C-Section babies born at 36 weeks

[Glittertips]

Due to a number of complications, my baby will be born no later than 36 weeks (via c section).

I want to mentally prepare myself for the reality of having a baby born early. If your baby was born via c section at or around 36 weeks, how were they? Did they require NICU time? What did they weigh? Were you able to breastfeed? Did you get steroids before your c section?

I know all babies are different but it would be helpful to hear others experiences

Hiya, my niece was born via C-section at 34wks. She had two steroids injections overnight the night before the birth. Think she was a bit under 5lbs. Miraculously no NICU time needed. She was a bit jaundiced. Lots of skin to skin and I think some time on heated pads. Sis was in hospital with her just over a week. Had to combi feed a while and she did get bad reflux but my Sis bf her until she was over 2yrs old I believe. She's still on the smaller side (my son who is 13 months younger has been bigger than her for a while) but a mighty little 4yr old now and super intelligent! She was an early talker and walker and there is no stopping her 🥰💗

Best of luck and congratulations on your imminent arrival! 🥰🙏🏼💗

I’ve had four sections at 34 (4lb 13oz) 37 (8lb 4oz), 37 (6lb 11oz) and 38 (8lb 7oz) weeks. All had steroids beforehand. My 34 weeker was in SCBU for a week, the other 3 stayed with me and we went home after 2 days. All were breastfed for at least 2 years. I had minimal issues with their early arrivals.
I hope everything goes well for you.

DC3 was born at 34+5 by CS, steroid injections before birth, no NICU stay, needed to be under a heat lamp for a while. He breastfed as soon as I was able (I was in surgery for a while after he was delivered and given to DH) and we managed to get breastfeeding fully established without issue. He was a chunky 6.5lb.

My niece was also born at 35 weeks, not sure about steroids as her Mum went into labour early, no CS delivery, weighed 4.5lbs, no NICU stay, breastfed from birth.

Born at 36 exactly by emergency csect,. 5lbs 8oz. No issues, bf from birth.
Scary times, but you will get through. X

36 weeks isn’t really early as such.

DC was born at 37 weeks, so a week later than you are expecting. She spent 24 hours in a Special Care Baby Unit, mostly as a precaution as she was tiny. I did have steroids beforehand. The pediatrician advised combi feeding until she gained weight which was fine by me as it was what I wanted to do anyway. I didn’t have any problems breastfeeding. Well, other than the usual problems (positioning, and mastitis a few months later)

DC had an APGAR of 9. A score of 7, 8, or 9 is normal and is a sign that the newborn is in good health. A score of 10 is very unusual, since almost all newborns lose 1 point for blue hands and feet, which is normal for after birth.

I hope you find this reassuring.

Both mine were born at 35 weeks exactly. I had the steroid injections in the preceding weeks both times. One was Cs one vd. The non Cs stayed in hospital, not in nicu, just with me and was checked frequently due to jaundice, for 5 days. He was incredibly 5lb15oz.
Second child both by Cs was born with difficulties ( respiratory distress) so was in nicu for about 5 days and was tube fed. She also had an infection so was on a lot of drips etc. She was very very jaundiced,. We ended up having to stay for 14 nights and were discharged only as i agreed to take her back daily for the next five days.She was 4lb 12oz.

Both mine were formula fed due to complications from me. I got as many hours as I wanted of kangaroo cuddles ( skin to skin inside your clothes). My husband and older child also did. Grandparents visited in nicu.

First child is now a 6ft2 22 year old, Second is a 7 year old, no problems.

Do get some early baby outfits, they were huge for my daughter but much better than anything else. I think I got some possibly from Asda or boots that had poppers along the Arms and legs which made it easier for them to attach the monitors when she was first born. They wear monitors for everything if they put them in an incubator to maintain their body temp so it useful to have those outfits if you can get a couple.

My baby was born at 38 weeks by c-section and spent a week in NICU for his breathing. He was OK though and a good 8lb 14oz! I think he was the biggest baby in NICU to be honest!! I was basically advised off steroids as the doctor said there were studies that showed children who'd had steroids developed neurological issues at school age? I didn't look into this too much but decided not to have them.

It’s such a difficult and worrying time but knowing that baby will need to be born earlier means that your medical team are prepared.
My wee one was born at 34 weeks . I had had a couple of steroid injections a few days before my c section ( no neurological issues now aged 12 .I would always go with what the medical team recommends as there’s a big difference in lung maturity in the last few weeks of pregnancy) She weighed 4lbs 11 and needed no help breathing or feeding . We were home after 3 days . I didn’t have milk the first couple of days and chose to give formula over tube feeding . Once my milk came in she preferred breast feeding and wouldn’t take a bottle !

