questions about ur premmies

[MikaylasMummy]

hi ladies..i hope u dont mind me popping by and asking a few questions as i may or may not be having a premmie bub and would like to know what im in for..
1.what gestation were your babies born and how long did they have to spend in hospital?
2.with their adjusted age what does this mean/count for?they obviously still go by the date they are born..does it mean that their milestones will be according to their adjusted age and not their actual age?
3.have ur bubs had any lasting affects of being premature and are they expected to make a full recovery?

hope u dont mind me asking all these questions..i have a shortening cervix and funneling membranes and although the bed rest and medications have helped so far there is no guarentees ill make it into the safe zone.
xo

 

[25weeker]

Hi

My little girl was born at 25+2 and was in hospital for 14 weeks.

She is currently 7 months actual and 16 weeks adjusted so she is following the milestones of a 16 week baby and her weight is monitored against 16 weeks on the growth charts. I believe preemies do reach their walking, talking etc milestones a bit slower than full term babies.

As a result of her prematurity my lo has chronic lung disease although does not have any oxygen requirements. This isn't a long term condition as they tend to outgrow it as their lungs grow. As an extreme preemie she is at risk of having bad eye sight, hearing and could be slow at school. However just like with any newborn you just have to monitor their milestones as they grow and won't know until they are older.

Hopefully your lo stays cooking inside for several more weeks.

Take care xx

 

[MikaylasMummy]

thanks so much for answering hun..all is looking well at the moment my cervix did lengthen and the membranes stopped funneling and im on medication to stop contractions and infections and progesterone to strengthen my cervix..i know at 33 weeks il have steroids then the ob isnt too worried when he comes after that.

 

[AP]

Alex was born at 27+4 and in hospital for 3 months last year - she got out just before her due date. Your due date is normally a sort of target date for them to come home.

As for milestones it can vary - but normally going by the adjusted age is best

Alex had laser eye surgery too, and she is almost 14 months and doing great!

 

[you&me]

Reagan was born on christmas day 2005 and came home on valentines day, so her stay was about 7 weeks, I was 29 weeks and she weighed 2lbs 5ozs.

Some things she took longer with, such as walking, but other things like talking she was spot on target for, each baby is so different, I think up until the age of 2 when she was discharged from the paediatrician (spelling?) they used to base her development on her corrected age rather than her actual.

You would never know that she was such a tiny scrap when born, she is nearly 5, wearing aged 7/8 clothes, although still on the slim side...she is above average in school and doesn't stop talking from the minute her eyes open til they close again!! She has no long term, or on going health concerns.

The steriod jabs hurt like hell, but they really do work wonders for preemies.

I hope your baby manages to stay cooking for longer

 

[MikaylasMummy]

thanks ladies..yeah i had the steroid jabs with mikayla too as i had threatened preterm labour with her at 33 weeks but she ended up full term..they bloody hurt!!i remember i just couldnt beleive how much they reeeeeeally hurt!!lol..i am really really really hoping i get to 35 weeks then i wont be too worried anymore..i think he'l be a good size as he has been measuring two weeks ahead most of the time although the gestation is correct and mikayla was 9pound4 by the time she was born so i think if i get to 36 weeks he'l at least be 7pound..lol..and i am having the precautionary steroids at 32 weeks so hopefully his lungs will be good by then..thanks for your help.xo

 

[AP]

I cant even remember the steroids, i must have been pretty drugged up!!

 

[you&me]

I cant even remember the steroids, i must have been pretty drugged up!!

Probably the best way to be when getting that jab!!

 

[TwoBumps]

I cant even remember the steroids, i must have been pretty drugged up!!

Nor can I! Its scary how little I can remember actually.....

My twins were born at 31 weeks and spent 8 weeks in SCBU. They came home about 4 days before their due date. Joshua was said to have chronic lung disease as he was still oxygen dependant after (I think) 37 weeks gestation, but he has not had any problems with his lungs since he came home, so I guess it wasn't severe & he has already outgrown it!

