thread for those pregnant after previous preterm birth

[KD0706]

Hi all
My DD was born at 31+1, as far as I know there was no reason found for why she came early.

I'm now 11 wks pg with DC2 and I've been told that when I have my first scan appointment I'll also have a consultant appointment to discuss how this pregnancy will be managed, answer any concerns I have etc.

I'm sure the consultant will no doubt cover everything but I thought I'd go in with a list just in case I forget something in the meeting and then later wish I'd addressed it.

My current thoughts are

1 brief chat about DD, what happened with her, confirm whether it was unexplained etc

2 chances of another prem birth (think I was told at the time 1 in 3 chance, and likely to be at same stage)

3 elcs or vbac (dd was emcs). If Caesarian then how will that be managed in a premature labour (with DD I was having regular contractions for four days before I was in 'proper' labour)

4 what if any extra scans or checks will I have? Will I have steroid injections as a matter of course - if so when?

5 I considered mentioning the progesterone pessary which I think has had some good trial results. Presumably not available on nhs but maybe privately?

6 what to do if I do start contractions again. Do I go in immediately I feel a twinge or wait till I'm sure it's something? And will they put me on the drip to try to stop it again?

If anybody has any other thoughts or any experiences they'd be willing to share I'd be v grateful.

Hello. Pleased all is going well bearcrumble and efeslight

All fine here. No more dramas. I'm not feeling 100% but no idea whether I'm just being paranoid. My bump is really achey, and I'm getting pains in my back, hips and pelvis. But I don't know whether that's just normal (or certainly within normal range) for somebody in their third trimester.
Having tightenings/braxton hicks/contractions on and off. Some sorer than others, but no real pattern, and they're certainly not developing any, so fingers crossed.

I'm now 30 weeks pregnant. I have my fingers crossed I can hold on to at least 34. In my hospital (maybe all), that's the stage at which they say the babies lungs are developed so no need for steroids. Fingers crossed.

Hope everybody else is having a positive uneventful pregnancy.

hi all been ages since i last post glad everyone is doing well and getting positive news!
had the optimum trial and like you KD0706 dont really feel reassured by it.
but supose i just have to nuckle down and get on with it.
moved area as well and we are staying with my DPs while we look for a place which im finding to be more stressful then originally thought!
am 24+5 now and enjoying feeling LO moving around and being very active.
will try check back in here more often now!
sending hopeful thoughts to u all that we reach are targets and more!

Good luck to all the ladies on here. There are few names I recognise and I have all my fingers crossed for you. Hoping to find myself on here in the not too distant future but the OH needs to agree first!!!

Hi can I join? Am 20 weeks pregnant with number 5 after delivering at 35,31,33,34 weeks. Having four weekly scans and monthly swabs but nothing is showing up, booked in for steroids at 28 weeks.
Consultant is refusing to do cervix length scans and any other tests.

Hi all,

sparklygothcat - Congrats on being pregnant again. Can't believe your consultant is refusing after your history! I'd demand a new one - that's just shit and careless. Where are you based? Cervical length at your gestation is a good indicator of whether or not you're going to go into early labour and studies show progesterone pessaries can help. So if there's something that can be done it should be.

efeslight Glad to hear one of your arteries is back to normal. Good luck with the GD test.

KD0706 Sorry you've not been feeling all that. Hope things are ok now - let us know what's going on with you.

IOWmum88 Hope you find a place soon.

I had my 32 week growth scan and uterine artery dopplers today, all looks well. Blood pressure read high the first couple of times they took it which was weird as everything else looked ok but then the doctor did it again and it was normal so probably just a blip with the machine. I wasn't feeling stressed out or anything. We have a sphyg at home so will get DH to check it more regularly now we're in the zone where it might start to go up.

Is it just me or do all of you feel like even though things are going ok you won't actually believe it is going to be ok until you are holding your living, breathing baby? There's still a part of me that doesn't want to count my chickens until they are hatched. I don't mean I'm in a constant state of panic like I was last time when things weren't right, just that I have that sense of 'you never know' and I'm holding back a little bit on the being happy/excited stuff. Hasn't stopped me buying loads of cute little girl clothes though!

Hi. I'm in herts. I going to phone st Thomas hospital on Monday as I spoke to a midwife there earlier in my pregnancy and she said she would refer me to the consultants there if my team were crap.

Hi all. Good to hear everybody is doing well.
sparkly I agree you should seek a second opinion re getting cervical length scans etc. we had fibronectin test too.

Well, my chat... I'm 31+4 now. For the past week or so I've been having really sore contraction like pains for the past week or two. As sore as proper contractions but not lasting very long, maybe 15-20 secs, and no pattern to them. I'm also losing my mucus plug.

I've spoken to my consultant. She said I just have to keep an eye on things and go into hospital as soon as there's any pattern to the pains. She says they are braxton hicks, though I didn't think braxton hicks were supposed to hurt this much. I'm also having lots of pain free tightenings, and am generally feeling a constant period like ache in my bump.

I am assuming my cervix is dilating a bit, hence losing the mucus plug. But my consultant doesn't want to risk examining me in case she sets things off.

Anyway, my good news is that I had a growth scan at 31 weeks and the baby is growing really well, it's sitting at the top of the 'normal' section on the growth chart. And I delivered DD at 31+1 so I have already beaten my own record!

