shitey mc shite. Aitch is being admitted to hospital today, 33 weeks pg with pre-eclampsia, they're talking about sectioning me by the end of the week. and <sobs> the baby hasn't grown in two weeks. the poor litte thing is only about 3lb... it's too ...

[Aitch]

and i'll see if i can MN from my mobile phone when i get to the hosp.

any good stories? SKG? whomoved?

and what will happen with breastfeeding?

oh FUCK. i'm so upset. she's too wee to come out...

I had ds2 at 34 and a bit weeks. He was almost 6 lbs. It took a while to establish feeding and he did have phototherapy for jaundice but he did really well.

Wishing you lots and lots of luck and positive vibes.

oh shit aitch
after our stupid little row last night about mothers in supermarket queues this makes it pale into significance.

I am sorry you are going through this.
Cant really give you any first hand adivce, but others have posted some really good advice on here so I hope that helps......as well as some old fashioned Mumsnet support.

Can they not give you drugs to reduce the BP?

I am SURE things will be ok.
Do you have plenty of support from dh and family?

aitch-if you have pre eclamsia they are doing the right thing. it's not the growth is it? if you have pre eclamsia it can cause the baby other problems so she will be better off out than in. it'll all be ok, i'm sure. just try and relax -you don't wnant your bp going up anymore!
dh can sort out the stuff.

3lbs really isn't that tiny - DN was 4lbs at full term with no problems and she's a hulking great teenager now.

My DS was born at 35 weeks (was huge at 6lb 5oz), and although he needed tube feeding for a few days and a bit of sun lamp, we were out in a week fully bfing.

Most important thing with bfing is really regular and thourough expressing - only hand express for the first three days, and it has to be at least every 3 hours day and night (get DH to bring you a cool bag and blue blocks so that you don't have to trail to the fridge in the night if they won't put it in the fridge on the ward). Then use a pump, but hand express at the end so that you remove as much milk as possible.

I'd missed that you were pg. Will be crossing my fingers for you and babe

sorry that should say 'not JUST the growth'

if you don't trust your dp then i am sure MN can arrange a hosp bag for you

thinking of you xx

to pack a bag i mean

32 weeks is usually not bad lung / breathing wise, may need a little extra 02 but should be okay quite quickly. I managed to express at first and feed through NGT (nose tube) and then BF a 35 weeker, my milk came in fine. There were 32 week twins in with mine that were about 3 lb, they fed better than my baby! I'm so sorry its very scary isn't it.

Oh Aitch - hope it all goes very boringly for you at the hospital, and the placenta hangs on in there as long as poss.

Bugger and poo though - SGK has great pics on her profile of her ds2, who I think was about 33weeks.

You may have internet access at the hosp, don't run up a huge mobile bill.

HAve a good wail and then take a deep breath and put your feet up.

Sorry to hear this Aitch. My friend had a 34 weeker 10 days ago. The baby weighed 4lbs exactly and had not yet developed a suck reflex for bottle or breast so was fed through a tube in her nose, otherwise no problems. My friend has been expressing and after just 10 days the baby is getting the hang of BFing with supplemtnal tube feeds until she is really good at it. Another friend had a 2lbs baby at 27 weeks and after many ups and downs she still managed to establish BF and 6 months later is happily exclusively breastfeeding. The KellyMom site is great.

Good luck!

Good luck Aitch and baby Aitch. 33 weeks and 3lb are early/small, but not that much so I don't think. I know lots of healthy babies and even teenagers who were born at or under 30 weeks. If you can't MN, hope you can contact someone who can let us all know news of how it's going/coordinate any kind of help you'd find useful.

thinking of you and sending lots of love x

Oh Aitch i am crossing every extremety for you and your DD.

Hey aitch. I had a section at 34 wks when ds hadn't grown in two weeks. Same story - pre-eclampsia, placenta had given up. he was 2 lb 12 when he was born and taken straight up to NICU. However, he was breathing room air within 12 hours and was moved into SCBU in 3 days where he spent 4 wks there. we really had no problems with him except a little jaundice and his lungs were fine because he'd had the steroids.

I was only able to bf for 3.5 wks before my milk dried up but think it was more through exhaustion, trying to get up and down to the hospital twice a day. However, the way I look at it I tried my hardest and he got all the goodness of a few weeks. Don't put any pressure on yourself.

It is upsetting and you do think that they're so wee when they come out but they're little fighters and it honestly doesn't take long for them to catch up. My ds was born under the 2nd centile and hit the 50th at 6 months. As one of the midwives told me when your incubator fails, it's time for the other one to take over.

All the very best to you and your little one xx

Blimey Aitch!
Didn't even know you were pg!!!!
Congratulations!!!
Hang in there kiddo.

XX

Peachy's ds had IUGR, I'm assuming that's what they think has stopped the growth?

If they do do a section, just be prepared for what you'll see in SCBU. As with Dd it wasn't a planned section (they were doing a different op then decided to perform a section when I was under) I was under a GA, so didn't see DD until I came round, at which point all they showed me was a polaroid picture of her, (pic is on my profile) and it was scary as fuck. The tubes, wires, machines etc were what scared me more than anything, and I wish I had been more prepared as to what I would see.

am another one who didn't know you were pg aitch
very best of luck to you and your baby x

No expertise to add, just good wishes.

oh Aitch, be strong, lots of love from here.

oh no, how frightening for you. i didn't know you were pg either.

down with bp!
up with baby weight!

Aitch, I had ds3 at 32 weeks. The NICU can be a scary place and I felt a bit "left out " of things at first as all the staff really knew what they were doing and didn't seem to need anything from me but EBM!
Also when I would put my hand into the incubator and touch his back ,he would startle and flinch which I found upsetting but it is normal for a baby that age. He did like having his hand held, though
If you want to bf, be pushy about it. The staff in my hospital would have been happy to keep letting ds3 take all his EBM from a bottle if I hadn't insisted on putting him to the breast. And he did have a sucking reflex at 32 weeks though they were insistent that it wouldn't happen till 34 weeks
Anyhow ds3 is a very healthy happy 3 year old now. He is now hogging the other computer so I can't upload a pic of him but I will try again later!

mears is a font of knowledge when it comes to BF and preemies.

i'll watch this and bump it when she is around.

no experience of preemies but just wanted to say good luck

Chipmonkey, the nurses said to me that to preemies it feels like a tickle when they are stroked so better to hand hold or just keep your hand in one position on their tummy or something.