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Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please.

Puppmom

Puppmom

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
3,160
Morning...I'll get right to it. My 20 year old daughter is 31 weeks pregnant with her second baby (M is 14 months old). She was diagnosed with Subchorionic Hematoma (SCH) at 11 weeks. The SCH created a hole in her bag of water and her water broke on Saturday. Right now she and baby are stable and her body is replacing the fluid as quickly as it's leaking. She had two steroid shots and IV antibiotics. Now, we just wait. The longest they'll keep her pregnant is two weeks because apparently that is the point at which the risk outweighs the benefit. She'll be shy of 34 weeks if she makes it that long.

I'm worried. She's a baby herself. She's somewhat oblivious to the seriousness of the situation which is good because she's not constantly worrying (like I am!). She's focused more on missing her 14 month old and spending Christmas in the hospital. She lives with her boyfriend who works two jobs and they need help caring for their 14 month old while she's hospitalized. I'm waiting on his work schedule for the week and will coordinating babysitting with friends and family. His family is also very helpful.

When the baby does come I'm worried about the stress on her and of course the health of the baby. They're down a car and are moving to a bigger apartment that's 35 minutes from the hospital so I don't know how she'll get to see the baby. I'm thinking about talking to DH and setting things up so she and her older son stay with us while baby boy is in the NICU. We have two small boys of our own so it won't be easy but I don't see any other way although I'm not exactly thinking clearly at the moment. I'm feeling a constant pull between my own children, helping with her toddler and being there for her and I can only be one place at a time. :blackeye:

She is very fortunate that we have great family and friends who are willing to pitch in and really do mean it when they offer to help. I'm working on a babysitting schedule to get us through at least this week and we'll take it from there. I'm trying to keep on top of her boyfriend because I know he's more comfortable asking his family for help and I'm sure he's overwhelmed.

She's well taken care of at the hospital and has all the entertainment one could ask for when bedridden. Trying to think of some way to make the holidays special even though she'll be in the hospital and trying to cheer her on since this is emotionally draining on her.

Any advice, thoughts, positive energy, dust? I'll take it.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

I am so sorry to hear this. I know it's so, so stressful!

I have no personal experience with a baby this early, but I think the general outlook for a baby at this term is very good. I know it's a YMMV situation, but a gal in my Bradley class also ruptured early. I think she was nearly 33 weeks when it was discovered. She had been leaking fluid for a couple weeks and they didn't realized it (she was being monitored for a huge fibroid). She was on hospital bed rest for about a week before she delivered. I believe he was just shy of 34 weeks. He spent two weeks in the NICU and did so, so well. They actually brought him to our last Bradley class!

Hopefully the steroid shots work their magic and baby's lungs are in a good place. It sounds like she's in the best place for her and baby and I think it's awesome you have such a supportive family. Keep us posted! I hope everything goes as well as it can. I will be thinking of your family.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Sending you and your DD and baby to be bucket loads of ***DUST***!!!!!!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Thanks, guys!

We're told 32 weekers more often than not have good outcomes. So, right now we just wait and help as much as we can. DD is still doing well and enduring all the poking, prodding and middle of the night ultrasounds with a smile on her face. Youth is on her side. :) Me? I'll probably be completely gray and 50 lbs overweight by the time we're on the other side of this!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

I had my son early due to problems with my fluid. I don't have any tips really but man do I feel for her, I had the steroid shots as well and that was the most painful thing out of my pregnancy!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Pupp, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your daughter. You are such a great mom and grandmother. I think you should have your daughter and grandson stay with you. I think it will be easier on you to have them under your roof. Keep us posted.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Dust for her! My only experience with a preemie is my co-worker who had her daughter at 28 weeks, she was a little thing, 2lbs 6ozs, and did beautifully. She did need a c-pap and oxygen for about a week but then was weened off. She was breast feeding within 3 weeks and went home as soon as she hit 4lbs (no other issues at all). The best thing your daughter can do if she comes early is skin to skin as much as possible and pump breast milk for the baby if she can't latch. Breast milk is preemie gold. Way more likely than not she'll do very well. Best of luck!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Pupp, I know this is such a scary time. ***DUST*** for your daughter, her baby, and you, the worried grandmother!

