Pregnancy after our preemies support thread!

[Lianne1986]

well im happy to say im past the stage where i had my bleed and lost my mucus plug with tyler

Baby Jaiden is being a good boy

 

[AP]

Woo hoo lianne!

10 days til i went into labour with Alex

 

[Lianne1986]

do u find urself gettin more and more scared? i am lol

i just think anytime now.

thw thing is i feel worse in this pregnancy than i did with tyler but i had him early. it just seems weird to me. kwim?

hope ur doin well sb x

 

[Lottie86]

Crap I have just realised I am 11 weeks today so provided I get that far I have only got 12 weeks before I need to have my hospital bag sorted just in case, EEEEEK

Can you ladies answer a question for me, is prem labour shorter than term labour and what kind of duration are we talking about? I'm trying to work out how realistic my thoughts of getting down to Edinburgh are (it's 3 1/2 hrs provided traffic is ok) if I go into prem labour as my local maternity hospital has an awful reputation and so I have absolutely no intention of having baby there unless there is no other choice and I know Edinburgh has a fantastic reputation for their neonatal care.

Due to the weather we didn't get down to my Mum's so she still has no idea I'm even pregnant. Really not the kind of thing I wanted to tell her over the phone (although my OH did point out that then when she starts shouting at me I can at least hold the phone well away from my ear ) but I'm not going to have much choice but to do it over the phone and I'm going to have to do it sooner rather than later in case anything happens as she'll be even more angry if the first she finds out about the pregnancy is if I'm rushed in with complications with my health or the baby. I know she'll be going mad purely because she loves me, worries about me and lives 640 miles away so can't even keep an eye on me but I'm still terrified to tell her

 

[Lianne1986]

im not sure about prem labour being the same as normal labour.

with tyler he was born at 32 weeks and at 6pm i was 4cm dilated and he wasnt born until 7.40am the next day

i think it depends on each woman/baby.

sorry im not much help x

 

[AP]

Well, lot tie, I think you need to be very in touch with your own body. my first contraction was about 9.45pm, I didn't know what that was. Went to an outpatients appointment at 12pm. They didn't know what was wrong with me.

at about 2am they realised I was 9cm dilated and I then had my waters broken and Alex came at 6am.

Bite the bullet with your mum, pick a day where you can sit down at chat to her on the phone, no interruptions. Best you can do in this case now. Try and play it all down

Lianne, today I refused to spend 40 quid on a support belt because I was convinced it was a waste should I pop tomorrow. :/ nothings saying I will, but nothing ever did with Alex so how can I trust my body?maybe it gives up at 27 weeks? I dunno?

Went buggy shopping, think I'm going for the phil and teds explorer with doubles kit. Alex has clicked another switch so to speak and I now have a toddler on my hand with an attitude.

I did get a support banD from boots but dunno if anythings working....

 

[Lianne1986]

tbh the belt i have doesnt really do anything, it makes my bump look like a lump of fat, it kinda pushes everything up

ims till in pain a lot too. i know what u mean hun about not wanting to spend tht uch money on a belt, i wouldnt of either even if it sum1 sed i was gonna go to 40weeks

i had to laugh when u sed tht about alex, bless her, did she enjoy xmas?

 

[AP]

She was a raving loon at xmas! Having DH around for xmas really has done her some good!

 

[Lianne1986]

aww lol

 

[Lianne1986]

my bump at 30wks 2days x

 

[AP]

You have got a nice tidy bump! Mines is about that size already!

 

[Lianne1986]

is it lol? why dont u post a pic of ur bump? everyone keeps tellin me im massive lol

 

[AP]

Right, I will tomorrow! X

 

[Lianne1986]

looking forward to it x

 

[mummy3]

Thats a nice bump Lianne

Sb, at doon, I'm scottish but live in San Diego now so its nice to 'hear' some scots Yea physio is really good, but I have weekly appointments too so fitting everything in is a nightmare!

Got the progesterone again later,hope they can get it in the right place this time...

 

[AP]

Thats a nice bump Lianne

Sb, at doon, I'm scottish but live in San Diego now so its nice to 'hear' some scots Yea physio is really good, but I have weekly appointments too so fitting everything in is a nightmare!

Got the progesterone again later,hope they can get it in the right place this time...

Right place? Dare I ask?.......

 

[nkbapbt]

Ugh so I went to the so called specialist today and she's just a normal OBGYN. She has only delivered 32 and up preemies, and refers the rest (due to the NICU at the hospital where she delivers being only a Level 2). She won't stitch my cervix, as she doesn't think it will help. She says there is nothing that can be done. I am just being treated as any other pregnant woman. I won't get extra ultrasounds to measure cervix length just in case...

I am not sure this is ok. What do you ladies think?? Should I maybe go to the high risk center where my GP had suggested before? He did highly recommend this woman, and she does seem very nice and smart. But I don't know. She said they will look at cervix length at the 18 detailed US and address the stitch then maybe.

GAH!

 

[Sherri81]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I think you need to listen to your gut with this pregnancy. After having such a micro preemie before, you are automatically bumped into a high risk category, and as such, you need more care than a 'regular' pregnant woman. Their whole objective should be to get you farther along than before, and as close to term as possible.

Who are you seeing? I know you are in the Vancouver area. Do you go through the BC Women's Hospital? I know they have a whole bunch of clinics there, but so far, I have to admit, I'm not happy with them at all. So I would take anything they say there with a grain of salt.

