Premature Birth

[Tashr89]

I've recently been having twice weekly scans for IUGR. My last growth scan was at 31+5 weighing 3lb 4oz and was told has now dropped below 5th%. We were told delivery by c section would be by 32 weeks. This is all due to high resistance Dopplers and a failing placenta. I am now 33 weeks today and the consultant says he's hopeful we can get to 34 weeks as the Dopplers are still stable. But they don't seem to tell me sort of how bad it is or if there is a possibility my baby will be any bigger than estimated. I'm much happier now I am 33 weeks as to when this was initially likely to be a 30 week delivery but I'm still concerned by how much time my baby will have to spent in hospital. Has anyone experienced this with a more positive outcome. Thank you.

Not for the same reason, but my DS was born at 27+2 weighing 2lb 3. I was a tough few months but he came home 9 weeks later. He had 3 lots of surgery in his first 2 years but is now a healthy 4 year old who starts school in 10 days time.

I'm currently 35 weeks and in hospital being monitored for pre term birth as having contractions and I am nowhere near as concerned. The babies I saw on NICU from around 33-34 weeks onwards tended to have few medical issues and just needed to establish feeding. We were told as a general rule of thumb to aim for going home around due date, but most were earlier.

Hi. I had my dd at 27 weeks by emcs due to preeclampsia & a failing placenta. She was 1lb 8oz & stayed in neonatal for about 3 & a half months then she came home with a feeding tube in which came out once she was weaning. She was a lot earlier & smaller & every situation is different but I was told to expect her to be in hospital until around her due date as that was usually what happened. She is now a very lively 4 year old about start school with no health or developmental impacts, people who meet her now can't believe she was that small or that early! xxx

29 weeks here who did spend almost 13 weeks in NICU. The babies 33 weeks and beyond who were in at the same time as us generally flew in terms of time spent in there and complications.

No residual issues at all with my 29 weeker who had heart surgery and allergies as a small child but caught up developmentally by about 18 months and passed the test for an academically selective secondary school with flying colours recently.

Best of luck with everything.

Hi, I had an IUGR baby last December by c section at 35 weeks. She weighed in at 4lbs, and was fed by NG tube initially. Once feeding was established she was able to come home after 11 days in NICU (we were prepared for a much longer stay). She's still a tiny baby weighing nearly 11lbs at 8.5 months - but she's happy, healthy and a brilliant sleeper