With DS, I went into labor at 29 weeks, but medicine and bed rest kept baby baking almost 5 more weeks. ahl is right about the skin to skin and breast milk! And it's wonderful she already got the steroid shots. It is a scary time, but the outlook is good for a baby born 32-34 weeks. My almost 34 weeker was only in the NICU for 12 days (though it was the longest 12 days of my life). Please keep updated.

ETA: The NICU my son was in provided a hospital pump and supplies to take home, so I just carried what I pumped at home to the NICU on my next trip. There was also one in his NICU room, so I could pump and leave what I pumped there. They made it very easy to provide breast milk, so I hope your hospital does the same!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Thanks for all the well wishes and pointers! Visited DD last night and she's pretty miserable. I don't blame her. She's trying to suck it up but it's a very stressful situation and she's being monitored 24/7 which means very little comfortable rest.

Baby is still handling it well. DD is leaking more fluid and is now bleeding (went from pink to red overnight). Docs aren't thrilled with red blood but it's not heavy so they say still within the range of normal(given the circumstances) and doesn't necessarily mean labor is imminent. They're monitoring closely and don't want to check her cervix unless absolutely necessary because of the risk of infection.

Outside of that, we're doing what we can to help her boyfriend care for DS1. So many people offered to help but, in reality, everyone goes back to their life pretty quickly - especially with the holidays. So that leaves just a few of us to watch DS1 while her boyfriend works.

Thanks for the breastfeeding/skin to skin notes. I will share with her. She did express her desire to nurse. She had a really nice visit from the NICU team yesterday and they went over all of the possibilities to hopefully avoid DD being caught totally off guard by something. They did say that breast milk is best and they'll supply her a pump when he's born. And, if she's ok with it, they have a large supply of donor milk they can use if necessary.

My focus now is helping while she's in the hospital and then we'll focus on what to do once the baby's born. I'm going to talk with DH about DD staying with us temporarily. It just makes the most sense.

This is intense. I really feel for anyone who has personally endured this.

ETA - blackpolkadot, definitely uplifting to hear of your little one's short NICU stay!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Pup ;(

I'll be thinking of you, DD, and your family!!
I very much hope baby stays put, and that DD can have a (somewhat) enjoyable Christmas... She's very lucky to have such a sent work of support!

::DUST::!!!!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Hi Puppmom-

I had my son at 32 weeks.

First of all breathe. Babies born at 32 weeks and after have a fantastic rate of being completely normal. My son just turned 9 months and is already at 65% for weight not adjusted and 36% height not adjusted.

As for us, our son was in the hospital for 5 weeks which is actually a long time for a 32 weeker. The baby will be in the NICU for awhile if born at now, but they will make sure that mom and baby have plenty of bonding time.

Our son started off on IV, moved to feeding tube, and after he was taking all bottles was able to go home. His first feedings were only half an ounce at a time!

Everyone will give you guys so much advice. Just stay positive and ask as many questions as you need to. Also see if the hospital has a rooming in section. Some hospitals do. I would recommend that she stay for as long as possible in the hospital so that she can see her baby often before started the commute. Remember if she has a c-section she will also need someone to drive her.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Good luck to your daughter, Pupp! Dust that the baby will stay baking for as long as possible. Outcomes for preemies are really good these days thankfully!

I know this is kind of a sensitive subject, but have you discussed birth control options with your daughter, maybe after the baby arrives? I know a lot of young people are stubborn or think they know better and don't want to listen to their mothers. But sounds like she and her boyfriend have their hands pretty full, and a third baby might be too much. Just a thought.