Take care and try to get some sleep . Speak to friends and family for support if you can just now it’s a difficult time for you so try to be kind to yourself .

My second baby was born at 36 weeks via EMCS due to reduced foetal movements. I also had gestational diabetes. Baby was fine at birth- weight around 5.3lbs. Latched on straightaway. No complications other than jaundice on day 5 for which they had phototherapy. I recovered well too but had to have 6 weeks worth of anti-blood clot injections afterwards.

DD1 born at 34 weeks, weighing 7 lb 1 Oz.

By caesarean section because she had tachycardia - heart rate 240 BPM

In intensive care for 6 weeks and came home on her expected delivery date .

I was pointed in the direction of the milking machine but was quite ill, got no support so wasn't able to breastfeed unfortunately.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, it’s reassuring hearing from you all!

When we found out baby would be delivered at 36 weeks we got tiny baby clothes so at least he will have a few things that hopefully fit him!

Hey 👋 i had twins at 37 weeks, already had the steroid injections at 29 week so didn’t need them leading up to the c-sec, the steroid injections hurt like hell btw lol they were born 4lb5 and 4lb7 and spent 1 night in neonatal, we were home day 4 no problems xx

@Avie29 oh did they!! Did they hurt more than the cannula? I’d say my worst pain so far has been a cannula! That’s amazing, thanks for sharing!

Hi, my youngest son was born last year by C-Section at 36 + 1.

He breastfed but struggled to latch so I also expressed and we fed him via a little cup with help from the midwives. He was jaundice so this with the feeding issues meant we had a 5 night stay. He didn’t need NICU/SCBU.
He was 5lb 7oz.

I was offered the steroids but turned them down for my own reasons. My son has had no breathing / lung issues. They did send him for a scan around 6 weeks old which I believe is routine for C-section babies so don’t let this worry you.

He is now a very chunky, very healthy almost 11 month old who took his first steps yesterday. He breastfed for 5 months. He’s got 4 words and is the happiest little boy.

Good luck @Glittertips

I had steroids with my eldest son and I didn’t find it painful at all. Done in the top of your bum. I found cannulas much worse.

36 weeks section is different from 36 weeks vaginal due to the lungs not expelling the mucus.

I had twins at 37 weeks, twin one was 6lb 5oz and twin two was 5lb 7oz. Needed no extra care at all. We were discharged after 26 hours. Breast feeding was tough as my milk took 5 days to come in and there was 2 of them. Yeah the steroid injections hurt (but the midwife who did it had shit technique so that’s probably why -both my husband and l are nurses so in hindsight we would have been better doing it). Steroid injection also make you quite flushed a lot of the time

DTs were born at 36+6. T1 spent 2 days in nicu due to fluid on the lungs. T2 was with me. We spent 5 days in hospital as they lost more than 10%. T2 bf for 2 years. No steroids were offered.

My baby was born at 36 weeks by csection (accidentally as the hospital messed up and thought I was 37) - 6lb 7oz and no intervention required.

DD was 36 weeks. No steroids, no issues breastfeeding. Her blood sugar was a bit haywire at first and she needed to go in a light box for 24 hours due to severe jaundice. No NICU stay although we went straight to the transitional ward after the section and was discharged when she was 6 days old

I had an emcs at 36 weeks so no steroids.

DS was 6lbs 13oz and a bit sleepy, covered in vernix, but treated as if he were term. Feeding was a breeze and we were discharged the next day.

Two of mine were born at 36 weeks c-sections, both good weights (8 lb and 7.13lb. Didn’t need any extra help and both allowed home at 2 days old. When I had mine I think 36 weeks was considered full term

My DTs were born at 36+5 due to severe pe. They weighed 6lb 6oz and 7lb 3oz, DT2 was whisked off to scbu as she wasn’t breathing properly at birth but joined us in the recovery room shortly after. I’d had the steroid shots the day before they were delivered - they were trying to get us to 37 weeks but my body had other ideas.

My milk never came in properly, so I tried mixed feeding before giving up and formula feeding.

The last scan I had was at 34/35 weeks where they predicted my babies were around 4.5lb each, so their weights were a welcome surprise as I feared I was so huge due to the pe.

My DTs are now 6, but once they gained their birth weight back they’ve been the same height/weight as a baby born full term and you’d never know they were delivered slightly earlier!

Forgot to add that the steroid injections whilst not particularly pleasant were nowhere near as bad as the ivf injections that got me preggers in the first place 😉