How poorly would a baby be born at 34 weeks?

[NatalieJane]

I do have reasons for asking this, but is it really too early, or is it just preferable to go a bit further?

DO I remember a thread where you were worried about twins as you got a bump early? Could you me further along than you think? Could the meausrements be inaccurate?

I would go to hospital if i were you. If you can't talk through the contractions I think you are prob going to have a baby pretty soon! Seriously get down there

Bloody hell Pumpkin, you have a good memory! Yes, I was showing at 6 weeks, feeling movements at 9, I have also wondered if I am further on, but the scan dates say differently. By my dates I am due 25th Nov. (which is what I am going off because I do know my dates!!) that puts me at 34 weeks on Saturday just gone. Scan dates showed 29th Nov. that would make me 34 weeks tomorrow, I don't think it is the best indicator in the world but my bump measured 35 weeks today, but I know that isn't accurate really.

It isn't as easy as just going down there, DS is asleep in bed, we have absolutely no one to look after him, and I can't wake him up and take him to the hospital just to see what they say, if nothing else he has school in the morning, and I don't want him missing any more than he absolutely has to, which so far is none!

I was only reading the thread the other day. I think it had been bumped so my memmory isn't as good as it sounds .

We thought we had no-one to look after DTDs when I was contracting at 24wks (obviously situation a little more desperate) but we got a neighbour (with 6day old baby) to sit in hour lounge for a couple of hours.

What will you be doing with DS if you do go into labour?

Well, my MIL, (who lives about 40 mins drive away but doesn't drive herself so we would have to have time to pick her up and bring her up here(, did say she would come and watch him for us when the time came, DH rang her to ask if she would come up tonight when it looked like we would probably end up having to go, and she said no... very pissed off with her actually, but nothing we can do about it really (Loads of history, although I think DH has had just about enough of her now!).

We have lovely next door neighbours, who have already offered to watch him for us even in the middle of the night if needs be, but, DS hardly knows them, he would be shit scared if he woke up and not only were we not here, but some almost stranger was here instead!

My mum lives nearly 5 hours drive away, and she is in Turkey at the moment so is comepletly out of the question, and as sad as it sounds, we have no friends near by that we are close enough to to ask for help.

How was your night are you still hanging on in there.

good luck Natalie and little one, hope all settles down soon, as it must be very stressful for you.
my ex was born about 34 weeks, at home and with no hospital care at all. He was perfectly fine. If in a hospital, would probably have been rushed to intensive care though!

Yep still hanging on, the contractions actually eased a bit in the night so I managed to get about 4 hours-ish, I was still waking up with them, but I think a mixture of them not being quite as strong and me being exhausted was just enough so that as soon as one finished I was asleep again.

Now, it is all resting on this consultant, I have no idea how I am going to react if he says it is just something I have to cope with and get on with it, I am so tired, I can't even focus my eyes on anything, another 6 weeks of this and I am going to be in serious trouble!

Thanks for thinking about me though I will let you know how it goes when I can

Yep still hanging on, the contractions actually eased a bit in the night so I managed to get about 4 hours-ish, I was still waking up with them, but I think a mixture of them not being quite as strong and me being exhausted was just enough so that as soon as one finished I was asleep again.

Now, it is all resting on this consultant, I have no idea how I am going to react if he says it is just something I have to cope with and get on with it, I am so tired, I can't even focus my eyes on anything, another 6 weeks of this and I am going to be in serious trouble!

Thanks for thinking about me though I will let you know how it goes when I can

Good to hear you managed a little bit of sleep. Good luck with today

did the midwife mention anything about taking paracetemol for the pain ? Maybe if you did that before going to bed that might help you sleep a bit more. I can imagine lack of sleep is making it all much worse - and maybe is even part of the reason you are having contractions. It is odd they way they seem to go away during the day.

Hope the consultant appointment goes well.

Glad you got some sleep. I hope all goes well at the consultants and they can give you some reason for the contractions.
Instruct Dh how to login to mumsnet so he can up date us if needs be.
Take care.

Hope you are ok.

Well here we are abck again, appointment was at 11, didn't get seen till 12.30 the consultant did all of the same checks that the midwife did yesterday, she mentioned it could be irrtable uterus, but said the same as the midwife, that if they got more regular again then I was to get to the hospital, she gave me a prescription for some stronger painkillers, and sent me on my merry way. We got in the front door and I just burst into tears, my poor DH, what has he had to put up with this last week or so?!! I really can't cope with this for much longer.

