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Premature birth

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I'm giving birth to a very poorly 29 weeker tomorrow, any advice?

556 replies

Alb1 · 01/04/2017 19:47

I won't go into too much detail as it can be a little quiet on here and I don't want to pour my heart out to no replies Blush

Il be exactly 29 weeks tomorrow, the baby is very poorly and it's been made clear her chances arnt great if they deliver her. But we also don't have any options to help her if we leave her in utero, so she's clearly going to get more sick and die anyway. The doctors arnt giving an opinion of what they think is best so it's all been left down to us, although they said if I was past 32 weeks they'd deliver. So we feel we need to deliver as surly even a tiny tiny chance is better than no chance. Our last baby was stillborn to the same condition (we were told these things don't happen twice, we had absolutely no idea, and nither did the doctors, that it could reoccur) but we didn't find out until hours before she died last time so we couldn't do anything, this time we've been trying for over 4 weeks and have exhausted all options other than delivery.

Don't no what advice I'm looking for, has anyone else had a baby against the odds and how did it go? I think with the doctors not being able to offer an opinion I want to feel like I'm not making a selfish or wrong decision somehow Confused

OP posts:
purpleviolet1 · 11/05/2017 09:07

Really pleased for you alb!

LuchiMangsho · 11/05/2017 15:04

What's her gestation now? Ours sent home after 35 weeks usually. 4 bottles and 2 tubes is amazing. From that to going home was a week for us. Clever clever girl, your daughter is. Hooray.

grainmum · 15/05/2017 21:57

alb so pleased she's doing so well xxx

Alb1 · 20/05/2017 10:10

Just a little update to say our little girl came home on Thursday Smile she pulled her own feeding tube out on Monday so the nurses decided to give her a go without and that was that, took every bottle and came home a few days later at 46 days old (35+4), just 47 days after the scary 'possibly incompatable with life' talk from the doctors. She's still on medication for her heart and we have an outpatients appointment for that in a few weeks. I honestly can't believe how well things have turned out, and how little notice scbu give you about the baby coming home!

OP posts:
purpleviolet1 · 20/05/2017 10:19

Massive congratulations Alb!! Very happy for you. Enjoy every moment xxx

TheEagle · 20/05/2017 10:49

What a lovely update.

Congratulations to you and your precious DD Alb.

MiniMaxi · 20/05/2017 10:51

Congratulations! Amazing news!

paddypants13 · 20/05/2017 10:56

That's lovely news Alb. Really glad your little girl is doing well. Hope she's letting you get some sleep! x

SayItIsntSo1 · 20/05/2017 13:47

Congratulations Alb. I'm so pleased for you.

LuchiMangsho · 20/05/2017 14:54

Yay! Enjoy yourself at home. Congratulations!!

BarchesterFlowers · 20/05/2017 15:49

Brilliant news, congratulations to you all 💐💐💐💐.

NoLotteryWinYet · 20/05/2017 20:20

Wonderful news

Littleelffriend · 20/05/2017 20:21

Woop woop that's all I have to say.

sebashocked · 20/05/2017 20:25

What amazing news. Many many congratulations.

Mrsknackered · 21/05/2017 02:09

That is amazing. Well done to all of you Flowers

grainmum · 26/05/2017 14:20

Delighted you are home with your daughter, also interested in you getting home at 35+4, a bit different to planning for home at term!

Alb1 · 26/05/2017 17:56

Yeah they don't like to get your hopes up about going home early and I can see why, things change so quickly and once your gone that's it, if the baby gets re admitted they go to a normal children's ward not neonatal so they like them to be ready. But once they are ready they don't hang about! They invite you to 'room in' for the last few days but we could only do that for one night due to lack of childcare for our DS so it was quite a quick exit

OP posts:
TheLegendOfBeans · 26/05/2017 17:57

Was thinking about you today Alb, good to see a positive update xx

Smurf123 · 27/05/2017 15:50

Fantastic news Alb

Mamahotfoot · 28/05/2017 22:42

Hi there - just read through your thread and was taken back to my own experience 7 years ago. I wondered if you got help for the breast feeding? Sad that nurses in SCBU didn't do more to support as babies can start to learn to suckle while being tube fed. My own baby was born severely underweight at 30 weeks with a hole in his heart. He slowly learned how to breast feed when we got out of SCBU. He went on to bf fully and 7 years later is a burly little boy - you would never know that he'd been so tiny and vulnerable at the start. I hope you are enjoying your first weeks with your precious little girl xx

Alb1 · 28/05/2017 23:01

Hello, I did a little but they encouraged me to stick with bottles (of expressed breast milk) to get out of there faster, although I should add they did this knowing I prefer bottle feeding! I was giving DD one breast feed a day and she latches on perfectly, she's a real natural, but I still find it painful regardless of how good the latch is so we haven't picked it up more, just sticking to expressing. Glad to hear your little boy is doing well and not so little now Smile did the hole in the heart resolve itself? DD has one but I'm just quietly hoping it will close itself up at the minute...

OP posts:
DasPepe · 28/05/2017 23:11

I just came across this thread, so glad it's all going well!

I just wanted to comment - did you know you can rent hospital grade breast pumps. I've rented a medela one (double breasted but you can just pump one) for both my kids. DD1 had reflux and I couldn't breast feed, I pumped for 7 months. With DD2 I got it just to get me going and it did end up gathering dust once bf was established. It's not cheap (£37 p/m) but quick and helps build up milk supply. You can pump 100ml of milk from a breast in 10-12 min!

It was worth both times.

AtrociousCircumstance · 28/05/2017 23:12

Just wanted to say I have just read your whole thread from start to finish this eve and my heart was pounding throughout - so hoping your daughter would make it. I'm so delighted to read how well she's doing, I'm in tears! Congratulations Flowers x

grainmum · 29/05/2017 22:20

Alb did you express previously for your DS, and if not who helped you in the first 24h-ish? I expressed a bit later on for my son once breastfeeding established but aware that expressing from the start will be a different kettle of fish!

JoWithABow · 29/05/2017 22:28

Just returned to this thread after ages, congratuations!! Love how she pulled her own feeding tube out too, what a character. You must be so so pleased/relieved/amazed! So happy for you