Krista in LA Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My sil's water broke today after spending time at the hospital over the weekend with preterm labor. Fortunately, she did have some steroid injections to help with the lungs, just in case. She is 27 weeks along. I'm sitting here impatiently waiting for my db to call with some good news. I know that hoping for the best will still mean the baby will be in the hospital for a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sleepy Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My nephew was born at 26 weeks (I think). From what I remember, he had the steroid injections for his lungs about a week before he was born. Things were very scary at first. The good news is that he is a happy, healthy 3 year old boy now - with no lasting issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in the NH Woods Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My son was born at 28 weeks, and he is doing great. My son had some gross motor delays, which he received early intervention for with physical therapy. He also had delays learning to read, etc. but he went from Dick & Jane readers to technical computer manuals within several weeks. :confused: He is clever, and handsome, and I think he will be my best speller. Yep, I'm biased. Maybe your sil can buy some time with IV antibiotics if her contractions haven't started. My heart goes out to her family. It is so hard. I will pray for her and the baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TxMama Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Lots of positive outcomes for 27 weekers! Encourage her to pump breastmilk even if she never intends to breastfeed the baby. Help her rent/buy/borrow a high quality breast pump since she is going to be pumping a good long time. Encourage her to do Kangaroo care once the baby is stable and do it frequently. Encourage mama! It's a long process but there should be a positive outcome for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My cousins were born at 25 weeks (twins). This was 25 years ago! They had a very rough start and required surgery for their premature lungs & hearts but they are very happy, healthy, energetic adults. Praying for your sil. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 He did absolutely great. He stayed in NICU for 2 months, but had no lingering effects. This was, as I said, 25 years ago. They have made many, many advances since then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 I just read an article last week featuring children who are now young adults, but were born at around 21-22 weeks gestation. All were doing wonderfully. I can't remember which magazine it was, though. I was reading it at a friend's house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 Oh, I'm 27 weeks pregnant! I have been having PAINFUL contractions and I'm so paranoid that I'm going to go into labor early. I probably won't, but I like to be paranoid about these kind of things. I don't have any personal stories, but I do have a friend with an 8 yo who was born around 25 weeks. It never ceases to amaze me how normal he is (he's a little hyper, but that's hardly unusual). Like others have said, premie care has really improved a lot in recent years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Buckin' Longhorn Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My son was born later than that, at 30 weeks, but when he was in the NICU, there were babies there that were born a lot earlier than he was and they all made it. A lot of them had fewer birth defects than my son. My son was just lucky and had a whole mixed bag of birth defects, but he's much better now. Even with all of his birth defects, he has made a miraculous recovery and is doing great now. He does have some health issues that we deal with daily, but who in this life doesn't have issues? I don't know of anyone. It's all in how you look at it. There is so much they can do for babies now. I'd just send him lots of good vibes and keep an optimistic outlook. If you are close to the family in need, think of all the ways you will be able to support them while their baby is in the NICU. It is a very strange and usual phenomenon to go into the hospital pregnant and then be released to go home with no baby. The mom will want to spend every waking minute of time she has at that hospital looking at, holding, loving that baby and will need lots of support from family and friends to make that happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 It is a very strange and usual phenomenon to go into the hospital pregnant and then be released to go home with no baby. The mom will want to spend every waking minute of time she has at that hospital looking at, holding, loving that baby and will need lots of support from family and friends to make that happen. My first was born early, but not that early. But I do agree that it is terrible--devastating--to be released and have to leave your baby at the hospital. I went to the hospital twice a day for almost two weeks to visit my baby. What was surprising was that the nurses said not many moms do that--even visiting every day seemed unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 My boys were born at 27 weeks. They are 15 years old now. We went through a lot of traumatic experiences when they were in the NICU, but they came home after 3 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted May 19, 2009 Author Share Posted May 19, 2009 Thanks for all the reassurance. My db called and they had a boy - no name yet as they thought they had a few more months. :) He said he hardly got to see him as they swept him away so he didn't even know how much he weighed. I will try to be patient waiting for more information as I know they have their hands full right now and need to be taking care of each other. Unfortunately, I don't live near them so I can't be of much physical help but I'm going to support them however I can. Her family lives near them so I know they will be very helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 You can send a gas station gift card--that would help, since you know they'll be making many trips to the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemMommy Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Yep, that's not a typo! She had quints at 25 weeks. Four survived (the other lived 6 months). Surprisingly, two of the babies were off ventilators within a week. She had the steriod thing for their lungs, too. Zoom forward to today. She has four surviving kids in 1st grade. They are healthy and bright and well-adjusted. Two are small for their age, but not terribly small. One is large for his age--go figure. She