Feel like I have no control 32 weeks

[Limboparents]

Hi first time posting on this board.

I am currently 32 + 4. Since a scan at 28 weeks they have been concerned about my placenta as the pressure in the cord has been high. So they have been doing scans twice a week to monitor the situation. We were told they’d try to get me to 34 weeks but it was unlikely. Baby is also measuring small, she dropped from the 10th percentile to below 3 at the last growth scan.

We had a scan on Friday and they were concerned about the oxygen measurements in the babies head (they are high, which I think suggests they are putting it at all there where they need it?) and they told us that we are close to delivery, we were to come back this morning for another scan and to be ready to have the baby today or early this week.

The cord and brain measurements were the same today so it looks like the situation is stable and they now want me to come back on Thursday for another scan where they’ll do cord and brain measurements as well as growth measurements as I am due this. The consultant is now talking about us getting to 34 weeks and then the question will be if they can get us to 36.

We understand it’s not a black and white situation and there are several things they are going to be taking into account. The main consideration being that she is still better in than out. The consultants have been great and have really tried to explain things to us which we both appreciate and we feel grateful for the good care we are receiving.

We know the longer the baby is in there the better, but I can’t help but feel a bit flat today. I was ready for it to happen. My work have been really good about it and I am still working from home and the office, but I did pull my mat leave date forward to the 34 week mark as I was told there was no chance of going beyond that. It’s not the end of the world, but I can’t push it back and I’m worried I’ll be sat at home worrying about it once I’m finished.

I feel mentally exhausted and like I’ll be done in by time the baby arrives. I’ve been told to have a low threshold for coming in if I feel movements are reduced which has me on edge.

I had also resigned myself to a c section, which I was totally ok with. But if I get to 36 weeks they might want to induce me, which I feel totally unprepared for.

Compared to some of the older threads I have been reading on here I know that we are in a good place getting this far and the baby will most likely be ok. I just wanted to vent and ask if anyone has been in a similar situation with being told they were unlikely to make it to 34 weeks and then been told they might see 36 weeks?

I was in the exact same position, first discovered at 27 weeks and was told at every scan there’s a possibility of early delivery and that I wouldn’t make it past 32 weeks. It was nerve wracking but I did make it to 35 weeks before they decided to induce as blood flow had reversed and growth had stopped.

I had steroid injections, then induction started at 35+5.. baby was born at 36 weeks weighing 1.6kg so super tiny. Spent 1 week in NNU, but didn’t need help with breathing, blood sugars stable, temp stable.. just needed to establish feeding. She’s now a healthy (albeit small) feisty 2 year old (3 in May).

How are things now @Limboparents?

@PritiPatelsMaker hi thanks for asking.

Have another scan tomorrow morning, but from the scan I had on Thursday it seems like if the situation with the cord and oxygen levels in her brain stay stable they’ll try and keep her in until 36 weeks. But they’ll continue to get me in for scans twice a week to monitor the situation.

I asked on Thursday what would happen if I made it in to 36 weeks if it would be a planned section or induction. He said that they would weigh things up. If the baby seemed happy they might try inducing, they’d also do an internal examination to see what my cervix is like and if it is likely to work. I’m really not keen on the idea of induction but I am trying to keep an open mind as I know In an ideal situation it could better for the baby. I just worry that there’s so much that could go wrong with it and in the end up having an emergency section.

I am just trying to chill out and take every scan at a time. The baby has been quite active lately so that’s taken some of the worry away on that side of things. I’ll be 34 weeks on Thursday coming which will be great as at 28 weeks they said they’d doubt we’d make it this far. I’m finishing up on work on Thursday which I feel a bit weird about, but I’ll try to have a little routine and get the house into a good place.

The growth scan last week also showed that she has grown about 300g in 2 weeks. She hasn’t quite kept up with curve but the consultant said it’s not that concerning as it’s still a reasonable amount of growth.

Hoping it's all still gods for tomorrow. It would be great if you can get to 34 weeks

Wanted to come back and update as there are so many posts on this board without a conclusion and it drove me mental when I was pregnant and desperately looking for people who had been in similar situations.

5 weeks ago my daughter was born at 34 weeks and 4 days.

Went in for a scan and our usual consultant had gone to Turkey to help in the earthquake relief. After a weekend of reduced movements I was relieved to be feeling stronger movements, the consultant was struggling to get the measurements required because she was moving so much so we had to go away for an hour and come back. Got the measurements and the consultant seemed reasonably happy for us to go away and get another scan during the week. She wanted us to for a CTG first as she thought there may be an irregular heartbeat, but suspected it was probably due to the baby moving around so much.

They really struggled to track her heartbeat and at one point the midwife pushed the emergency button and about 20 people came running because her heart rate dropped. I could feel her moving all the way through this so wasn’t overly concerned but my partner was looking very pale. I went for another scan and heart beat was fine. Decision was then made to keep me in overnight for monitoring and then to have a c section the next day.

They had issues monitoring her heart rate again so this very quickly changed to a section imminently. Although it didn’t feel rushed at all, I had enough time to be explained everything, think of questions and ask them. But not too much time to get worried.

She was born within 4 hours of us entering hospital for a scan. She was born crying at 1750g. She had a little of bit Oxygen and then only needed a bit of pressure, but only needed help with her breathing for about 12 hours.

She was in an incubator in the intensive care room of the neonatal unity for 5 days, and then moved to the special care unit. She had on and off light therapy for jaundice during our stay. She was tube fed for about a week and then she took to breastfeeding and bottles of expressed breast milk. We got home at 2 weeks to the day and have now been home for 3 weeks.

She is so beautiful!

@Limboparents thanks so much for updating! Currently in a very similar situation and feeling the same limbo and concerns you described in your posts above. We started bi-weekly Doppler checks last week and I have my next growth scan on Friday when I will be 31+5. Everything feels so up in the air. I've been told they may want to deliver him around 33/34wks OR if everything looks ok they will obviously try to keep him in as long as possible. The uncertainty is a bit tough mentally! Also, the movement thing has really spooked me too. Got me second guessing everything I'm feeling and whether it's enough etc. Really appreciated reading your update and the gorgeous pic of your little one. So glad she got here safely 🥰