24 weeks today, high risk pregnancy, anyone want to keep me company as I face up to the likelihood of delivering a premature baby?

[grainmum]

So, that's it really. Leaking amniotic fluid for the last 8 weeks. Braxton hicks of varying degrees of uncomfortable. Struggling to hold it together mentally. Was doing OK until last appointment on Wednesday but since then I just want to crawl under a stone, I'm monitoring every twinge and feeling pretty pessimistic.

People who've been there - how did you cope? Any ideas for something constructive I can do to prepare in some way?

[BarchesterFlowers]

💐. You poor thing. Been there and it is tough! I was admitted at 19 weeks and made it to 29, leaking fluid at 19.

I am not sure I have anything constructive to add, my mind went to mush, I couldn't read, concentrate on watching anything. The only thing I managed was to knit a cardigan 😳. Odd but true.

24 weeks is brilliant already though, really it is. You will be being monitored well (I hope??).

Try to look after yourself as much as you can and do whatever you are told to do, every day makes a difference and days add up to weeks.

What are the doctors saying to you?

[Palomb]

I had several premature babies due to pprom so I know how this feels :( have you been shown round the NICU? I found staff on the neonatal ward so much more optimistic than the midwives and obs!

Fantastic for getting to 24 weeks. It's a big milestone :)

[grainmum]

Thank you both. The only advice I've really been given is to take it easy, no swimming/sex/baths, call and go and get checked over if I feel unwell/email consultant if I'm unsure about anything.

Growth is steady but smallish (so although 24weeks was estimated weight

[BarchesterFlowers]

I was admitted on bed rest at 19 weeks, upside down bed rest with mag sulphate to begin with. I was only allowed out of bed every other day for a two min shower.

So I didn't move!

[grainmum]

I think will be meeting neonatologist soon.

Up until now obstetrician has been very upbeat, talking about planning delivery at 37w if growth continued to be steady. This week I had been feeling quite optimistic so said well we've managed 8 weeks, sure we can do another 8 which would be great....and he laughed a bit at my logic and seemed much more guarded than previously. Fair enough, I know that doesn't work.

Also what support did you get from a midwife? I'd quite like to just chat with a woman about this... I'm not sure my community midwife is necessarily that sort of person and I'm not due to see her until 34w (lol). In my 2 appointments so far this pregnancy she has seemed more interested in filing the notes and filling in forms.

[grainmum]

10w bedrest! Wow!

[BarchesterFlowers]

I never saw a midwife at all.

[Palomb]

My proms were 30w with 2 weeks bedrest and spontaneous labour at 32+2

Prom at 22w Complete bed rest until 27+ 5 then Emcs due to an abruption

Pprom at 14w Induced at 18w due to infection.

All mine were complete ruptures though :( I wish I had been able to still work! I bet it's keeping your mind occupied.

Have you found all the Facebook pprom groups?

[Palomb]

Not much midwife involvement for me either tbh.

[grainmum]

No I haven't. I'll have a look thanks

[FraggleRock77]

Well done Grainmum, for getting so far. Our first DS was born at 29 weeks due to incompetent cervix, not known at the time, waters broke while sleeping. I could have written your post at 23 weeks this time round. I had an emergency stitch at 22 weeks and I've been on mainly bedrest ever since. 26 weeks now! This section of MN was a god send when we were in NICU. So many parents coming back to post about their prem babies now all grown up and doing well. Are you not on bedrest full stop? I know it's dull but the thought of going back to NICU keeps me laying down. I'm actually getting used to it, three weeks now. Xx

[FraggleRock77]

Oh and minimal MW input, at my own request. I don't think they can offer a huge amount when you're being heavily monitored by a consultant. If my cervix gave way, i wouldn't be calling then! I dislike duplicating things and wasting the MWs time. Shouldn't you be being seen before 30 weeks for injections etc? I will get a call around 28 weeks to see where I'm at x

[grainmum]

Hi fraggle no one has mentioned bedrest. Just "take it easy". Are you in hospital? It would be really tricky with DS who is almost 4, I'm little enough of a mum to him at the moment as it is.

I'm contemplating emailing my consultant again today to ask again about antibiotics. We discussed earlier on and he said benefits unclear, risk resistance etc and I was happy with that, but I've been thinking over the weekend and the additional benefit of every extra day in utero is probably at its highest right now.

[grainmum]

Oh and yes I do have appointment at 28 weeks at hospital ANC for anti d, but will be completely random midwife.