She wants to see me again in two weeks if nothing has happened.

Really thinking of you(sorry its me again)
Dont know if this may help re your sleep- i would have that awful crap all night tv on but with the volume REALLY LOW,it actually helped me drift off a bit.....
And masses of cushions so i was a bit of a cocoon

I hope the painkillers help you get more sleep.
I had hoped they would be more helpful than that.
Sending you some (((((((((hugs))))))))))))).

Thanks

The consultant said the baby is a good size for the dates, not huge or anything, just not so small that it would cause any problems if he was born now, and she said she is very confident that complications of a pre-term labour now would be nothing or very minimal, so I am not so worried by that aspect of it now, and I don't feel so guilty for wanting him to be born now instead of the middle of December!

Notasheep, I have bought one of those rocking reclining nursing chair things with a footstool for the nursery, I ended up on there last night with a throw wrapped around me, so that is where I will be tonight no doubt!

That chair sounds good,you find you will sleep from sheer exhaustion.
And baby is good size eh...hope your nights improve

OMG poor you, have just read the thread and the thought of having contactions for that amount of time on and off just brings tears to my eyes. Also my sister had her baby at 33 weeks weighing 4lb 9oz and he was resuscitated at birth. 2 weeks later he was allowed home from hospital and has been thriving since, he will be 10 weeks old tomorrow and now weighs 9lb 13oz.

Hello

The consultant said she thought that because of the pattern of the contractions, there must be something that is setting them off, so I have spent the evening sat with my feet up, doing absolutely nothing and the pattern of them have changed but they have gotten stronger, now only two or three in an hour, but they are bordering on being horrendously painfull. I don't know what to think anymore, I am as convinced as I possibly can be that it isn't labour, but I just can't get my head around what else it could be. It doesn't help that I can barely think straight let alone be coming up with all of the answers!

I am managing to keep my mind off it a bit tonight though, I think I mentioned yesterday that we are going to have a real problem finding someone to look after our DS when the time does come for labour, after my MIL let us down yesterday, well, and I can not believe I am even thinking along these lines (I was completely prepared to insist on an epidural as soon as I reach hospital, I have been through the pain once, don't fancy it again!) but if I make it to 37 weeks, and don't have to be induced there after, I think we are going to go for a home birth I am so scared about it, but I don't think we have much choice!

How was your night ? Did you manage to get anymore sleep.
Where abouts are you,is there anyone on mn that might be able to hekp with ds.

Morning

I went up to bed about 12.30-ish I was awake for a while worrying about this bloody home birth and whether I can hold off till 37 weeks etc. but I did eventually drop off about 2-ish I think, again was waking up with the contractions but managing to go off again fairly soon after, don't feel much benfit from having had a few hours yet, but I am sure if I can do the same tonight I will start to feel a bit more human! Only thing is, the contractions haven't worn off this morning as yet, they are still coming 2/3 sometimes 4 times in an hour, and are really really hurting now, but I suppose it should be looked on as practise for the big day!

And, having a MNer on stand by is a lovely thought, but it just wouldn't work out, DS has never spent any time away from me, apart from nursery and then school, he won't even let his dad take him to bed at night, he is a bit of a stickler, it would be a nightmare for him if a 'stranger' was here for him, and TBH, I wouldn't be able to relax in a hospital knowing he wasn't happy.

We still don't have any answers to the problem if for any reason I do end up at the hospital, but at least if we can prepare for a home birth (still shitting it about that BTW!!!) then it halves the problem. I would rather give birth with little or no pain relief than do it on my own in hospital, and have DH miss the birth.

What about when your mum get back from holiday would she be able to move in until the little one arrives.
I have no experience of home birth but there are plenty of people who do.
Maybe you could start another thread on that one.

My Mum did offer to come and stay around the due date before she went on holiday (before the contractions had started - she still knows nothing about them) but she still has one of my sisters at home and her foster son, so she can't stay indefinatly, and TBH, as much as I love her, I couldn't cope with having someone stay for much longer than a few days, a week max! LOL

A home birth is very far from what I wanted TBH, but I would much rather be here with the pain and my DH, tha be at hospital on my own!

It might not matter at all, if these contractions carry on, I can't see me getting to 37 weeks!

What about asking the hospital about having your son at the birth as long as it isn't an emergency situation.
Is there anyone a Ds's nursery who might be able to help.
There must be some solution,thinking caps on.