In preterm labour 34 weeks

[MumOfHals]

Positive stories of those who gave birth at 34 weeks.

I just want my baby to be strong and ok xx

34+5 for both pregnancies, no steroid injections, both babies weighed 4lb 5 and were perfectly healthy and gorgeous. Thinking of you and know how worried you're feeling, try not to xxx

I had this twice. Both my DC were born around 34 weeks. Both hit all their milestones ok and had no major health problems. Mainly they were just lower birth weight. It’s a good stage to have got to. Most development is done, so the main risks have passed. They could be a low weight and might need more help feeding and breathing at first and things like breastfeeding might take a little longer. So you might be in hospital for longer and in neo natal ICU which can be scary and you are also post partum so feeling very hormonal etc. but they will get such good care around the clock. Sending a handhold for you OP ,

34 and 5 days. Had a healthy baby girl. 6lb 2

Waters went at 30 weeks, born at 35 weeks so a little older than yours. Off to uni this year. Fingers crossed for you.

They did need help feeding and were in SCBU for 3 weeks.

My Sister had my niece by C-section at 34wks due to pre-eclampsia. She went in the day before and they gave a couple of steroids injections overnight. My niece was tiny but strong - she didn't spend any time in NICU. I got to meet and hold her the evening of the day she was born 🥰 She's now 4 and a gorgeous, chatty, adorable little person. She's extremely clever - was an early talker and walker!

Randomly, one of my SiLs also ended up having her little girl at 34wks. She did spend some time in NICU but is now 9 months old and again, doing really well. She's one of the most content little babies I've ever met and has the cutest smile 🥰

As previous posters have said, it's a decent gestation to have got to. I'm sure your little one will do just great! 💗

My waters went and 34+6 and I had a c section the next day. Baby was 6 lb 1 oz and perfectly healthy. We stayed on the postpartum ward for a few days for monitoring but it was just a precaution. Best wishes

34 weeks ( they didn't do + days in those times :)
5 lb 5 oz
little bit jaundiced
would have been home the next day, but being a Sunday there ' wasn't a Dr to discharge me ' ?!!!
had no intentions of breast feeding, so on formula from feed 1.

34 weeker here. Healthy, just small, baby girl who is now 5 months and snoozing in her cot. Good luck. You’ve got this x

I had mine at officially 35+0 but I tracked my ovulation so the latest I could have been was 34+5. I had him early due to preeclampsia.
I did have the steroid injections a day beforehand 12hrs apart to help with his lungs, then had him about 18hrs after that.

Ds was born 5lb4oz by emcs and was really healthy. He did have low glucose levels and jaundice. Also it took him a while to figure out feeding. He stayed in hospital scbu for 12 days. He’s now a healthy 1 year old.

Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you both.

I’m a neonatal nurse, just wanting to give a balanced view as well as all of the (lovely!) positive stories.
Some babies born at 34 weeks will need respiratory support, especially if you’ve not had steroids prior to delivery (but assuming you will have). At this gestation, more often than not babies will be just fine but some need nasal prong oxygen or something called CPAP, which is a mask/prongs that go over the nose and provide some pressure and ease the work of breathing.
Depending on risk factors (e.g. if you’ve had pre-labour premature rupture of membranes, are GBS positive, have a raised temperature) baby will be started on IV antibiotics so will have a cannula. These antibiotics are usually given for at least 48 hours until blood cultures come back from the labs ruling out infection. If there is an infection present they will have IV antibiotics for 5-7 days in most cases.
Babies born at 34 weeks often have a harder time feeding (this applies to both breast and bottle fed babies) so some will require an NG tube which is a tube that goes into their nose, down to their stomach. It is usually not necessary for them to be fed entirely via NG tube, so they can have breast/bottle feeds at the same time and be “topped up” via NG tube to make sure they’re getting a sufficient amount.
Some babies born at 34 weeks will have trouble maintaining their blood sugar. Low blood sugar can initially be treated with a glucose gel that’s given into their mouths. Persistent low blood sugars will mean baby needs an IV fluid drip. This usually resolves after a few days where by baby can return to solely milk feeding.
Depending on size, babies born at this gestation can find it hard to keep warm. (This can tie in with low blood sugars, we often see preterm babies get cold, get low blood sugar and it can become a bit of a vicious cycle). We’d in the first instance suggest lots of skin to skin, keeping a hat on baby and using multiple blankets when in their crib. Some babies can have a “hot cot” which is essentially a heated mattress that helps they to keep their temperature up. A few babies will need an incubator.
34 week gestation babies are also more susceptible to jaundice and we have a lower threshold for pre-term babies to start phototherapy treatment.
I’ve not covered every complication but I hope that having a little bit of information about common issues with 34 week gestation babies can help you feel more prepared. For some of the issues mentioned, for example respiratory support, baby would need admission to the neonatal unit. For others, for example jaundice, babies are often treated on the post natal ward and kept with their mothers. I’d also like to reiterate that most 34 week babies are absolutely fine, and even if they do have any of the issues I’ve mentioned, are still completely healthy, just needing a little bit of support due to their prematurity. Wishing you and you little one all the best!