[BusterGonad]

Hi Grain I had my boy at 28+3 but he was tiny, I had reverse diastolic flow, so basically the umbilical cord was fucked and he wasn't getting any of the goodness he needed. He didn't grow from about 20 weeks. I had a routine midwife appointment and she did a bit of measuring and listened to his heart beat, he was having bradycardia and was basically not happy at all. It was always a strange pregnancy, I was a smug cow as I was still very slim, every ultrasound was like a game of hunt the thimble and one time I was rushed to hospital as they couldn't find his heart beat at all so when the midwife mentioned about the issues on my last appointment and said it wasn't looking good and couldn't promise a good outcome I tried to be brave! We got to the hospital and I had another ultrasound, things weren't looking good, I got pumped full of steroids and every morning the theatre was reserved for me incase he needed to come out! On my 3rd day in hospital I had him, he looked like a scraggy little thing, covered in hair and pink! He was so beautiful, he weighed 1Ib 10oz. It was a shock, he was in NICU for 3 months. Came out of hospital just under 5lbs. It was very stressful, the only thing that kept me going was seeing him and the routine of breast pumping, I hated it but it kept me busy and gave me something else to focus on. He had many blood transfusions, lumber punctures, infections, jaundice, at one stage the thought he had NEC. We got through it though, I often sat by his incubator one hand holding his and the other holding a book. Reading really helps as it takes your mind off of your life but at the same time you can be there giving your child comfort.

[BusterGonad]

Oh and I lived off of the yogurt coated banana flavor flapjacks that the friends of xyz hospital shop sold! I'd rock up to the hospital, buy a magazine and a flapjack, get my milk pumped in the parents room, sit with my son, express my milk again, then my husband would come in after work, we'd sit with him together for a few hours, go home, express milk, eat, go to bed, wake up, husband went to work, I'd express milk, catch 2 buses to the hospital, get there, Express milk and you know the rest! 😁a funny part of me misses the simplicity of that life but it was hard going and I think I cried everyday!

[grainmum]

Thanks for sharing buster. It looks like getting my mendela pump out of the loft should be on my list of things to do!

[BusterGonad]

Yes Grain, I borrowed mine from the hospital and it was a god send, don't get me wrong I hated that bloody thing but it was a blessing! 😂 Get a nice cosy dressing gown too as it gets cold at night slaving over a pump! Good luck Op, having a prem is hard work but they are beautiful and I've found that my son is so loving, he never wants to be away from us as he's always had one of us close by and as annoying as it is he loves us to be with him when he's sleeping, he's used to us holding his hand all the time in the incubator!

[BusterGonad]

Also just to let you know my boy is now 8, he's emotionally behind and is the year below he should be at school but he's bright, he is above his age for reading and spelling but struggles with maths and writing as his coordination isn't very good. So he basically struggles with fine and gross motor skills and is a very emotional boy (temper due to frustration and can cry easily) but he's also very loving, very intelligent, has great vocabulary and remembers everything! He is very very cute looking. He has a typical premmy face, like a little pixie. Tiny features.

[FraggleRock77]

I'm currently on the Short Cervix thread as well and the mix of medical opinions about bedrest etc is vast across the uk. If you read US forum boards (too much time on my hands) medics over there recommended strict bedrest at the drop of a hat. Some women spend their whole pregnancies in bed from 12 weeks!!
I'm not in hospital. And I'm very lucky that our DS is at preschool two days and my mum plus the bb sitter cover the rest. If i get to 29 weeks i will start to reduce my bedrest though x

[grainmum]

Where is the short cervix thread? Might have a read even though it doesn't specifically apply to me as far as I know.

[FraggleRock77]

Ante-natal clubs in pregnancy x

[banqidoodle]

Are you still hanging on in there, OP? Just wanted to add my voice to the other encouraging ones. I unexpectedly and unexplainedly delivered DD at 23 weeks, she was just over 1lb.

She's a toddler now and is amazing (though I may be biased), hitting all her milestones; off all her medication; still breastfeeding like a champion.

The 5 months we spent in hospital with her were extremely hard but also extremely special. The staff were incredible, our friends rallied round; it was a total privilege to watch dd grow in that way. My advice would be to take every single bit of support you are offered - practical / emotional etc. Feel free to PM me if that would be helpful; I'm always so excited to talk to other premmie parents!

Good luck - sending best wishes to you and your cervix!

[BusterGonad]

Just over 1lb, that is tiny doodle, you just look at them and cannot believe the fight they have in them!

[grainmum]

Thanks doodle all ok for now. It's lovely to hear success stories. Much better to focus on that than the grim percentages!

Found the short cervix board thanks fraggle.