Question about birth weight, and health of babies born before 37 weeks.?
Posted by admin on Jan 29, 2010
OK so I am asking because I have had some complications come up with my blood pressure and was diagnosed with pregnancy induced hypertension today- it is very possible to turn into preeclampsia because my protein levels are above average however not enough to diagnose pre-e. in a 24 hr. urinalysis less than 150 is normal and anything more than 300 is mild preeclamsia- mine was 224
I will be 30 weeks on friday, I have been put on bed rest and weekly appointments as well as an ultrasound on friday to make sure that our little girl is developing as she should.
The Dr. told me that our goal right now is to get to 34-36 weeks and then they may induce depending on the situation with my blood pressure and the progress of preeclampsia. He also informed me that they will most likely not allow me to go all the way to my due date and would likely be induced by 38 weeks.
I am just trying to get information about premature birth- I would love everything to be natural but I am accepting things as they come and acknowledge that Dr.s are doing this for the safety of not only me but my baby as well.
So my questions are. . .
What week did you deliver in?
How much did the baby weigh?
How was the health- NICU Stay??
How long were both of you in the Hospital and did the baby get to go home with you?
what are the long term health issues you have had to deal with?
Thank you ahead of time:)
ps do you think there is a link between higher birth weight and less time spent in the hospital?
In case you don’t feel like reading everything I wrote, here’s the most important part–get "The Premature Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. It is a lifesaver.
–I delivered my son at 34 weeks.
–He weighed 4lbs, 12oz. The normal range at 34 weeks is 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 lbs, and boys tend to be slightly heavier.
–He was healthy in all ways, but didn’t yet have the suck-swallow-breathe reflex, which means he couldn’t breast (of bottle) feed. This tends to kick in around 36 weeks for boys, a couple weeks earlier for girls. Because of this, he had to be tube-fed (called ‘gavage’) and (painfully slowly) taught to eat. He was in the NICU for 13 days.
–I stayed in the hospital 3 days, so I had to go home w/o my baby. It was hard, but the next two weeks were the worst–leaving him each night in the care of others was so upsetting. I spent as much time as possible there.
–Long term, nothing major, but his development lags behind full-term babies, so even now at 13 months, I am CONSTANTLY explaining to people why he hits his milestones later than their child of the same age. People always think he’s younger than he is and it’s frustrtaing, cause some people act like there must be something wrong, or they try to make me feel better as if they think I must be upset that he’s behind. But he’s exacly where he should be–six weeks behind a full-term baby. I look forward to when he’s at an age where it’s no longer evident that he’s behind so I can stop explainng and getting questioned.
–During the first few months, preemies can be A LOT more demanding than the average baby. They sleep more, but it is in shorter spurts, so you will sleep very, very little. It’s hard to put into words the extreme sleep deprivation. I actually hallucinated at one point because of it. They can be crankier and gassier because their bodies aren’t really ready to be accepting milk yet. This can last many months (about 6 for us). Your baby will not be able to go out much, especially during the flu season in his/her first year, but also during the first 3 months you practically have to become a hermit. Since a full-term baby is supposed to stay inside and not among crowds until 6 weeks, it’s 6 weeks PLUS however many weeks your preemie was early. Every little thing can be a sign of something more serious with a preemie because they are more likely to come down with, well, just about everything, so even at seemingly-minor signs, you may have to take the baby to the ER. Your baby will need to be bundled up, including a hat, until they hit 7 lbs, and possibly will still have unusually low temp. readings that can be scary.
I’m not trying to scare you at all. Just prepare you. But on the other side, you and your preemie will have an intense bond because they need such close attention, monitoring, and care, and unlike full-ter babies, you get no 4 or 5 hours to sleep while they do. You will be with your baby all the time. I HIGHLY recomend you keep your preemie as close as possible. They thrive with ‘kangaroo care,’ meaning skin-to-skin contact, and the SIDS risk is higher with preemies, so you want them sleeping as close as safely possible (check into bedside co-sleepers, or at least keep him/her in a bassinet right beside you).
And one more thing–this is YOUR baby. NICU nurses can be possesive. If you see ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable, like a nurse handling or bathing your baby in a way you feel is not gentle enough, SPEAK UP. You can, for example, say you don’t want anyone but you and the baby’s father to bathe him/her. You will forever regret it if you don’t speak up.
Paste your code here!
First dont get too worried cause we don’t want you stressing that’s defiantly not good!!
I was 32 weeks when I had my Baby Boy Ayden
He weighted 7lbs 8oz
He was 100% Healthy
We were in the hospital 3 days and that was because I had a C-Section because I had a very large ovarian cyst on my ovary so I had to have it and my ovary removed. It was about the size of his head but he was healthy and eventually mommy was too.
