I'm more worried about going through all the stress & turmoil of a prem baby. The bonding process, baby being too small to breastfeed & the fact that baby will have to stay in hospital for such a length of time. It broke my heart last time having to go in every day & leave her behind & go home with no bump or baby. I suffered greatly with post natal depression & don't want to go through all that again. (Although I was alot younger & feel I could cope better now).
    I haven't been told an estimate of weight yet, tbh they haven't done much to enlighten me on anything. I now have a confirmed appointment with the consultant for Dec 11th so I will ask all these questions when I'm there & hopefully get some answers. Thanx for all you advice.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    johnnny wrote:
    Take care of yourself please.6& 1/2 stone? My hamster weighs that.Good luck and god bless.

    Thank you for your concern, I'm taking it easy now & resting as much as poss, eating good etc, so fingers crossed I'm just being paranoid.

    Oh & btw.....yes I was 6 & 1/2 stone @ 16 years old, I am only 5ft 3" & wasn't considered underweight by my Dr. I weighed 7 & 1/2 stone b4 I fell pregnant with this one & am now 26 years old. I weighed myself 2 weeks ago & am now at just under 9 stone.

    Sounds to me like you have one big ass hamster! Lol! :lol:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it sounds to me like youre doing all the right things. The rest of it is out of your hands unfortunately. I hope baby stays put a bit longer. It doesnt sound to me as if youre going into labour just yet but I can understand why youre so worried.
    How long was your daughter in special care for?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    it sounds to me like youre doing all the right things. The rest of it is out of your hands unfortunately. I hope baby stays put a bit longer. It doesnt sound to me as if youre going into labour just yet but I can understand why youre so worried.
    How long was your daughter in special care for?

    Yeah, I think I'm just being a worry wart! It's all I think about at the moment though. I've got my bag all packed now anyway just incase. So only time will tell.

    Lauren was in special care for 2 months after she was born. Basically she was born on 23rd March 1997 & stayed in until her due date which was 29th May. It was a horrible experience, as I live 12 miles away from the hospital & had to get buses every day to go & see her (as we don't drive). Also, the staff weren't particularly friendly to me (I think it was due to my age) they would always tell my mum what was going on, never tell me directly. By the time she came home she weighed 5lb 6oz, which still isn't that big, but she was passed the worse.

    She was born with severe jaundice, a hole in the heart & a scar on her kidney. So she was quite poorly. She also suffered from Reflux, constipation & gastorenteritis (excuse spelling), so that was hard to cope with too. As I've said though, I'm alot older now so I think I'm more likely to cope with it all if it happens again.

    What was your experience like with your prem baby? Did you have any problems etc?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ToniLou26 wrote:
    Also, the staff weren't particularly friendly to me (I think it was due to my age) they would always tell my mum what was going on, never tell me directly.

    :impissed: That kind of thing disgusts me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well Lenny was born at 35 weeks but he was already a hefty 6lb 2 (not bad for his gestation). His main problems were he didnt have his sucking reflex yet and also got jaundice. He was in special care for 8 days but i was able to stay at the hospital with him. He had to be tube fed through his nose for the first few days and it was difficult to get breastfeeding established because of that, and tbh, the scbu nurses seemed to be mainly very young and didnt seem to "get" that I wanted to breastfeed and did things like fed him formula while I had 2 bottles of my expressed milk in the fridge. They seemed to love looking after the little babies, but not much keen on supporting the mothers, Im not sure how id have reacted if i was younger and less assertive, because it already felt like he was their baby and i was being tested to see if i could keep him, so much so that when they finally let me have him on the ward for the afternoon and i realised i hadnt quite stuck to the routine, i panicked and was in floods of tears thinking they wouldnt let me have him again.
    Thank God it wasnt any longer than it was tbh. I dont envy you at all, but you must remember, that just because your first baby had those problems from being born early, it doesnt mean this one will. Youre 31 weeks already with no sign of going into labour. Every day she/he will get stronger and stronger and chances of any problems from being born early reduce and reduce.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    OMG! I can't believe the cheek of the nurses you had to deal with! That is so out of order to feed Lenny formula milk when you had expressed milk!
    I expressed with Lauren too, as she too couldn't suck & was fed through her nose.