pumped for six-to-nine months and had a lot of respiratory infections in the first two years. Since then, the kids have been quite healthy. One wears glasses and one needed PT for tight leg muscles. All in all, the kids are amazingly healthy. You would NEVER guess they were born at 25 weeks. Your SIL can take hope that 27 weekers do well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 My son was born at 29 weeks weighing 2 lbs 3 oz. He was in the NICU for only 7 weeks. No lingering effects at all. He is small for his age and we work hard to get calories in him because he won't stop moving! No vision, hearing or lung problems. I was not able to produce much milk at all, a phenomenon I experienced with my dd too, so he was on donor breast milk the whole time he was in the NICU. Bless those mom's hearts that had too much milk and donated it!!! He also got a shot called Synegis that helps to protect against RSV. He is rarely sick now at all! I was working at the time and returned to work 2 weeks after my c-sect so I could save my maternity leave for when he'd be released. If my husband was not working at home at the time I don't know what we would have done...we had a 4 year old also at the time. We were unable to put him in day care of any kind, so that reality might impact your DB and his wife a lot. No church nursery, no mall, no grocery store, no crowded public places for the winter after he was born. That was a HUGE adjustment for our family. I'm sure their precious boy will do great! They are scared now but in good hands. Those NICU nurses and docs are angels from heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Definitely lots of good stories at 27 weeks. Six years ago, I wrote a story about a reunion of premature babies born at our local hospital's NICU. One little girl was born at 24 weeks - - she was in the gifted program and her only lingering medical issue was mild asthma. Treatment has only improved since then. A good outcome is certainly possible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I am an Early Intervention physical therapist and in my 15 years, have seen many, many positive outcomes for children born at 27 weeks and even earlier. Sure, things were scary at first, weeks in a NICU are very hard on parents, baby, and family, and many have been a little behind in one area or another initially but I have seen many who have gone on, caught up with their age peers, and been discharged from Early Intervention prior to their 3rd birthday. Prayers for your sil and baby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Lots of positive outcomes for 27 weekers! Encourage her to pump breastmilk even if she never intends to breastfeed the baby. Help her rent/buy/borrow a high quality breast pump since she is going to be pumping a good long time. Encourage her to do Kangaroo care once the baby is stable and do it frequently. Encourage mama! It's a long process but there should be a positive outcome for them. :iagree: My water broke at 27 weeks and my twins were born 3 days later. Twin B sailed through 10 weeks in the NICU with no problems; she just needed to grow. At delivery, we learned that her cord had almost completely detached in utero, so her body was preparing for an early exit (it was her water that broke). Twin A had a slightly harder time in the NICU (she was perfectly content in the womb and had no intention of coming early) and feeding was a bit of a problem, but really her complications were not very complicated. She came home at 11.5 weeks and on minimal meds. Neither twin came home with O2 nor monitors. From the time they came home, they were normal, healthy babies. They have had no long term effects either. For us, the water breaking and early arrival was a blessing. We would have lost twin B otherwise. I will say a prayer for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 Yes, our neighbor was due in late Feb...water broke right after Thanksgiving. She suffered a 2nd trimester loss a couple of years ago and then had trouble conceiving. We were all so upset for them, but the baby pulled through with flying colors. I just saw her yesterday looking for the world like a miniature 5 month old. Good luck and good thoughts to your family. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisN in NY Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 One of my nieces was born at 25 weeks, and received some now-standard treatments that were considered experimental in 1988 when she was born. She is a college student who rides horses competitively -- and quite successfully at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I had 3 nieces all born at 27 weeks. All are beautiful, healthy 4 year olds now. You would never know they were born early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I have a friend who had both of her babies early, and one was at 27 weeks. The little girl was in the NICU for a couple of months, but she is doing great 4 years later with no issues at all. She is a smart cookie too and she knows it lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krista in LA Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 He was doing pretty well, considering. He was breathing well and didn't seem to have any noticeable problems. Today my db called to tell me he had an intraventricular hemorrhage. I know this is pretty common in preemies, but typically happens sooner after birth than this. The one side was graded 2 and the other 3. They had to drain some spinal fluid and if he doesn't show improvement tomorrow, he will be going to Philadelphia and possibly having a shunt put in to drain fluid. It's possible that there could be damage to his brain resulting in CP but it might take up to a year before they would know. I would appreciate any prayers for my nephew, db, and sil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Oh, my. I'll be praying here, Krista. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Praying for the little one and his family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Buckin' Longhorn Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Poor little guy, I'll be thinking of him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 :grouphug: Praying here too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in AR Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 ((Krista)) I've just seen your posts about your nephew. I will be praying for him and his parents. Please keep us updated on his condition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto3 Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 Praying for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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