Possible CSection at 35+6 please can I get a handhold/your experiences

[PaulHollywoodsSexGut]

Very outing post but due to an underlying heart condition now becoming unmanageable (tachycardia) there is a small chance I may need a CS in the next two days.

I have two children already of 3 and 18mo and the younger one was ELCS at 39w and struggled at birth. He had TTN and was covered in vernix at birth.

I come from a family of long gestations, 40w+.

I’m so scared right now that my baby will have to come not only early but mega early as I’m not even at term yet.

Please can someone or anyone tell me if this has happened to you and how you got on.

I’m so fucking scared and am going out my mind with worry.

DD was born with em cs week 36 after labour started spontaniously. She was teeny tiny (1.5 kg at her lowest) and perfectly healthy, home in 2 days, 100% formula fed and has since excelled in every way. She is 8.
Don't be scared.

What is it you are most worried about? It may not seeem it to you if you are used to full gestations but 36 weeks is not all that early and likely baby would only be in SCBU for a few days. If it is any help, my 31+1 week baby who was born by emergency CS without the benefit of steroids to mature the lungs is now a strapping 6 foot 17 year old. He was home from hospital at would have been 36 weeks gestation. I am still friends with Mums who had babies at 28 and 29 weeks gestation who are now equally healthy.

Your health is really important. Unless there are underlying complications, your baby will be small but fine.

I had my eldest at 35+5 and he needed 9 days in scbu as he was small - he hadn’t been growing properly, and needed tube feeding and help regulating his temperature for a few days. There were no lasting issues, he’s a healthy 5yr old now.

I had to have DS at 36w owing to vasa previa; I was very far from going into labour. He was small but perfectly fine. If there’s a chance of a CS in the next days, I hope they are giving you steroids for the baby’s lungs. Don’t worry, they are doing it because the baby is safer out than in.
I was born at 34 w myself because of IUGR and had no after effects.

My niece and nephew were both born at 35 weeks, my niece weighed almost 5lb and my nephew was 5lb, they were absolutely fine, didn’t even need to spend any time in SCBU. Both fed great. They’re 4 and 6 now and both enormous, no issues at all. Good luck.

My baby came by caesarean at 33 weeks and was 2 weeks in hospital due to being born too early to feed, regulate temperature or have laid down enough fat to cope with rhe outside world. 3 months on and he is fine.

At this gestation your baby is likely to be in for a few nights only. Try not to worry, neonatal staff are great and babies are seriously tough things.

My twins came at 33 weeks.

My ds was born by emcs at 35.5. Weighed 5-7 tops and 4-12 when I took him home at a week old. Had slight jaundice and under a lamp at my bedside. No nicu needed.
He had syringes of colostrum and bf at a few days.

I had both mine by c section at 36 weeks due to poor growth and placenta issues. They were small an both spent time in NICU for various reasons. My first was in for a couple of days, my second 10 days. In terms of the babies you see in NICU, those born after 35 weeks on the whole (although not always) tend to have the fewest issues. It wasn’t easy, but it turned out fine for both or mine, both now healthy and happy.
Have you been given steroids in anticipation?

Thank you everyone and apologies for not namechecking posters but here’s the latest;

Had a scan and she’s head down measuring 37cm crown to rump and estimated to weigh 6lb2oz.

I’ve just had a steroid shot and they want to give me another one tomorrow morning.

HR is still just sitting not changing at 180bpm but just been dopplered and luckily my crazy heart is not affecting my baby, she’s sitting pretty at 130-140bpm.

I’m just so freaked out by this after the experience I had with DS...39 weeks is plenty cooking time and he struggled hard at birth.

He narrowly missed going to neonatal and for that I’ve always been grateful but I’m just kind of staring down the barrel of having a preemie - something I thought with my family’s obstetric history I never thought I’d have.

Seems that my dodgy heart has decided otherwise. Fucking hell I feel like I’m having an out of body experience.

When they say the steroids mature the lungs...is that so the baby can basically breathe normally on arrival?

Please try not to panic Paul. I know that’s easy for me to say! And I know about your experience frommthe csection but remember your baby is fully cooked now, they’re just adding weight and developing breathing, and you’ve had the steroids for the breathing development to help with that. 6lbs 1 is a fantastic weight to get to for this point and so many babies are born early and are just fine. It might be that the LO needs to stay in hospital a little longer because of being a bit early but he is in the best place and they are prepared and equipped to deal with him or her. The steroids make the lungs mature quicker than they would have otherwise done to minimise chance of breathing difficulties if born early. I’d say that’s the most important concern at that point and you’ve had the injection so this will really help. Remember they wouldn’t be saying for you to have a section early unless it was felt medically it was needed.