Anyway, all the best and hang in there!!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Thoughts and prayers.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Huff, thanks for sharing your story! We are all feeling hopeful at the moment that all will be well with the baby. And really everything is beyond our control at this point. So we just wait and take things one day at a time. The hospital she's in has a great NICU and we affectionately call it the baby factory because they deliver the most babies of any suburban hospital in our surrounding area. I honestly hadn't thought about a c-section and how that would change things. The doctors said it's still a good possibility for her to deliver naturally but she's definitely got a higher change of c-section than average.

Yssie, DD is very lucky. She has a pretty large network of adults in her life who are willing to help. She even said to me the other day in the hospital, "I feel so loved!"

Laila - girl, do not even get me started on birth control! I have learned to stay out of their business on pretty much everything EXCEPT birth control (oh and car seat safety - I've got a little bit of an obsession with properly latched seats :bigsmile: ). DD nursed her first for 4ish months and was considering Mirena. I (and her doctor) said she should just take the pill until she could have Mirena placed. Then, she got her first period in April and I hounded her to get the Mirena placed. Her response a few times was, "We NEVER do it!" Yeah, right. I was certain she would be pregnant again. I was not surprised at all when she told me. I felt so helpless. They were doing so well with one but we really are worried how they'll manage two (heck, we struggle with two!). We only just found out she was pregnant in August because the SCH caused bleeding. She took a pregnancy test because she thought she missed her period at the end of July beginning of August. Turns out her last real period was May - the rest was the hematoma bleeding out. I will do everything I can to get the message across and I really hope her doctors continue to push as well. After her first son, they discussed it before even leaving the hospital.

Latest on DD and baby - they're keeping a close eye on her. She's back on full time monitoring as a result of the bleeding. Days are passing and baby's still baking and DD healthy. Can't ask for more than that at this point. She had an ultrasound this morning to gauge baby's weight and their estimate was 3lbs8oz.

ETA - Niel, sorry I missed you. Thank you!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Beautiful baby boy was born about 5 hours ago. He's 3lbs10oz and breathing without help. The NICU staff is thrilled with how he's doing. DD is great too. She's relieved he's well and happy to be free of the monitors etc.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

puppmom|1451014219|3965989 said:
Beautiful baby boy was born about 5 hours ago. He's 3lbs10oz and breathing without help. The NICU staff is thrilled with how he's doing. DD is great too. She's relieved he's well and happy to be free of the monitors etc.
Click to expand...

Woohoo! Great news! :appl:
Congratulations puppmom! Best holiday gift for your family ever. :appl:
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

puppmom|1451014219|3965989 said:
Beautiful baby boy was born about 5 hours ago. He's 3lbs10oz and breathing without help. The NICU staff is thrilled with how he's doing. DD is great too. She's relieved he's well and happy to be free of the monitors etc.
Click to expand...

Yay! I hope all stay well he gains quickly and is home before you know it!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

That's great he's doing well. Continued dust to your family!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

I've been quietly lurking and just wanted to chime in to say I hope the baby is doing well. sending lots of dust to the new little one and your daughter.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

:wavey: Good vibes are working. DD is home and feeling great. Baby is doing well in the NICU too. His saturation levels got a little low so he's on oxygen now but they anticipate he'll be off in a few days. For now DD doesn't want to stay with us. My dad has been driving her to the NICU every day and her DS is with his abuela during that time. Taking everything else a day at a time.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Glad to see this positive update puppmom! Happy to hear everyone is doing well!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

:wavey: In case anyone is still reading - baby boy is awesome! He surpassed his birth weight at 10 days old and most recently weighed 3lbs 12.5oz. He's been off oxygen for almost a week and the IV a little longer. He's also been on room air with no artificial heat source in his isolette and is maintaining his temp well. He still has a feeding tube but has started rooting and sucking on his hand/paci so they're going to try a bottle/nursing soon. He's been *promoted* a few times to different levels of the NICU. They're confident he'll be in an open bassinet soon, then onto the bottle then hopefully home!

