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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if anyone has had a baby at 36 weeks gestation?

102 replies

Exhaustedmummy1811 · 05/03/2019 17:28

I'm booked into have my baby by section on Monday or Tuesday at 36 weeks due to baby having no fluid. I've had 2 lots of steroids in preparation, but I just wanted to hear others stories who have had baby at a similar gestation. Did baby have to go to nicu? Where there any short term problems? How long did you/baby have to stay in hospital? Were they a good weight? Thank you

OP posts:
Dairyqueen2 · 05/03/2019 17:32

Hi there. I gave birth prematurely at 34 weeks. Baby weighed just under 5lbs. Stayed in NICU 10 days but no real problems. It was Christmas, so he may have stayed longer than normal. He has a few problems with his ears now, which he's googled n swears is down to being born early ! But who knows

mumof2oneofeach · 05/03/2019 17:34

I had my first at 34 weeks, no reason found, my waters just broke. Yes, he was in NICU for two weeks. Short term was jaundice and he had help breathing but only for a very short while. He had a feeding tube for nearly the whole time he was there - but that was because we had trouble establishing breast feeding. It was scary, especially as when they're that age the Doctors and nurses won't say too much about their prognosis but in the end it was all fine. He had check ups for two years to check he was meeting milestones which was reassuring. For the first 6-9 months (approx) he was two weeks behind babies born the same week as him (which was useful as I knew what would be round the corner!)

Hope all is okay, xx

EvePolastriBaby · 05/03/2019 17:34

Yep- me. He was born 7lb15, 4 weeks early by emergency section.

He was getting so went to Nicu for 24hours but all fine after that.

AndwhenyougetthereFoffsomemore · 05/03/2019 17:36

DS was born at 36 weeks exactly - I'd had steroid injections too as we'd had clues be might not stick it out! He was 5lb 4, and after being checked out, didn't have to spend any time in NICU/SCBU. He was sleepy and getting feeding going (I breastfed) was a bit of a challenge, but other than that no health problems. They kept me in for I think 3 days as he was my first and a bit little, then standard discharge/no other specific follow up. I was VERY lucky in having a private room (not paid, just happened to be spare) which made the longer stay bearable. Ds is now 15, and I still keep one of his teeny, prem vests in my sock draw to look at when he's being a frustrating teen ;-)

Musicalstatues · 05/03/2019 17:37

Yes 36 weeks exactly. I had steroid injections for his lungs. He was a very healthy 6lb 13oz. He had a little jaundice but this passed easily. No other issues, he was perfectly healthy. Although it’s technically premature it’s really only a week off full term so I think most babies born then are ok x

BeanTownNancy · 05/03/2019 17:39

My son was 36 weeks. Delivered early by emcs because he was not putting on weight and I had lost fluid. He was under 5lb when he was born and stayed in nicu for a week - mostly because he was on antibiotics as they were concerned poor blood flow had caused his slow growth. I was in hospital for about 4 days - stayed longer than I had to because it was easier to spend time with the baby. No issues with either of us. :)

IggyAce · 05/03/2019 17:40

My waters went at 36+6weeks my dd was born later that day and was 6lb 2oz she didn’t need to go to nicu. We left hospital the following afternoon. She did develop jaundice but that cleared without any hospital treatment.

EvePolastriBaby · 05/03/2019 17:41

He was getting so went to Nicu for 24hours but all fine after that.

Grunting! Not getting Hmm

Theboldandthebeautiful1 · 05/03/2019 17:42

Yes 36 weeks, no stay in NICU and no problems other than very sleepy and took a while to get on with breastfeeding and he had jaundice but was a healthy 6lbs 9oz and is now a strapping 6 feet tall!
Good luck Flowers

Windingstreams · 05/03/2019 17:43

Yes, natural birth at 36 weeks. Baby very healthy, spent a few hours in NICU as jaundiced but nothing serious. No-one really mentioned it, 37 weeks is normal gestation so not really much difference

crosser62 · 05/03/2019 17:43

Both mine were c section, 36 weeks due to pre eclampsia.
Both were just over 5lbs.
No nicu with either. Home with ds2 after 24 hours.
Absolutely no problems with either.
(I too had steroid injections)
Good luck, it sounds much worse than it is mostly I think .

Neolara · 05/03/2019 17:44

My ds was born at 36 weeks 6 days in a lovely home birth. He needed a bit of oxygen to start breathing but had no other health issues. He was enormous - 8lb 10oz!

RhodaChrosite · 05/03/2019 17:45

DGD born by emcs at 32 weeks weighing just over 3 lbs. Breathed for herself straight away and the only support she needed was to be fed by naso gastric tube for 10 days until she worked out how to suck and to be kept warm in an incubator. Once she was better able to regulate her body temp she was moved into a cot, then out of NICU once she was taking all her feeds by bottle and home after 3 weeks. She’s doing really well.

agnurse · 05/03/2019 17:46

I've cared for women and babies when the babies were born at 36 weeks. IME, most of them did very well.