6lb is an amazing weight, mine was 5lb at 36w and everyone commented how big he was.
Of course you worry about every baby but a planned 35 weeker isn’t a cause for much alarm.
Btw there are drops now to help with the digestive system of c section babies, containing Lactobacillus reuteri. I gave mine these for a couple of months and now at 7 months he’s never had a single stomachache.

OP you will be fine. I was induced and went tachy during labour so I went down for an EMCS.

Please try not to panic, I know it's difficult. I suffer from anxiety and I was really stressing out but me and baby are absolutely fine.

Best of luck to you ❤️

My youngest was born at 33 weeks due to pre eclampsia. 3lb 5oz. She was like a tiny little doll, but fully formed. She's 24 now and has always been healthy.
Wishing you all the best xx

My Dd was born by EMCS at 35 weeks. I was given the steroid injections. She didn't need to go to special care.

Sorry forgot her weight she was 5lb 5oz.

I had a c-section at 34 weeks. They were keeping a very close eye due to a previous still-birth at 26 weeks. They were concerned about his growth around 32 weeks so decided to get him out!
I had steroid injections, had to be hospitalised for those due to being on insulin/diabetic.
He was 4lb 8oz so not too bad but quite dinky. He struggled to regulate his temp for first few days so was on a heated mattress, no incubator needed. He couldn't suckle well so had a feeding tube inserted through his nose. He fell asleep while feeding alot, had little episodes where he would forget to breathe when feeding.
Spent 2 weeks in neonatal, he couldn't go home until he was feeding properly and didnt need tube anymore, plus needed to be over 5lbs in weight. Had to go on a couple of meds for reflux.
He came home Christmas day!!! We spent Christmas eve on the ward with him in a special room. He was diagnosed with autism when he was 5 but otherwise he's been absolutely fine.
His little brother was born at 38 weeks, another c-section and we were so shocked at the difference it made being born a bit later. 6lb 8oz, fed perfectly within an hour of birth and we went home after 2 nights (he could of gone home within hours but he had to wait for his mum 😉)

Personally I’m ok with the tachycardia: as curious as it sounds to be “at one” with a resting heart rate of 180 I’ve had it all my life but it goes bad in pregnancy and has just gone utterly haywire now. My HR is not harming the baby - this has been tested - but clinicians are understandably cagey about letting someone discharge with such a huge HR.

My fears are she won’t be able to breathe right; that I won’t be able to hold her, that I’ll give her the cold or something and she gets very ill. We are so lucky that we managed to conceive so well with her and that so far so good. We didn’t need to have a third and it was all through choice and I’ve always been scared through this pregnancy we have somehow “pushed our luck”.

I only moved house on Friday and now this, my other children are holding up great but I’m falling apart; literally it seems.

My ds was born by c-section at 35+3 after having steroid injections. He was 7lb 2oz but he had hydrocephalus which made his head bigger. He was in up to 7lb clothes for the first 6 weeks. He had ttn and was on cpap for the first 24 hours and in the neonatal unit for 4 weeks.

How is he now @elliejjtiny

I know that hydrocephalus is a shit scary condition x

Not a CS but my DD came out spontaneously at 35+2, weighing 5 lb 11. My waters went 24 hours earlier and they said they didn't routinely give steroids past 34 weeks (could be different for CS I guess). She had no breathing problems at all and no NICU - had to have 24 hours jaundice treatment on the ward and 10 days in hospital with a feeding tube while she learnt to suck properly, but basically totally fine. I know many do have go to NICU for a bit at this gestation but this shows it's by no means a given. Good luck! xx

Probably a myth but I've heard premature girls often do better than boys. That's our experience but 100% unscientific!

My DD was born at 32 weeks and because I’d had the steroid injections her lungs were fine and she was able to breathe by herself straight away but was just little. Your baby is a good weight and the steroids will help her lungs. Try not to assume that the same thing will happen like it did with your DS.
Baby girls are absolute fighters. It’s hard when these things happen unexpectedly but trust your doctors and midwives that they’re doing the best thing for you and your baby

I really do have a strong feeling I’m coming out with a baby. And I’m terrified. Can a steroid injection bring a contraction on?

Can a steroid injection bring a contraction on?

No. If you are feeling anything it’s probably a Braxton-Hicks.

DS was born by ELCS at 36 weeks (another vasa praevia - waves at Sylvie). He was 6lb at birth, low blood sugars for first few days so we were kept in for five days, but we managed that with top up formula feeds (I was BFing) and managed to avoid SCBU or any tube feeding. Transferred to exclusive breastfeeding at about a week when I was confident my milk was properly in and he was gaining weight.

No health problems whatsoever, never ill, hitting milestones appropriately, generally bright and cheerful little toddler.