DD has been doing really well. There were two days she couldn't get to the NICU and it really upset her. Other than that, she said the schedule of pumping, taking care of DS1 and visiting the NICU all have helped make time pass quickly.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

I just saw that your daughter had another little one. Glad to hear he's doing well! And I hope he keeps growing strong and gets to come home soon. Must be crazy to have grandchildren not much younger than your own kiddos!

I'm glad to hear he's starting to root around. Great sign. My little girl's situation is very different because her eating problems are due to the fact she had heart surgery so early in life and also has airway issues (not prematurity), but feeding a baby from a feeding tube is just awful and hard and furstrating. It breaks my heart that we haven't been able to get her to take more than de minimis amounts from a bottle.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

MP, I feel for you. It's all heartbreaking on so many levels not the least of which is you cannot spend 24/7 with a baby that's in the hospital. :(sad They have told DD that the feeding issues are usually the hardest to overcome and baby does spit up often. They're hoping that'll correct once he's in control of how much he eats. Since it goes in through the tube, it doesn't just stop when his tummy is full.

I get emotional going to the NICU to see a relatively healthy baby. DH hasn't been able to go. He gets really upset just seeing pictures. And, I'm telling you - this kid looks great. But he looks like a preemie with tubes (well, one tube now!) and I can see how that's upsetting.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

My man is coming home tomorrow! He's been thriving from day one and surpassed 5lbs earlier this week AND kicked the feeding tube! I am so freaking excited! DD cried when the doctor told her earlier this week. Her boyfriend is SO nervous. He doesn't get to see him as often because he works so much and he's still tiny at 5lbs. He also has that scary preemie thing where he sometimes forgets to breath while he's eating. :eek:

His stay was 5 weeks which is about what they expected after his initial evaluation and those first couple days had passed. It looked like he might come home sooner but he was refusing the bottle. They learned he just did not like the taste of the fortifier they were putting in his milk. So, when he hit 5lbs they stopped adding the fortifier and he's drinking them right up! It's been hard on DD but really I'm proud of her. At 20, she's really still a child and she's handled this with such maturity. She will move mountains to get to the NICU which is easier said than done when you live 35 minutes away, have a 15 month old and no definite childcare and no car a lot of the time. She's pumped round the clock religiously so he can have breast milk. There will be some challenges ahead for her as she cares for a 15 month old and teeny baby mostly on her own but I'm confident she can do it.

We were all pretty much terrified 6 weeks ago when her water broke and now SO relieved all is well.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

So happy to read this. Your daughter is a rock star! You must be so proud of her! Yay for baby boy going home! :appl:
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

This is the best news! I'm so,happy he's done so well. Your daughter is handling it like a champ!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Congrats! I still remember bring little G home- he was a similar weight and now at 10 months he's in 18 month clothing. :lol:

Is anyone helping with the 15 month old for a few hours a day or even a couple of times a week? My husband and I only survived it (G was up every 2 hours or 3 hours or so to feed) because we rotated and took naps.

Congrats again- this is such exciting news!!
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

Thanks for all the well wishes. I'm like an excited child. DD said she cried when the doctor told her.

She does not have consistent help BUT her boyfriend's aunt and mother can generally make themselves available 2-3 times a week for at least a few hours then I'm around on the weekend and in the evening. It's definitely presented a challenge that she lives further now. She does live 10 minutes from my brother who can fix anything and my sister in law who is the sweetest and willing to help as well. They both work full time though so they're help is concentrated pretty much to weekends as well.

She's a really laid back person which makes me nervous as all hell sometimes but I think it's really served her well these last few months.
 
Re: Baby is coming early. What to expect? And dust, please

So happy for you and your DD and your whole family puppmom! Thank you for sharing your joy and happiness with us and sending you all the best wishes! :appl:
 
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