Anyone else had a 35/36 weeker?

[lotsofcheese]

I'm 35+5 with my 2nd pregnancy & had steroids for possible delivery by CS on Friday. My DS was born at 29 weeks, due to severe PE & weighed only 1lb 9oz, so I have experience of extremely premature, rather than a wee bit early.

I'm really pleased to have got this far, but not quite sure what to expect at this stage, in terms of:

• birth weight (baby is on 50th centile)?
• scbu admission?
• jaundice?
• feeding?
• were you able to hold your baby straight after delivery?
• anything else you think I need to know?

Thanks!

Miaow - thank you so much for the detailed response - I really appreciate it.

The steroids are kicking in now, and I feeling that agitated way. It's not helped by my 4 year old being dragged off to his grandparents, wailing for mummy. He's not usually clingy but seems to know something is up.

He had reflux too & was silent at birth, plus I didn't get to hold him as he was whisked off to NICU very ill.

DD1 was 36 weeks exactly. I'd had steroids at 31 weeks due to placenta praevia. In answer to your Q:

Weight: 5lb 7.5oz (I think this was about 50th percentile for her prematurity)
SCBU admission: None although she was in a 'hot cot' next to my bed as her blood sugars fell after birth
Jaundice: Prolonged jaundice (beyond 8 weeks) but only monitoring - no actual treatment needed and resolved itself
Feeding: A bit crap as she was SO sleepy. Had to wake her every 3hrs to feed and then a bit rubbish. Expressed colostrum and then continued feeding + expressing and bottle feeding for a few weeks. It was hard but 100% breast fed (I dug my heels in lol). Having said this, DD2 was a also a crap feeder and not premature so it might have just been me!)
Held DD straight after delivery (well once AGPAR scores checked and ok)
We were released 48hrs after delivery, although I did go to a local MLU cottage hospital to try and establish feeding. I could have gone home straight away.

I found it very useful after the CS for the midwives to swaddle DD. I could lean out of my bed and pick her up by the rolled up bit of swaddle without too much strain

Take all painkillers offered after the CS

She was a Fab sleeper (hence having to wake to feed ) and she slept 7-7 from 8 weeks. She is still a brilliant sleeper

Good luck for Friday and happy to answer any more Q's

i went into labour early and was v afraid. i was being monitored in hospital,and they sent a paed over to me to reassure me that at this point, ds was nearly free and clear,and that babies born at this point thrive, thrived and are not medically a big concern.

ds was born at 34+6 weighing 5lb13 1/2 which is quite good! his apgar score was good too, a 9 i think. i got to hold him for a little while before he was taken to SCBU for checks, but he was back up on the ward with me after an hour or so. i had group b strep (they swabbed me at some point) so he had to have antibiotic through a cannula. siting that was awful. .

he also had his blood sugars checked (after every feed? before? not sure, can't remember) and they would prick his heel and kind of milk the blood out. i remember his feet were bonier than his full term sister, poor guy.

he was jaundiced and v sleepy so was cup fed my milk. i had bf my first, so knew i could do it iyswim so i powered through. it was very hard though, and he was around 6 weeks old before he could feed directly. had he been my first i think i would not have persevered. this experience completely knocked the urge to judge anyone's feeding choices out of me, so there's one good thing!

the first few weeks were so hard, but they often are, and i had a 2 year old to manage as well- i don't know that him being early made that big a difference.

he starts school in september!

congratulations and all the best for the birth

No advice but just wanted to say how great it is that you've made it this far in the pregnancy. Having had the severe pre-ec / extreme prem / severe iugr nightmare myself with DC1 it is great to hear that things can be much better second time around. Best of luck and I hope you get unlimited and worry-free early cuddles.

Yes, One just under 36 weeks and one just over. DS1 was 7lbs, and on 90th centile within a few weeks. He's now 20 and 6'4. He had jaundice ( apparently common with early babies) and we had to stay in hospital for a week so that he could be treated with lights ( I didn't like that, they blindofld the baby) and it has to stay in incubator with lights all the time except for feeding. But we stayed on a normal ward, and it was pretty low key. It also made him very sleepy, so feeding was challenging to start with, and I had to use the milking machine.
DS3 is now 12, and as tall as me, no problems at all, also on very high centile. He weighed 8lbs+ at 36+4, normal home birth.
Good luck, hope it all goes well!

Thanks everyone - these are such reassuring stories. For me, it will hopefully be very different from DS.

I had a c-sectio before, so know what to expect there.

A take-home baby has been such a dream for me & the thought that it might happen has almost been too much to hope for.

I've really struggled to cope emotionally in this pregnancy & it will be such a relief to have it over, with baby out safely.

I had a 36 weeker she weighed 6lb 14oz, needed scbu due to 'growling' !!!

Which I think means breathing difficulties and was jaundiced, was in scbu for a week I think but fed o.kay ish and I was able to bf with some mix feeding at times.

Slept well

DS2 was 36 weeks (went into labour naturally, 4 hours after growth scan). He was 7lb 4oz, very alert at birth, and we were home within 10 hours. He followed his 75th centile line from 3 months. .

(He does have mild asthma, but no idea if it is linked.)

DS was 34+5 (so slightly earlier than you want) after an emcs. We only managed one steroid shot and his breathing was fine. He was 5lb1lb (50th centile I think) and was straight on the ward with me. Slight jaundice but nothing that regular feeding didn't fix although the hosp wanted formula top-up as he wasn't latching very well. I was told that SCBU admittance depended on weight: Under 2kg was a definite, over 2.5 was on ward. We were in the middle but were fine.
He was born Thurs am and we went home on the Sunday.
Nine months on and he's now on the 75th and has completely caught up.
Boys have a higher risk of hernia due to balls not dropping yet. DS had to have an op at 2 months for this.

Thanks for all your advics everyone, I'm at the hospital just now & having a section either tonight or tomorrow, depending on when there's a space on the list.

All the very best cheese. I hope you are holding your baby very soon

So do I - should be within the next hour or two!

Oh, how exciting! Good luck

Good luck Cheese!

Hope all is going well cheese :-)

Baby Alice born by emcs at 10.49 last night. Got to hold her & she came to the ward last night so I had cuddles :-)

Her blood glucose is a little low, despite

Oops posted too soon. Was saying Alice has low sugars despite me expressing (albeit small amounts) & topping up with formula, so she was taken to scbu this morning for feeding.

The scbu Dr's seem to think she's fairly likely to get Jaundice so may be in 5-7 days at most.

She weighed in at 5lb 3oz & has a little blonde hair - she's just lovely & I'm so glad she's here safely after a stressful high-risk pregnancy x

Congratulations! She's a good weight.

Congratulations!!!

Congratulations!

i had a 36 weeker, emergency cs after sudden pre eclampsia diagnosis. Ben was 3lb 14, spent a day in scbu getting acclimatised jn an incubator with a blood sugar drip. then over to the the ward with me and we came home 4 days later.