Natural delivery at 34 +3

[mrsbeanbump]

Hi, Just wanted to introduce myself in this area as had Dylan at 34+3 as a natural delivery. He spent 2 weeks in hospital due to initial breathing difficulties/maintaining temp, jaundice and then due to weight issues. We've been home now for over a month and I've been lurking here for a bit and thought it was time to introduce myself... I've still got questions as to why it happened that will never be answered.

I feel very lucky that he was born at a very heavy 6lb 2 oz, but I think because his birth weight was so healthy I've not been 'seen' to have had a premature baby. He spent 2 days in nicu and 1 day in scbu before coming onto transitional care. we were discharged after a week without any follow on plan or information about having a premie. TC team didn't plan to visit me at home. I was so glad to get home with him that I didn't think to ask any questions about him being premature and any special care he needed. Then the mw came the next day and he had lost so much weight we had to go back into hospital, but where he was born was full so we went to another scbu about 30 minutes away and stayed for another week to treat further jaundice and address gaining weight. At readmission he was borderline transfusion level for jaundice and he had lost 15% of birth weight.

So on discharge round 2, we still didn't get any further information about caring for him or his delayed development. I thought someone might want to come check up on him from transitional care team.

I dont know if I'm paranoid as we had it quite 'easy' compared to a lot of other premature births that I've read on here and heard about on the wards. I feel like I'm missing information or that all of a sudden he's going to get sick or that I'm on edge waiting for something. I get frustrated that everyone sees him as a full term baby.

Since being home we've established breastfeeding and thats going really well, he's gaining loads of weight and is in the 98th percentile for weight for his corrected age, but around 25th if it was normal. I feel in limbo as he was the weight of a full term baby, but came 6 weeks early and I am just waiting fearing that something has not developed properly.

Well I just wanted to say hello and tell you a little bit about myself... all your stories are soo inspirational. Thanks for letting me share x

 

[embojet]

Congratulations! We want pics!
Sounds like Dylan is doing really well. I'm sure he will be just fine x

 

[mrsbeanbump]

thanks embojet!!

I've tried to upload a pic but I'm not very good at it and it seems like they're all too big sizewise to upload... I don't know how to make them smaller

 

[nineena]

Hiya mrsbeanbump, werent you one of the july bumps too? Think i remember seeing you on the forums when you had Dylan. Does sound like he's doing really well but it is a little remiss of the hospitals not to give you a bit more information and advice. I dont speak from experience but i would imagine if he's gaining weight as well as you say and otherwise seems fine i doubt he'd have any problems from being premature. He wouldnt have needed any vitamins or folic acid becoz he wasnt that premature, i know Ella just missed out on needing them coz she was born at 35wks.

Hugs and welcome to this thread Oh and as for pics if you have a photo editor program (i use irfan view) you open the pic in that and theres an option to re-size down to the allowed pixel size xx

 

[mrsbeanbump]

Hi Nineena! Yeah I was on July bumps due!! what a suprise for him to come June 3rd, on dh's birthday too!!
I'm going to go try to resize now!

I'm also worried as I want to start trying for lo2 at some point and I'm quite scared that he/she will be prem too... I think I was running myself too thin and that could be why labour started early, the day before he was born I worked a 10 hour day and was out to dinner and drinks with friends.... then contractions started that night around 11pm, bloody show at around 2am, off to hospital for 4am and Dylan arrived at 6:36am!

 

[nineena]

Yeah im scared of having another pre-term baby too when we're feeling ready to try for number 2 but im not sure how it works if my next pregnancy doesnt have the same complications as this one did coz my labour started early due to the amount of fluid in my uterus although that wasnt diagnosed until my waters had actually started to go, think it's called poly something or other lol. So if i hadnt had that chances are Ella would have gone full term but that's something we'll never know now. I'm sure there's lots of support available though and closer monitoring when you do become pregnant again and i dont think it should put you off having another. My cousin has had 2 babies since her first was born at 30wks and she went full term with her other 2 pregnancies

With Ella my water's broke at 4am, contractions started at 4.20am and she was born 10:51am, these preemie babies sure do like to make a fast appearance, theyre just so excited to meet us hehe oh and Ella came in June too, on 18th 5wks early xx Hope you manage to get some piccies up xx

 

[mrsbeanbump]

think I've managed to suss it out!! I deffo want a lo2, even told dh while still in hospital as I'd always told him 'lets see how the first one goes' as you don't know what to expect!

so I've got pic of while jaundice treatment, one while still in hospital, and one from bath time last week...

 

[nineena]

Awww he's absolutely gorgeous Did he enjoy his bath? Ella hated hers lol

 

[mrsbeanbump]

He loves the bath!! well, by 'loves' I mean he doesn't cry hehe... He just lays there and I splash his hands and feet about, then he crys when he gets out.... so, I think I've got a little water baby!!

thanks for helping with my lack of technology knowledge Nineena!

 

[nineena]

Aww how lovely, least you'll have a nice clean baby, looks like i'll be stuck with a grubby1 that i have to bribe to get clean lol.

And re technology...its easy when you know how lol, took me a while to figure it out with help from my mum haha xx

 

[Groovychick]

He's a beautiful little boy. You should be very proud. Hope he gets better soon.

 

[poppykat]

Hi there and congtraulations on the birth of your Dylan.

Chloe was born at 34+6 and weighed 6lb 5oz so very similar to Dylan! We were lucky she only spent a week in SCBU.

