pprom/premature baby - please help

[RaraAvis]

i'm now 34weeks+3, on thurs my waters broke after a day of back pain i'd ignored as it was far too early. i started to get regular tightenings as soon as they broke and rushed up to the hospital. i was kept in for over 24hours, with tightenings becoming stronger and closer together then stopping then starting again. the baby's head is engaged and i've had my show. most of the time i was on a monitor and thankfully the baby is ok. i wasn't dilating though i was getting softer. i'm still leaking fluid now as fast as my body's making it, the scan showed practically no fluid and my bump is smaller by about a third.
the midwives said the baby needs to stay inside as long as possible and i need to avoid labour if i can then they'll induce me in two weeks. until then i'm to go to the hospital twice a week to check for infection and to ring them if the tightenings develope into contractions. apart from that all they've said is not to have sex and to take it as easy as possible to avoid labour.
i don't know what help i'm asking for, i'm just terrified. does anyone have any experience of pprom? is there anything i can do? or shouldn't do? the midwife said i can take a bath but i'm scared to. i keep having lots of stupid thoughts and i feel at a loss. can i do anything to help baby?
also, premature baby's, my family are always late, i've been adding two weeks on to my due date, this is a complete shock. can anyone tell me anything about premature baby's? what special things will i need to do and buy? clothes and nappies but where from? what special care should i be preparing for? can they use a from birth car seat and a from birth sling? sounds idiotic but will they be safe in a pushchair? i know i'm acting like an idiot but i'm panicking and i don't know waht to do.
also not feeling the baby move about at all, his trace was fine yesterday but i keep thinking what if he can't breath without the fluid and what if he dies and dies inside me and i don't know. i'm so scared, i can't feel him moving.
well dont anyone who made it this far, i'm just a mess this is my first and i don't know what to do.

I don't know how to do links, but if you google "bliss" it will bring up the premature baby charity, please have a look at their site I have heard they are brilliant (friend had twins at 29wks a few years back - now fine big lads). Hopefully you will be able to get some reassurance and advice from them.

You don't need to get anything for now. If you do have a prem they will sort you out to start with.

Just go with their advice though I would avoid baths and sticks to showers to wash.

Be gentle with yourself

second Bliss
there forum was brilliant for me when I needed it

Hi Rara ..

Im sorry hun ..but please dont worry too much yet ..things all sound ok comparitively ..My dd was born at 35 weeks and she was fine, no special care nothing - she had steroid injections to mature her lungs and screamed her way through the delivery ... I hope things will be the same for you .. I also have a friend who delivered at 23 weeks - she is now six months old - after a scary few days she did sooo well ..

34 weeks is really good ..and if you can hang on any more days then each one makes life easier...

Try not to worry ( I know ..) but your stress will make things worse ..
I dont know much about prom - but would guess that you wont feel much movement as it wont be too comfy for babe ...If you are really scared ask the hospital if you can stay in ..

otherwise just sit tight and count off the days - in a couple of weeks this will all be behind you and you will be a seasoned veteran able to help the next woman on MN that this happens to ..

Huge hugs ... I know its so scary when its your first - - but IME babies are tough little sods at this stage ..

Stay strong and rest -

Unless your babe is really small for dates you will be able t find clothes in most of the usual places - Mothercare and Boots both do Tiny Baby ranges - my dd was 5lb and she managed with most of those - yes they were a but big but ok , there are lots of places online who sell tiny baby clothes if you wnat to get really little things though - just google premature baby clothes ..

Best of luck ..xx

if you don't feel him move go straight back to hospital to be monitored. they will not mind.

not sure if you can use a sling initally ... pram will be fine esp if has carrycot attachment. rear facing car seat problematic on longer journeys but probably ok to get home from hospital.

need smaller clothes, i know at 36 weeks average baby weight is around 2.5kg, so might need early baby vests and babygros and maybe smaller nappies - mothercare does it all (small nappies vests and babygros) - can order online.

Ok,I had a prom at 31 weeks and DD was born at 33 weeks. I know how scary this is right now.

Your gestation is good, outcomes are promising at this stage.

Your baby doesn't need fluid to breathe. In fact, women can go weeks, even to term, without any fluid at all. Saying that your waters will replenish a little (and probably continue to leak).

If the baby comes now, the neonatal unit will have any clothes/nappies you need. Although if you want to buy stuff, as mentioned before, Mothercare do an early baby range. Even so, I'd wait until the baby arrives before you buy anything as you just don't know what weight/size things you'll need.