Dont worry Im sure you will be just fine, just stick to doctors orders and know your gonna have a beautiful, healthy baby:)
References :
Be positive and you get positive results!!!!!!
GOOD LUCK
I wasn’t diagnosed with pre-eclampsia that early but if you end up delivering before 37 weeks your baby’s lungs might not be fully developed and the weight may vary. if she does have problems breathing she may stay in the NICU for a few days.
Personally I was induced at 39 weeks. my baby weighed 7lbs 7oz. She was healthy no intervention was needed. we were in the hospital for 3 days. She was completely healthy and normal.
If your baby is less than 5 lbs or something you may have to stay longer until she reaches the weight requirement.
References :
In case you don’t feel like reading everything I wrote, here’s the most important part–get "The Premature Baby Book" by Dr. Sears. It is a lifesaver.
–I delivered my son at 34 weeks.
–He weighed 4lbs, 12oz. The normal range at 34 weeks is 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 lbs, and boys tend to be slightly heavier.
–He was healthy in all ways, but didn’t yet have the suck-swallow-breathe reflex, which means he couldn’t breast (of bottle) feed. This tends to kick in around 36 weeks for boys, a couple weeks earlier for girls. Because of this, he had to be tube-fed (called ‘gavage’) and (painfully slowly) taught to eat. He was in the NICU for 13 days.
–I stayed in the hospital 3 days, so I had to go home w/o my baby. It was hard, but the next two weeks were the worst–leaving him each night in the care of others was so upsetting. I spent as much time as possible there.
–Long term, nothing major, but his development lags behind full-term babies, so even now at 13 months, I am CONSTANTLY explaining to people why he hits his milestones later than their child of the same age. People always think he’s younger than he is and it’s frustrtaing, cause some people act like there must be something wrong, or they try to make me feel better as if they think I must be upset that he’s behind. But he’s exacly where he should be–six weeks behind a full-term baby. I look forward to when he’s at an age where it’s no longer evident that he’s behind so I can stop explainng and getting questioned.
–During the first few months, preemies can be A LOT more demanding than the average baby. They sleep more, but it is in shorter spurts, so you will sleep very, very little. It’s hard to put into words the extreme sleep deprivation. I actually hallucinated at one point because of it. They can be crankier and gassier because their bodies aren’t really ready to be accepting milk yet. This can last many months (about 6 for us). Your baby will not be able to go out much, especially during the flu season in his/her first year, but also during the first 3 months you practically have to become a hermit. Since a full-term baby is supposed to stay inside and not among crowds until 6 weeks, it’s 6 weeks PLUS however many weeks your preemie was early. Every little thing can be a sign of something more serious with a preemie because they are more likely to come down with, well, just about everything, so even at seemingly-minor signs, you may have to take the baby to the ER. Your baby will need to be bundled up, including a hat, until they hit 7 lbs, and possibly will still have unusually low temp. readings that can be scary.
I’m not trying to scare you at all. Just prepare you. But on the other side, you and your preemie will have an intense bond because they need such close attention, monitoring, and care, and unlike full-ter babies, you get no 4 or 5 hours to sleep while they do. You will be with your baby all the time. I HIGHLY recomend you keep your preemie as close as possible. They thrive with ‘kangaroo care,’ meaning skin-to-skin contact, and the SIDS risk is higher with preemies, so you want them sleeping as close as safely possible (check into bedside co-sleepers, or at least keep him/her in a bassinet right beside you).
And one more thing–this is YOUR baby. NICU nurses can be possesive. If you see ANYTHING that makes you uncomfortable, like a nurse handling or bathing your baby in a way you feel is not gentle enough, SPEAK UP. You can, for example, say you don’t want anyone but you and the baby’s father to bathe him/her. You will forever regret it if you don’t speak up.
References :
Mother to a preemie, now thriving at 13 months ols.
My son was born at 33 weeks 2 days, 4 pounds 0 ounces. He was in the NICU for 2 weeks. He didn’t have any trouble breathing, just had to learn how to eat without the feeding tube. I left the hospital after 2 days, so I had to leave without him. He came home weighing exactly his birth weight. He is 4 months now, the only problems we had were for the first 2 months he had horrible reflux. Everything else so far seems to be fine (he sleeps through the night, smiles, tries to grab at toys) he’s just little.
References :
Both my kids were born at 37 weeks…I was induced due to high blood pressure with my second. My first my water broke at 37 weeks. My first was 7# 5oz, my second was 7# 2oz. They didn’t need to stay in nicu at all, my first had a little trouble keeping her body temp up. We both went home after 2 days for each one.
References :
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