Lets see.... my experience with BC Women's.... A Recurrent Miscarriage Clinic who told me I would never get pregnant again (Nov 2009), and that I may as well buy a book called 'Coming to Terms,' and think about adopting. A hematologist who said I should never be put on blood thinners because they will never help me in my situation as there is nothing to show a blood clotting disorder (and have subsequently been pregnant twice since then, and in both of these, I have had almost no bleeds, which was a regular occurrence in the other pregnancies. With Devon there wasn't a single bleed, and with this one, I have had one minor bleed which was about 1/2 a teaspoon [knock on wood there won't be any more]). Lets see... what else? Oh, then there was Devon's birth, and even though I was admitted, IN LABOUR, I was put into a room and no one came to see me for 3 hours!! I was not given a nurse call bell, I was not told where one was, my IV was NOT hooked up, my door was closed and that was that for 3 hours!! Then the NICU staff said to me (before she was born and while she had a good heartrate), 'look you aren't as far along as you think you are because the ultrasound says you are 4 days earlier (I took Clomid people, I know when it happened!), and so there isn't a chance that she is going to make it, so do you want us to just give her to you after she is born?'

Yeah, they gave up on her before she was even born!

Then, she was born at 2:56AM, she passed away around 3:30AM, I delivered the placenta around 7:30AM, was wheeled upstairs around 8AM and was discharged at 12PM. That was that!! No counselling, no nothing! I had a Dr come in at 11:30AM and she said that I was okay to go, even though I had only had about 2 tablespoons of blood come out since her delivery, and that I didn't need antibiotics even though it was obviously I was highly infected when I delivered her 10 hours earlier! And this was their head of obstetrics!! And guess what.... the infection continued to grow in my uterus, causing me to almost become septic and I needed IV antibiotics 3 weeks after her birth, and a D&C 4 weeks after her birth! I also wasn't told what to expect for feelings, discharge, pain etc after birth. I wasn't given a peri bottle (which apparently is pretty standard, or a sitz bath, which I'd never heard of). I also wasn't told when to see a Dr. I was discharged like a woman who had walked in off the street with nothing wrong with her.

I was then referred back to one of their MFMs, who flat out refused to do anything I questioned him about. He never even looked up answers for me. I asked about a medicine, he said no, its not available without looking. And guess what, I found out that antibiotics in low doses ARE given to pregnant women in Canada to prevent the reoccurrence of chronic infections. AND the P17 shot I wanted IS available in Canada as a trial IF you live in Alberta. But he said it wasn't even available. He flat out refused me any sort of bedrest in hospital. He flat out refused any Toxolytics. And guess what... right now, my regime includes the blood thinners he didn't want me on, the Prometrium he didn't want me on, and daily Nifedipene which he didn't want me on (will be started at 20 weeks). Oh, and my Dr up here wants me on bedrest from 21 weeks on...

So really... what good has BC Womens done for me? I have very serious aprehensions about delivering there, and if possible, I want to avoid it completely!! I had better treatment in Victoria!

So if you are getting help through BC Women's, I would seriously look into other options. I think they think they are a top notch hospital, but when it comes down to it, I think they would rate a very low 2 star out of 5 stars for a hospital.

 

[nkbapbt]

Darn I had this super long post typed and then my computer went bananas.

Sherri, I am sorry about your treatment at Women's. I delivered Lakai there and had a very different experience. It was not perfect but it wasn't horrible either like yours sounded.

I am seeing Dr. J Schouls in North Vancouver. She offered me a study that is trying p17 shots, but it's randomized of course and I could get the placebo..they will not give them to me other wise. What truly bothers me is she didn't have any of my medical history in her file, she took all my pregnancy history from me. Wouldn't my medical chart be more helpful? She claims based on what I told her, I do not have an incompetent cervix. Because women who do, do not usually contract like I did...they just randomly dilate. Well I did have contractions, and I was dilated, my waters were bulging to the point internals were out of the question. They tried stopping my labor, it worked for a few hours till my water broke. I was sent to Women's, chorio set in, they induced me.

There was no infection found other than the chorio, but there is no way of knowing which came first the PPROM or the chorio. Did the chorio cause the PPROM or was a result of it?

She says most preterm labor, especially as early as I had it. Is due to infection.

I have had three D&C's due to loss in the first trimester and the fact my body does not kick to do things naturally. I had to have one done twice because of missed products left in my uterus for over a week or two, so I have actually had four. D&C's can very much weaken your cervix. I feel very nervous she is not even looking into it being a possibility until 18 weeks. So what then? A rescue stitch if that's the case?

Not to mention she didn't offer prenatal testing for chromosome abnormalities until 18 weeks either. She did offer the blood test part but not the US which was offered with my pregnancy with Lakai. In the end we don't want it anyways, as we would never abort a baby, especially at 18 weeks (I am prochoice but this is just not something I can do).

I know every pregnancy is different and maybe she is doing all she can. But part of me is very uncomfortable with the fact she is not experienced with premature births, thus making me feel like she is likely not up to date on her preterm labor knowledge.

I don't even for just my own peace of mind, I would prefer someone more proactive.

 

[AP]

Just replied on FB nic but I understand better here what you mean. Maybe you should o with gut instinct, or at least you can say you tried?