Usually babies who are classed as "near term" (35-37 weeks) are monitored a little more closely and may require additional procedures, such as a car seat study. (They put the baby in a car seat for two hours, hook them up to a monitor, and see how they do. If the baby's oxygen levels get too low, they'll put them in the bassinet and monitor them for two hours. If they still get too low (rare), the baby will usually need to go to the NICU, but if they do okay, then you'll just need to use a car bed for the first little while, as they're too small to maintain their airway and oxygen levels in a proper car seat.) Most babies of that age that I have seen were able to be cared for on the regular postpartum floor with their mums and didn't suffer major issues. You will want to make sure that you're feeding baby frequently, at least every 2-3 hours.

DoubleStrengthApple · 05/03/2019 17:46

I did, my eaters broke early and was induced but had a straightforward delivery. No NICU time. DS was nearly 6lb at birth. Very sleepy and feeding wasn't easy to establish but I went on to breastfeed him for 3 years! He's now 7 and so tall he wears age 9-10 clothes.

Meagain19 · 05/03/2019 17:46

I did at 36 weeks, planned section. He was in Nicu for grunting and had a tube up his nose for 24 hours and in his wrist. He was a bit jaundice but not enough for treatment. Baby number 4, and he was 7lb 10oz

ValleyoftheHorses · 05/03/2019 17:47

DS born at 36+3 due to placenta praevia
Did baby have to go to NiCU?
No he was fine and home after 2 days
Where there any short term problems?
He couldn’t bf and was very sleepy. He lost a lot of weight and had jaundice. We fed him every 3 hours for a month.
Were they a good weight? 6lb 15
He’s now a strapping 6 year old.
Good luck

Meagain19 · 05/03/2019 17:48

Oh I had one steroid injection

drspouse · 05/03/2019 17:48

My DS was 36 and probably about 6 (he's adopted but maturity was consistent with those dates). He just decided to turn up early, no medical issues before birth. He was sleepy and slow to feed and had about 12 hours observation due to stopping breathing once or twice. But then hale and hearty, and 6lb 7.

MattFreisWeatherReport · 05/03/2019 17:49

I went into labour naturally at 36/40 after my waters broke, so a bit different as there was no medical reason to end the pregnancy early. DC had a poor sucking reflex and fed badly so was kept in for 2 days for blood sugar monitoring, and was also very jaundiced. The combination meant I ended up bottlefeeding, which was disappointing but hardly a catastrophe in the scheme of things. Jaundice cleared up after about 10 days and no other problems. Weight was good - 7lb2oz iirc - growth was normal, milestones fine. Good luck, OP. Flowers

Asta19 · 05/03/2019 17:49

My DD was born at 34 weeks. Just under 5lbs, 24 hours in nicu then home. However..she would sleep ALL of the time. She would have slept through the night from birth but she had to be fed every 4 hours so I had the odd experience of having to set an alarm to do it and wake her up! She struggled a lot with feeding those first few weeks and ended up back in hospital, just for a few days, to get her weight up a bit. After that, everything was fine. I think her last check up was somewhere around 9 months and she was fully caught up by then. She's now 28 and no ill effects!

Sleepflower43 · 05/03/2019 17:50

My dd was born at 33 weeks. She weighed 5.5lbs and was in the NICU for 24 hours.
She had jaundice so we stayed on the maternity ward for 5 days.
She was quite sleepy at first, but soon put on weight and had all the normal developmental milestones.

Asgoodasarest · 05/03/2019 17:50

36 weeks here too. Had a team on stand by at the birth but after some checks for a few minutes they were happy and she stayed with me. I just went into labour early.

She was given formula quite quickly by the midwife to give her some energy and only weighed 5.11 but she was absolutely fine.

Only thing was having a bit of trouble shifting the jaundice, but no idea if that’s related to her being early or not. We came home the day after. I stayed in longer with my first as that was a section.

Congratulations on your pregnancy and try not to worry. Talk to your midwife if you’re feeling anxious xx

brainache78 · 05/03/2019 17:50

My DD was 36+3. 6lb 1 and totally healthy, went home the next day.

DS born at 28 was an entirely different story.

jinglebellmel · 05/03/2019 17:50

I had my son at 36 weeks. No steroids as I just suddenly and unexpectedly went into labour and had him a couple of hours later. He was fine- a bit of jaundice and low blood sugar and getting breastfeeding started was a little difficult as he was quite small and sleepy. We were kept in for 3 days, no nicu. He’s now 5 and hadn’t had any issues as a result. 36 weeks is a pretty good gestation, sure your little one will be fine :) good luck

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