    6lb 2oz is a great weight though for his gestation. I've guessed that this one will be 6lb 4oz full term! (wishful thinking!)

    It does take alot out of you though doesn't it, the fact that you're not going straight home with your baby & having to worry about being "tested" to see if you can cope.

    I have started having bad back pain last night (around 11pm) & pains in my lower abdomen (period type pains). I haven't been to see anyone yet, I'm trying to sit it out & see if they fade incase it's just bad braxton hicks. The abdomen pains seem to have subsided now, but the back pain is still there. If I'm still having them by this evening then I'm going to go & get checked out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh good luck. I hope littun isnt trying to make an early appearance. Are they actual contractions coming and going, or are they just steady pain?
    Id definitely ring your midwife tbh though because of your previous premmie, you should get it checked out.



    I asked my doctor about how likely I was to have another premature baby and she said quite often you go slightly longer the second time, but still earlier than term.
    I hope this one doesnt come too early as i want a home birth, but cant have one before 37 weeks.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Was having slight contractions, but the back pain was constant. So I rang the midwife who advised me to go to hospital & get checked out. Got there at 6.30 pm, got hooked up to a monitor for 2 hours, had 3 contractions in that space of time. They checked my urine which had blood in it, so they thought it could be an infection, so they sent that off to be analysed. Meanwhile, had an internal to check if I was dialated, which I wasn't (phew!) cervix was closed, so they said they wanted to keep me in overnight to observe me! Well, I didn't want to stay as it was making me more anxious. So they let me go home. I rang up the next morning for my urine result, which was clear (thank goodness!), so the only problem was, why was I having the pain? Looks like it could have been my bladder, as I haven't been getting up in the night to go pee as much as I was a few weeks ago. It's like my bladder has stopped sending signals to my brain telling it I need to pee! So when I have gone when I've got up, my bladder is still aching from the night before! The pains have stopped now, but at least my mind is at rest now & I've got my consultant appointment on Monday, so I'm just taking it easy now.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I asked my doctor about how likely I was to have another premature baby and she said quite often you go slightly longer the second time, but still earlier than term.
    I hope this one doesnt come too early as i want a home birth, but cant have one before 37 weeks.

    I think you're very brave having a home birth! I couldn't do it! Let's hope you make it long enough so you can!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    what a worry, but all good news.
    Definitely take it as easy as you possibly can from now on id say.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just to say don't worry much about the fact you are having to see a consultant. If anything is slightly out of the "norm" they send you to a consultant.
    When i was pregnant with my son i had to go see one as i have an underactive thyroid and they needed to give me a higher dose of tablets whilst pregnant. But not being funny, my normal doctor could have done that!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tweety wrote:
    Just to say don't worry much about the fact you are having to see a consultant. If anything is slightly out of the "norm" they send you to a consultant.
    When i was pregnant with my son i had to go see one as i have an underactive thyroid and they needed to give me a higher dose of tablets whilst pregnant. But not being funny, my normal doctor could have done that!!

    Thanks for the advice. :)
    I have been to the hospital since my first post & the doctor explained a little for me. It's mad how they always make you worry more by sending you to consultants etc. when a doctor or midwife could have just of easily helped out.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well, had my consultant appointment. He basically gave me another scan to check how much amniotic fluid there is, check my cervix is closed & check measurements of baby. Well all was good, no problems & I have now been taken off the high risk list! So, I asked if I will go full term & he said pretty close, probably still a few weeks early but me & baby will probably go straight home. So that's a load off. I'm coming up to 33 weeks this Sunday, so that's 2 weeks later than my last pregnancy! Woo hoo!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yay, thats brilliant
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh thats great news :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Toni Lou, was just thinking about you today, have you had the baby yet, or still hanging on in there?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    When are you due, SCC? Out of interest :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    March :)
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