c-section at 36 weeks.....

[cheekycurls]

consultant has to me they will look to labour at 36-38 weeks but will be having a section as they don't induce after a previous section.

What can I realistically expect if baby has to be born at 36 weeks?

Will he/she have to spend time in special care?

If they are doing a planned section and it is for your sake rather than the babies then he or she might not need to go to special care. The later you have the c section as long as the baby is healthy then the less likely he or she will have to go to special care. My dd was born by emergency c section at 36 weeks and she ended up in special care for almost two weeks . The reason i had the c section was because she needed help fast and i was not in labour. She is fine now and is at uni and drives me mad :) She was small but my ds was only twenty five grams more at full term but I am petite. She had help with her breathing and was in an incubator and then graduated to a heated bed. I wont lie and say it was easy but she was in the best possible place. If your baby does end up in special care it is a lot easier if they are in the same hospital as you . Nowdays there is so much more info out there such as kangeroo care etx... I hope all goes well for you.

Ds was born at 36 weeks by emcs following induction due to failure to grow in the womb.

Even so, he did not need a lot in the way of special care. He looked prem- very thin and hairy- but was actually tough as old boots. He spent the first night in an incubator next to my bed, but the next morning we were taken up to the ward together and he was treated like any other baby, breastfed etc. He put on weight very quickly and had no delays. We left hospital as soon as I was ready to go home, which I think was after 4 days (but then I had been quite unwell in the weeks leading up to the birth).

It does depend on reason you're having early section. Is it for you or because there is a problem for your baby?

I had dd1 at 36+5 as my waters broke early then I needed c-section. She was fine at birth but soon became clear that she was a bit grunty so her lungs not working properly.

But it only took some CPAP (oxygen) to sort it out. She spent 2-3 days in SCUBU but nobody was worried about her at any point (apart from me and DH of course).

Absolutely no problem now.

my dd1 was born at 36+5 (emergency section after PROM), she was a great size (>3kg) & didn't have any breathing problems but was very jaundiced & had problems sucking. We were in hospital for a week & she had ng tube feeds to begin with & phototherapy, but didn't need to be moved to SCBU & stayed with me the whole time. She was fully breastfeeding by the time we were discharged & we had no further problems.

My other dc2, 3 & 4 were born by elective section at 37-38 weeks (I have a clotting disorder affecting the placenta & babies need to be out by 38 weeks - previous section means no induction) & didn't have any issues despite all three being smaller.