I totally know what you mean bearcrumble about not quite believing it until I hold my baby. I haven't bought much, I'm too scared to. But I am starting to feel more optimistic that even if the baby came along now it would have a really good chance of coming through it all unscathed.

I went to my consultant with a list of things I wanted done to check and he just said there was no point. So st Thomas it is

I hope st Thomas can sort you out with the care you deserve, sparkly

I am in hospital
Up in the night contracting roughly every three mins, for about 30 sec at a time. It's not really moved on from there, still about the same timings.

Had a foetal fibronectin test which was negative, which is great - 99% chance I won't go into labour proper in next fortnight. But what the heck is happening to me?? I just know I wish it would stop.

I've had first dose of steroids and various painkillers in an effort to make me more comfortable and slow things down. Nothing's really working though and it really hurts

Oh no, thinking of you KD0706 - I hope things settle down and they are able to discharge you.

Have you been tested for infections - swabs and urine?

Good news about the fibronectin test.

Have they done a cervical scan?

So sorry you are in pain and scared. It's horrible. I wish I could do something to help, you've been so supportive to everyone on this thread.

Keep us updated.

Hi bear thanks for your message.

Looks like I'm one of the 0.7% who can have negative fibronectin and still go into labour.

I had an internal last night which showed I was 1-2 cm dilated and had bulging waters. Waters still intact but I've had a bloody show.

I'm on a drip to stop/slow down labour, which is working and I'll be on it till my last dose of steroids, at 8 tonight. Then it's anybody's guess.

I will update, albeit that my story maybe isn't what you other ladies want to hear.

I'm so sorry you are going through this again, it's so unfair.

Babies born at this gestation are usually as healthy (eventually) as those born full term, you've had a chance to have the steroids which will mature baby's lungs so hopefully she or he will be able to breathe alone or with a little bit of help.

I'm sorry you're going to have to spend time in SCBU, it sucks. Sending lots of love and un-mumsnetty hugs. Please remember none of this is your fault so don't start feeling guilty.

Of course we want to hear how you and baby are getting on, don't think otherwise for a second.

Which hospital are you in?

Hello KD0706,

will be thinking of you, hope the labour slows down soon, and you have plenty of help and support. xx keep posting if you can

If you want to 'follow' me (sounds like twitter!) Ive got a thread in chat called something like 'is anybody awake and want to contraction watch with me'

I'm off the drip and having moderate pains every 10-15 mins. Don't think it's looking good for longer term but I'm 32 weeks in 20 mins!!!

And thank you for your lovely wishes

Just a quick update that DD2 was born at 5.22am, not even 12 hrs after her last dose of steroids. She weighed 1800g which was a fab weight for her gestation.

She cried when she was born and breathed fine on her own, but was put on cpap (just air, no oxygen) for her first 12 hrs to support her breathing. She's off the cpap now but is being given caffeine due to having a few wee apnoeias.

She is being tube fed and is already taking 6ml every three hrs, about to increase to 9mlz. So she's keeping me busy on the expressing front.

I'm knackered but very proud of her and delighted at her progress so far.

Congratulations KD - wonderful news. They come when they want to - not much anyone can do I suppose. Perhaps she knew something you and the doctors didn't and it was best for her to come out. Sounds like she's going to be just fine!

Aww congrats kd. Sounds like she is doing well xx

Congratulations KD hope ur both doing well. So much for the fibronectin test. Keep us updated on her progress.

Congratulations KD and well done on the expressing. Sounds like she is doing brilliantly.

Hi all.
DD is doing ok. She's out of intensive care and on high dependency.

She is breathing completely on her own, and never needed ventilated at all. Her feeds were up at 21ml every three hours but she had a vomit and an aspirate the night before last so they stopped her milk feeds and are now gradually increasing them. She's up to 12ml, with the majority of her nutrition coming from tpn on a drip.

She is on antibiotics as they thought she had an infection but initial tests are showing no infection so hopefully she'll be off the antibiotics tomorrow.

I think that's all our chat. I think it's just a case of time, waiting till she gets a bit bigger and stronger.

Hope everybody else is well.

And yes iowmum so much for the allegedly infallible fibronectin!! Or else I'm just a freak of nature!!

Congratulations KD. Sounds like your DD is doing amazing, very impressed with those feeding stats :) 32 weeks is very respectable, you both did good x

Congratulations KD! 1800g is great and it sounds like she's doing well. Bloomin' awful to be going through the SCBU experience again but you'll be an expert with those docs now! and hopefully skilled in the art of 'taking every day as it comes'!!

Latest update.
They've confirmed DD doesn't have an infection do they've stopped her antibiotics.
Her feeds are racing up and she's on 24ml per feed.
They are talking about moving her out of her incubator and into a heated cot.
And putting clothes on her!

Oh and when she had her 2pm tube feed she sucked on her finger, so fingers crossed there's some sucking reflex / appetite there.

How is your little one badnails ? Hope she's doing well.

And I hope all the pregnant ladies are doing well, I'm assuming that no news is good news from you all.

Great news KD, hopefully this is a short trip in NICU for the both of you. Fingers crossed for a hot cot and clothes. Ah, clothes, what a good day it is when that happens :)

My DD is doing really well, thank you for asking. HV has been and DD is a whiff off weighing 6lbs!!

Hope it's a good day for everyone x