The boys are now nearly 1 actual and nearly 10 months corrected. In terms of milestones, they are crawling, standing and walking round the furniture, so physically I guess they are catching up fast! They've only just started making recognisable sounds such as dada and baba etc so they are probably closer to their corrected age in this regard.

Hope your little one keep cooking for a lot longer!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Andrew was born at 29+1 wks, and spent 11 weeks in NICU, being discharged just two days after his original due date. Psychologically this was fantastic for us, as he was home when he should have been.

He is a little developmentally delayed, this could be due to his prematurity but has definitely also been affected by an episode of infantile spasms (epilepsy caused by a pre-birth cranial bleed). He is now 9m corrected, and is about 6m on the development scale.

Long-term, other than his developmental delay, his main problem is a hearing loss. This may be resulting from his prematurity, but could also be due to the pre-birth cranial bleed. We won't ever know what caused it, and we don't yet really know the extent of the loss due to the difficulty of testing a baby.

 

[embojet]

Molly was biorn at 29+1, and spent 7 weeks in hospital. She came home on oxygen, and was on it until she was 3 months old. She has no lasting effects, and is just as mad and loud as any other toddler . They say to go by adjusted age when looking at milestones, generally as they get older they tend to hit them nearer their actual age than their corrected age.

 

[katy1310]

Sophie was born at 27 weeks exactly and spent 12 weeks in hospital. She weighed 1lb 13 at birth and now weighs 9lb 1 at a corrected age of 8 weeks.

As far as we know she doesn't have any problems. She is considered to have chronic lung disease with having an oxygen requirement for as long as she did but she didn't come home on oxygen.

She is really alert and smiling and recognising DH and me and doing everything we'd expect a baby of her corrected age to be doing.

I definitely agree that the steroid injections hurt!!!

Hope your LO hangs on in there!

 

[sherryberry79]

Our daughter Amelia was born at 26+3. She came very unexpectedly and quickly, so we were unable to get the benefit of the steroid injections, they gave me one, but it was literally just an hour or so before the C-section so I'm not sure it made any difference whatsoever. Millie was born on Aug 3rd and came home on Dec 10th, so she was in for just over four months.....she even got a certificate from the nurses on her hundred day birthday!!

All the medical people we see use her adjusted age when looking at her development, and in actual fact she is a little behind that. Her corrected age is 9 months, but I would put her size and development at approx 6 months.

Millie came home on oxygen, but came off it in June and has not looked back. She did have chronic lung disease, caused by her long-term ventilation. However, the ratio of damaged lung tissue to healthy lung tissue is now pretty good, and as her lungs continue to develop with her, they will improve even more. As far as long-term effects of the prematurity is concerned, as others have said, it's very much a 'watch and wait' situation. We don't know of any major issues right now, but I constantly feel anxiety over what the future may hold, and I have to admit I do stress and obsess over her development.....to the point where her paediatrician has advised me to try to relax a little, but I dare say, I am not the only premmie mummy to worry too much!

Good luck with ur pregnancy, I hope it's very long and very boring from here on in, but I mean that in the nicest possible way!

 

[divadexie]

1.what gestation were your babies born and how long did they have to spend in hospital?

Anna was born at 25+1, she eventually got home 14 weeks and 5 days later!

2.with their adjusted age what does this mean/count for?they obviously still go by the date they are born..does it mean that their milestones will be according to their adjusted age and not their actual age?

The occupational therapist told me they will go by corrected age for development things, like holding head up, griping fists, smiling, rolling over etc although some do reach these milestones before then, it wouldnt be fair to take it from actual ages

3.have ur bubs had any lasting affects of being premature and are they expected to make a full recovery?
She had a PDA (small heart murmur) the docs are not concerned about it, it should close by itself and just keeping an eye on it. Amazingly she is fit and healthy and 'normal'