positive 31wk birth stories please

[addictediam]

Sorry am on my phone in hospital so please forgive me.

I've been. having strong bh every 5 minutes since early this morning. The hospital has decided I'm in early labour and have given me a steroid injection.

Im quite scared and hoped some of you might be able to reassure me.

Dh has gone to sort dd and get my hospital bag and phone charger (as my battery is quite low)

Please give me some positive stories to cling on to

Addicted hope things are going ok x

Another very positive story, my friends son was born at 31 weeks, very unexpectedly! He was just under 5lb, spent time in SCBU but was home, fully breastfed, before his due date, He is doing really well, no difference to other babies at all.

It must be very stressful for you, ask the consultant/midwives lots of questions if you want to. Or ask your DP to if you prefer, It might help you if you know what to expect. Thinking of you.

Hi Addicted. Betty was a 33 weeker and I completely understand how you feel at the moment.

It will be fine, my friend I met in SCBU had a little boy born at 30 weeks and both he and Betty are and were just fine.

Ask them to get someone to come down from SCBU/NICU and talk to you. I found it really helpful and reassuring.

PM me if you want to know anything specific, in the meantime fingers x'd little one holds on a wee longer.

My niece and nephew (twins) were born at 30 weeks. Both completely healthy and in hospital for only 3 weeks!they were 3lb each.
Best of luck.

Thinking of you Addicted

Hi Addicted, I sort of know how you're feeling. I was in a similar, yet totally different situation to you a couple of months ago (does that even make sense??) I'm in the middle of the NICU experience as I write this, my DD2 was born at 25+4 and is doing well. 31 weeks is a great gestation to reach, although I know you probably don't believe that!

There is a lady whose DS is in the same room as my DD and her twins were born at 28 weeks. I've met them and they are two lovely five year olds, you honestly wouldn't know. And I have a SIL who was born at 30 weeks (I think it was 30...) and she is a perfectly healthy (albeit a bit shorter than average) twenty year old.

I second the idea of speaking to staff from the NICU/SCBU - they were the best people to speak to and will reassure you massively.

I'll be thinking of you and your little one.

Thankyou all, 3 weeks wow Mrs hoolie that would be ideal of she did decide to turn up! Logistically working out childcare and getting to the hospital 45mins would be a nightmare as well as negotiating dh's paternity leave to start (much) earlier than expected...she is not coming yet, she can hold off 3 more weeks then she can appear!

I think I'll wait and. see what happens tomorrow and speak to someone if they still think shes on her way.

Oh addicted! Just seen this cos I have been away from the computer most of the weekend.

I have a friend whose DD was born at 32w, she was absolutely fine (apparently runs in her DH's family, being 8w early). She was due 2w after me and ended up having her DD 2m before my DS! All fine though. :)

I hope everything settles down for you but if it doesn't, you will both be fine, you will. :)

ADDICTED, JUST WANTED TO OFFER GOOD VIBES XX

hi there i read your post last night, but was on my phone and it kept messing around so didn't reply.

just wanted to let you know that my DS2 was born in December 2009 at 31+3 weeks (he was supposed to be a valentine baby!!) weighing 3lb8ozs. My waters broke at 30wks, so i was given the steroid shots and also a course of antibiotics and was in hospital for 3/4 days. seemed like things were calming down so was allowed home, but then went into labour and he arrived shortly afterwards. he was rushed to the SCBU - he had CPAP for 24hours, and after that he just needed fattening up and me to establish feeding. i have memories of pumping milk - but thankfully he did latch on well and when he was discharged afte 26 days (so at what would have been 35 weeks) we came home with a freezers worth of ebm!!

he is absolutely fine now, you wouldn't know that he'd been born prem. he is under the care of a consultant audiologist still as he wore hearing aids from about 5-12 months old, but they now put that down to glue ear rather than there being a major hearing problem - possible gromits in the future.....though to be honest his speech is fantastic so i don't think it's causing him too many problems!

I'm currently 25wks and very high risk for prem labour again (just been started on progesterone to try and strengthen my cervix) and because of another problem this baby has, am praying he will stay cooking for at least another 6-7weeks!!! si can completely understand your concerns!!

Hoping you get some answers today from the hospital, and that your little one keeps on cooking a while longer, but hope this and the other positive stories on this thread have reassured you a little more xxxx

I had contractions and steroid injections at 31 weeks. Am now 35+3. I hope the same happens for you, good luck I was very scared.

thankyou everyone for your kind and reassuring messages.

thankfuly i'm back home now and after getting a good few hours sleep (with out any intruptions from flashing lights, crying babies, midwifes popping their head round the curtain to check everythings ok etc) in my own comfy bed and having a cuddle from my dd i'm feeling alot less stressed and freaked out by it all. i'm taking a what ever will be will be attitude and i know there is nothing that i can do to change any of this.

contractions are still there but happening once every hourish at the moment (rather than the 3-4 minutes of sunday!) although they are still quite strong they are weakening so i'm quite hopefull baby has decided to stay out for a while longer yet! and although she is currently head down she has decided to un engage and has moved back to the top of my bump and is currently snuggling in my ribs! (a pain that atm i am quite greatful for as it means she is not pushing down trying to get out!)

i have strict instruction to go back in if the pain gets more intense, i have green or pink/red discharge, contractions get closer together or i just start feeling weird and want to be put back on the monitor! I'm also not alowed to do much as walking around was making the contractions worse, but fat chance of that with 13 month old dd at home! i'm trying to get a few friends to come over during the week to play with her so i can sit on the sofa and not run around after her 24/7. dh is also working from home tomorrow and possibly wednesday to help out with dd.

fingers crossed she decideds to stay put and wait till after christmas to come!

this is all my own stupid fault for not buying the cancellation insurance when i booked a last minute pre christmas holiday last week! i thought nahh we dont need that, baby wont come for a long time yet!! shes decided she wants to come with us, dh has been patiently trying to explain to her that if she comes now, no one will be going and shes better off staying where she is!

DP and one of my best friends were both born around the 6 month mark (don't know how many weeks exactly). They are respectively 50 & 41 years old. DP was so tiny (1.5lbs) that he was whisked away for a speedy christening and his parents were told to prepare themselves for the worst - like I said, DP is 50, is as tall as his younger brother (who was FT - although maybe not as strong but his bro is a brickie by trade) and graduated from Uni with a first (told him he was a show off when he told me that). This was a long time before some of the medical equipment available today and I think a decent example of what's meant to be is meant to be

I'm running out the door so can't post much but really wanted to reply to you.

I had DD at 31+1. Contractions started about 30+4 ish and they did manage to slow me down with the drip and keep me going a few days longer.

It was v scary I won't lie but we got through it and so will you. DD now 19m and wonderful. You honestly woukdnt know she had been prem.

Will pop back later and read whole thread and post properly.

Sending you lots of cervix closing vibes!!

Me again!
Read the whole thread addicted

I think it's really positive that they have sent you home. The doctors couldn't work out any specific reason for my labour with DD. ut gave me two steroid injections 12 hours apart and put me on a drip for that 12 hr period to try to slow down/stop contractions. But the best I ever got to was just having a contraction every 20 mins.

So fingers crossed every hour and getting less intense sounds promising.

Keep us informed of how you get on.

Ds3 was born in march at 32 weeks, he spent 4 days in nicu and then 6 days on the ward. He weighed 4lb4oz and is now a big healthy 9 month old