Currently 31+3 with Dd1 very much wanted. Have Ds1 who is 6 and Ds2 who is 3, with XH, DD is dp's first.
All going swimmingly bar HG and gestational diabetes which I had with both Ds' so figured we would take the boys to 26w scan as both were interested.
Scan day before my bday. All hell breaks loose. Shes too small not enough liquor. Talks of delivery. Talks of perinatal risk. Dp takes kids from his mums and comes back. Horrid few hours.
Released told to come back next day. (My Birthday). Scan with full BPP with worlds nicest consultant. Love him. Then off for CTG which ends in a row with worlds frankly shittiest midwife who tells me im wasting everyones time etc. (Made complaint she has since been suspended).
All in all a shitty ol time. Cons says IUGR and oligohydraminous. Scans weekly twice weekly ctgs..
Fast forward to now. DD doing well on scans all blood flows good and is growing just on very low centile but following curve... apparently sign of complex growth curve not IUGR. Fluid still not high but ok.
We've been told to expect delivery around 34 weeks, although consultant was v happy at last scan so isnt scanning again until 33+5, just ctgs in between. As 34 weeks falls towards the end of the week for me im predicting more like 34+5.
I have anxiety and depression which is controlled by meds, but had already been talking to the SOM as my last birth was awful and left me with PTSD so ive already spoken with my anaesthetist and been gauranteed a single room so that is two big things out of the way.
What I need help with is knowing what to expect.. she seems developmentally fine just small, but will I be able to hold her feed her etc? What happens at a birth like this?
How long should I expect her to stay in hospital?
And what do I need in my bag?!?
Sorry for the ramble
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MsFiestyPants · 03/04/2016 08:26
Sorry for experience with MW 
. Your dd sounds just like my ds2, he wasn't even on the chart at 20wk scan and I was told iugr, very poor outlook etc, best hope was to make it to 28wks which was the point when they could deliver to scbu and expect a good outcome. Like your dd, ds defied expectations as his growth curve matched a normal one (just it remained under the bottom of the chart!) instead of dropping off as it normally does with iugr. They couldn't see anything wrong on scans but couldn't say everything fine either. All tests for identifiable dysplasias etc came back clear. Had a horrible genetics consultant who told us there was a good chance baby would have 'some form of dysplasia' which could mean literally anything between being a bit short to having a short life span or requiring extensive surgery 
. Lovely dr Nicolaides at FMC was pretty certain no problems. Ds2 hung on to 37 weeks and was induced, weighed 4lbs and perfect other than a bit of jaundice which once treated with light blanket we went home. He continued to be healthy and meet developmental milestones but didn't thrive - he is now in growth hormone medication and catching up fast with his peers.
I know there's no guarantee that dd will be the same as ds but please try and think positively and remember you are in the best possible hands. Keep us posted!
I had a broadly similar experience. My 20 week scan picked up an issue with blood flow to the baby so an extra scan at 28 weeks was recommended, but I was told it usually sorts itself out by then. It didn't and then all hell broke lose with loads of extra scans and additional appointments to discuss delivery options etc. She was iugr and they were not sure if that was just due to a crap placenta or whether there were other issues. In the end by 33 weeks they decided things were concerning enough to get her out as soon as a Nicu cot was available. She was delivered by section at 34 weeks exactly. She was small (3lb6) but so far otherwise seems ok. She was in hospital for three weeks and one day. I think she would have been out sooner but she acquired two infections while she was in hospital 
and the antibiotics made her sick which affected her weight gain, so she didn't hit the "release weight".
I was only in for 36 hours. After I was discharged we visited her 2-3 times a day. I got to see her for about 3 seconds in theatre before she was whisked off and the my husband and a midwife brought me some photos. I saw her the next morning when someone wheeled me down to Nicu. I held her about 24 hours after she was born. I spent a lot of my time expressing! She never got the hang of breastfeeding but other than that once she was discharged she went from strength to strength. She's now 20 months and is petite but seems fine.
I know the waiting is horribly stressful. Please feel free to ask any other questions on here.
I think ds2's femur was short, same as his big brother's was and they weren't sure if there may be some 'frontal bossing' (it wasn't, my babies just have large foreheads!) along with his small size, triggered talk of dysplasia (achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, is the most common and they can identify this through amniocentesis). If all your DS's measurements are in line with each other and nothing else looks unusual they may not have any concern on this front. In retrospect there are disadvantages to being scanned so frequently and attentively, things that wouldn't normally be noticed or picked up on become the subject of scary speculation 
.
I know it's hard but I would try not to worry about being in there weeks and people visiting until you know what is happening, you may go closer to EDD than you think, take it all one step at a time 
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