Section at 34 weeks small baby.

[3happyangels3]

Hi everyone x am really scared as I'm due to have a section in 10 days (34 weeks) due to my baby being small, reduced fluid & I also have gestational diabetes. I have to have monitoring every day as his movements aren't great 😫. I'm really scared and keep panicking that my little man is going to be ok & worried about my journey ahead & would love to hear of anyone else's stories, advice, hand hold x have got so much going through my head x feel panicky just writing this post x thanks in advance xx

I’ve had 2 34weekers ( also a 35 and a 36 week we) but they were vaginal deliveries so not sure if I’m any help...

First 34weeker was ok, good size, needed cpap for few days then was in scbu till 11days when he came home.

Last dc was a 34 weeker and was gravely unwell but that was due to other matters not just the prematurity. However despite this came home at 9 days old

My dc3 was a 35 week section and needed no scbu at all! Hope t all goes well

I had a 31 weeker CS. She weighed in at 3lb and half an ounce....
all was fine, she stayed in NICU for about three and a half weeks and came home at four pounds.

She's just started her second year uni

It's great that you are past the mega crucial stage for lungs. As there are monitoring heavily, they will just be leaving him in to mature a little more. You may be able to feed at this stage too. My milk refused to come in quickly enough for my dd, which was annoying.

Have they given you steroid injections to mature his lungs? May not be necessary as this may have occurred naturally.

Thank you 😊 your stories are very reassuring. Very good weights as well. At my 32 week growth scan he was estimated to be 3ib, obviously a guess and I'm not going to know until he is here. I was admitted over night last week for steroids which I was so glad about to give him that extra boost. This is all very new to me even though it is my 4th child, others were born 36+ wks due to pre eclampsia x

My 33 weeker was born by emergency section on 21st Dec and weighed 4lb9.He's been in NNU since birth but is doing really well. He started off on a ventilator, as well as on IV fluids and antibiotics. He came off onto a vapotherm (CPAP) on day 2, started feeds on day 3 after concerns about his bowel (hadn't pooed and green aspirates from his feeding tube) and has since gone from strength to strength. He came off the CPAP on day 7 and is now up to 15ml feeds every 2 hours and should be off IV fluids tomorrow. Not sure how long until he'll be home but it's starting to feel closer.

I had my section last night 11:39 (33 weeks, 3ib14oz) & am waiting for my spinal to wear off so that I can go & visit my son in nicu x the baby doctor has been to see me & said that he is doing great, whilst on oxygen & came out crying which is a great sign x I am worried about the bumpy road ahead but feel reassured that he is in great hands xx

Good luck. 34 weekers do very well usually (I have a thriving 26 weeker). Come join us on the Parents of Preemies Support U.K. Group. We are friendly and there are lots of very knowledgeable women.

Sorry I should have added: the group is on FB. And congratulations on your baby!

I will definitely join you on that group, it is scary and I know it is going to be a bumpy ride ahead. I still haven't managed to produce any colostrum but hopefully each day will be better from hand expressing, he is on CPAP & taking 1ml of prem milk every hour, I am so excited for my 1st cuddle x

Congratulations!

Ask the hospital if they would put you on a pump to get the milk going.

I had my twins at 34+4 via an emergency csec. They were fine both were taken to the NICU as you have to stay there until 35 weeks at the hospital I was at and they had a bit of jaundice but other than that they were ok.

Congrats! I had my son at 33 weeks, he was a big bigger though. 4pounds 9. He cried at birth too, and although he had a bad infection he was out of NICU in a week, and home after 2.5 weeks.
Focus on pumping when you get well enough, there will be a pumping room, and ask for help on how to use the hospital pumps. I found it lovely there because it was a space just for mums who were sharing the experience. They understood the stress, the rollercoaster of emotions, and it was a moment away to yourself without guilt.
Be ready for a lot of baby watching. We would be there 12 hours a day mainly watching him when we could. (You get thrown out quite a lot for many reasons)

Hand expressing; get someone to show you. I had a chat with a colleague's wife who is a lactation consultant. She said the following:

1. Sir diwn. Relax. Have a cup of tea. Look at a photo of the baby.

2 hand Express for short periods- 2/3 mins per side and swap. Do this 5 times and stop. Try again 90 min later. Instead of long bursts with long gaps express little and often.

1. When your milk comes in they recommend expressing 8 times a day. Honestly honestly, that's not enough. Most newborns will feed way more to stimulate your supply. Your baby will be ready to latch on soon (mine was too small so took a month) but I started with 10-12 times a day and then once my supply was established at least 8 times. Good luck!!

Also I sincerely hope they don't throw you out frequently. Lots of people have been working on a campaign to minimise separation. Not all Units are on board and sometimes (when something bad happens on the Unit) parents may be asked to leave. But we have been campaigning to keep that to a minimum and to particularly not exclude during ward rounds.

Luchi that's good to hear. We used to be thrown out for up to an hour for standard ward rounds, longer if there was something further to discuss about the babies (or it was Sunday!). Really hard if you've been held up doing the million things they want on maternity ward and just made it to NICU to be told there is no access.

Hi OP I'm a bit late to the party but wanted to say I hope all is going ok. My son was born at 33+6 in August 2016 and although it was tough to start with he's now a strapping 16 month old!

Hope you manage to get home soon. I've not read all previous responses so don't know if this has already been said, but worth bearing in mind your little one won't know how to suck until around 35-36 weeks equivalent so you might be in hospital for a little while even if all ok health wise. Hang on in there!

PS congratulations! Does your little man have a name yet?

Yes x we've called him ❤️Ronnie Alan❤️ I had my 1st ever cuddle yesterday 😁Amazing 🤗 they tried him off the cpap for an hour yesterday but he became tired so put it back on, I understand that little steps & he will get there. His milk has been upped to 2ml per hour. I managed to get my colostrum flowing last, only a small amount 😊 but very pleased, feel like I'm helping ❤️ using the hospital breast pump 👍. I am looking at being discharged today, I feel apprehensive about this but my children are missing me like crazy, 3 other boys, football team ⚽️😂😂 age 18,13 & 10 x thank you all so much for your advice, experiences & support its very comforting xx

Is this the Facebook page you were mentioning there seems to be so many 🤔 & I don't want to join the wrong one ☺️

Yes that's us.