Are you checking your temperature at home? Have you had the steroids? If you are concerned about lack of movement, call the midwives. But I do remember DD having sleepy times where she didn't move a lot.

DD left the hospital at 36 weeks and was fine in her carseat. We didn't use a sling so not sure about that. Yes a normal lie-flat pram will be fine.

It's really normal to feel anxious about all this. It's not what you expected to happen. Please give me a shout if I can help with anything.

hi just wanted to post , had twins at 34 weeks ... they had to stay in scubu for a while.... but were ok. my dd4 was tiny 3 lb 7 and had to be drip fed, then tube fed , then she had to learn how to feed herself.... but she got there in the end..
the fact you are 33+ weeks is very good... of course the best place would be to stay where he/she is at the moment, but if you do give birth now your baby will most certainly be fine.
Its ok to be a little worried , and anxious , most new mums will be at this stage anyway, try and relax a bit though ... calm is better for you .
Boots do really small clothes 3-5 lb size, but you can always roll up arms and legs .
I also know a girl this happened to ... her waters went early.... but she ended up being induced as she got to her due date and the baby hadnt made his apperence!
good luck for the big day when it happens ! x

Try your best not to worry (I know that is hard thouugh) - your gestation is good!

My son was born at 34 weeks and I had the steriod injection to mature his lungs and he was in neonatal for almost 3 weeks. He was big and strong for a pprom baby (compared to others) they said but couldn't feed (suck), so he was tube fed for a while until he learned to suck/swallow.

The neonatal unit will provide nappies/clothes, just wait until baby is born to see what size he/she is. My son was very long (they said) but still fitted into early baby size clothes - I bought a few once he was born, so we used those instead of hospital clothes.

Car seat is fine, as is a pram/buggy that lies flat. The baby won't be going anywhere until the hospital say so - it might be in neonatal unit for a while, or the baby may be ok to go straight home - whatever, the carseat and buggy are fine to use. Not sure about the sling, but we used ours at about 2 months old, and it was fine.

Good Luck - hope you manage to hold off a little longer, but even at this stage, although the baby will be prem, it is fairly advanced in gestation! Try to relax :-)

I had pPROM at 14+5 weeks and am currently still pregnant at 21+1 and counting... hopefully I can hang on until at least 24 weeks.

pPROM after 20 weeks gestation has much better outcomes and at 30+ weeks most of the lung development will be done so other than infection/normal things associated with early deliveries, I don't think you have too much to worry about. Certainly at 34 weeks gestation a baby has as much chance of survivial as a term baby. Stress for the baby (and it will be stressed due to the sudden lack of fluid) causes baby to produce steroids which help the lungs mature. However, babies can survive perfectly well with little or no fluid, although limbs can be a bit sqaushed.

Baby probably won't move as much without fluid as it will be harder for him to move. However, if you're worried, go to be checked out.

Just came on here to look for advice as this has happened to my sister this morning! She is 34+4 Rara so similar to you and her advice from hosp has been the same. Will be thinking of you, completely understandable you are worried but 34 weeks + is good.
Re nappies - you can get in size 0 from Tesco and Boots.
Thanks to everyone for posting - I will be printing this off and taking it to my sister - always helps to know you are not alone.

my ds was born at 34+6, he did not need steroids, and went right up to the ward with me - no nicu or scbu, happily.

he wasn't too small, 5lb 14 1/2oz

my hv says after a certain point babies aren't so much prem as just small - my friend had a baby at 30ish weeks, there was a very different start though he is happy and healthy too

try not to worry, though this is easier said than done

hth

DS was born at 34+4. He had a night in special care for observation but was absolutely fine. He was 5 pounds 4oz and fed well straight away. He is now a 15 month bruiser...
Try not to worry- hopefully he will stay in a bit longer but at 34 weeks plus he should be fine. DD was born at 36 weeks so I expected DS to be early too. I was hoping to get to at least 35 weeks but he had other ideas! Some babies just decide to come early

Well sister is still in hosp, now 34+6. Is having intermittent contractions now though so maybe this is it?!
Good to hear you positive stories chibi & tvfriend
How are you doing Rara?

Hello,

Just happened to me at 32 + 3 and am now at home with instructions to go back to hospital or ring in if movement is compromised - but am confused as I was also told by the consultant that it will be difficult for the baby to move with less amniotic fluid...leaves you with the huge dilemma of what is now normal? I am feeling movement - just less robust than before...anyone any advice? Am so worried that I won't recognise the danger signs quickly enough but don't want to be permanently and unnecessariy paranoid either.