I wanted to write because I know how you feel about people (and me to a degree) forgetting Chloe was premature. She is following the 91st centile for growth so is a big girl, and because of this I expect her to be able to do more. She is still quite floppy and can't support her head very well and has also only started smiling in the last few weeks, but when I see other babies who are the same age as Chloe and are also the same weight I feel a bit defensive of her (not sure if this is making much sense!) and I always tell people she was premature.

xx

 

[mrsbeanbump]

thanks groovychick

poppycat- totally know what you mean!!! It makes total sense!! Dylan is 7 weeks now and he has only started sticking his tongue out this past week. We've not had a smile yet but his head is really strong. Its like in some areas he's premie and others such as chloe, with weight its not an issue. Its frustrating to not know when to expect development, such as smiling which we should be getting now with Dylan basis a normal full term baby, but I dont know if I'm putting unneccessary pressure on him and myself by looking for it now.

Thanks for sharing, it does sound very similar story to Dylan!, do you mind me asking if you know why you gave birth early?

xx

 

[poppykat]

Chloe just went in to distress and her heartbeat was very low. I had obstetric cholestasis but they are not sure if this was the reason for it. Have added the link to my birth story as it explains what happened if you fancy reading it!

https://www.babyandbump.com/pregnan...0665-had-my-baby-girl-5-weeks-early-long.html

I was going to write a thread about premmies born at the same sort of gestation as Chloe and development milestones as I feel very guilty about expecting too much of her. Pleased to know I am not the only one feeling like this! It is great he is so good at holding his head, hope he starts smiling soon for you xx

 

[mrsbeanbump]

awww poppycat!! it brought tears to my eyes!! how traumatic!! And your poor oh!! I think it would be a great to have some sort of thread for development milestones! I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one to feel this way too!! and surely there must be more of us out there. I'm just over the moon that he's been sticking out his tongue!!! But I've yet to be quick enough to capture it on film!!

 

[New2Bumps]

I think I was running myself too thin and that could be why labour started early, the day before he was born I worked a 10 hour day and was out to dinner and drinks with friends...

I had these thoughts exactly, and was told that nothing I did would have made (in my case my waters break) early. Not in any way your fault! I also felt a tremendous sense of guilt that I couldn't 'hold onto him' long enough and that he had a terrible start, but 7 months down the line it's all fine.

I know what you ladies mean about a premmie with a good weight. We felt in limbo as we were the tiniest baby on the ward (the day he was there) and the largest by quite a bit in neonatal. Also, I always told ppl he was prem so that they didn't expect too much, but it was still hard when, even though he was the eldest out of our nct group, the other babies did everything before him.

 

[New2Bumps]

Poppykat, just read your birthstory. Wow. How awfully traumatic. Your daughter is beautiful

 

[poppykat]

ahhh thank you! Ethan is gorgeous too, such beautiful eyes. It was horrific at the time but have had some counselling and feeling a bit more positive about it all now.

 

[mrsbeanbump]

Glad to hear your a bit more positive now popykat!! I'm waiting for that to kick in! Its not that I'm not positive I'm just still a bit surreal that I have a little baby that is all mine!! I was waiting to have my maternity leave for the realization to kick in!! I thought I was going to be pregnant forever which probably didn't help my state of mind when Dylan came early!

on a side note I just read that drinking diet fizzy drinks could bring on early labour due to the sweetners in the diet versions. It makes me feel quite guilty now as I did like to drink Diet coke but I tried not to drink over my caffeine limit, never taking into consideration the artificial sweetners!! The artical was in practical parenting this month and said it was a recent study but drinking more than 1 can of diet drink a day 38% more likely to have a preemie and 4 or more cans a day you were 78% more likely to give birth early!!!

Now I have to admit I probably had more than 1 can a day. And even though I dont know that it could be the cause, I have a sneaky suspicioun this could be the reason and since last night I've been feeling very guilty.... stupid stupid diet coke addiction!!

I think i'm going to go cold turkey now though...

 

[New2Bumps]

on a side note I just read that drinking diet fizzy drinks could bring on early labour due to the sweetners in the diet versions. It makes me feel quite guilty now as I did like to drink Diet coke but I tried not to drink over my caffeine limit, never taking into consideration the artificial sweetners!! The artical was in practical parenting this month and said it was a recent study but drinking more than 1 can of diet drink a day 38% more likely to have a preemie and 4 or more cans a day you were 78% more likely to give birth early!!!Now I have to admit I probably had more than 1 can a day. And even though I dont know that it could be the cause, I have a sneaky suspicioun this could be the reason and since last night I've been feeling very guilty.... stupid stupid diet coke addiction!!

No no no! There you go again with the self blame!
I'd heard about avoiding diet drinks through a friend but didn't know why to avoid them. So, I avoided them and still had a premmie!

It's crappy I know, but it's just one of those things. I think not being able to pinpoint why it happened is the worst thing. I did ask my mw if it meant I'd have another premmie and she said absolutely not, next time could be overdue !

Poppycat glad you're more positive now. I think counselling should be offered to all mommies of preemies, especially the more emergency cases of giving birth like yours. I was lucky that Ethan was only in for a week and that was awful, I think any further complications mean it's all too much at once and then they come home and it all hits you.

It will all slot together in time mrsbeanbump, and you'll be able to make more sense of it. x