35 weeks and close to 5lbs...this is a scenario

ok so if i get the green light to deliver at 35 weeks and my boys are 5lbs a piece what are the chances of a long NICU stay?

the last scan was 2 weeks ago and we were told they should be growing 1/2lb a week and they were 4lbs at the time. my goal for this pregnancy has always been to get to 5lbs and i think we might just make it!

so i was just curious, having had the steroid shots and seeing their little lungs pumping away in the ultrasounds and scoring 8/8 fetal scores how long do you think they might have to stay in NICU??

 

i have no experience with nicu...i do know that the u/s weights can be off by as much as a pound or so...i suggest trying to stay pregnant longer just to make sure...

 

You really can never know for sure if they will have a NICU stay or not. ardon: The steroid shots are good. :good: The weight really doesn't determine NICU stay. It really depends on their lungs. We did see quite a few full term 8 lb babies in the NICU while we were there. However, I would imagine if they did have to have some NICU time it might just be as feeders and growers. Sometimes babies born around that time don't quite have the suck, swallow, breathe down for eating. But then again, they might not need any NICU time.

 

It really just depends on each baby. My daughter was born at 35 weeks and 2 days and was in the NICU for 12 DAYS! She had slight resp. distress and feeding issues, then had some jaundice.

Good luck.

Molly
38 weeks 1 day

 

I agree that you can never know for sure! Our babies were born at 34 w 6 days...5 lb 15 oz and 5 lb 5 oz...I had the steroid shots too! They had no health problems, but spent 17 days in the NICU as feeders and growers...just couldn't get the knack of eating, I guess!

Hope all goes well for you...hang in there!

 

You would be unlikely not to have a NICU stay at 35 weeks even with the steroids. They still need to be able to regulate their body temperature and suck. If you can hang on for another week or two you will have a much better chance of avoiding it.

But if you can't it will hopefully only be for feeding and growing. I tried to look at my girls stay in a positive light - that being it gave me time to get my head around things before they came home and recover from the c section - not ideal and I was desperate to have them home by the end of it.

I don't know your medical problems and I know that Doctors won't let you deliver early unless there is a really good reason but the NICU is really hard and nothing is really going to prepare you for it (even if you are like me and think you are!) I was given an option to go to 34 weeks which I turned down and while I was right (the risks didn't equal the benfit) the guilt for not trying harder to keep them in was extreme once they were in NICU.

Good luck

 

There's really no telling whether they will spend time in the nicu or not. It sounds promising though. Mine were just over 4lbs each and ds was in the nicu for 7 days and dd for 10days..just for feeding and growing..and a day of bili lights. It was nice b/c I knew they were well cared for while I recovered from my c-section. I had the steroid shot too, and their lungs were just fine. Hang in there mama..they'll do great!

 

Mine were born elective C at 35 weeks. They were six lbs each and had to be in NICU for 5 days for regulating body temp. They never had any iv's or breathing things or anything like that and were in open cribs. I wasn't worried or stressed AT ALL cuz I knew they were totally healthy.

Suck swallow breathe is learned (typically) at 34 weeks.

Even tho they will probably do NICU it probably won't be for anything serious.

Are they identical? Are they girls? Girls do better, I guess.

Either way, good luck and CONGRATS!

 

This is the way I'm trying to set my mind around a NICU stay, just in case my babes come early and I end up with a c -sec too. I'm sure you get tired of hearing me but my last singleton was 10 days overdue and 8 lbs 4 oz, a girl and still had to spend 7 days in the NICU. It was hard because I had never ever expected that after an uneventful pregnancy but this time I feel it will be a bit easier if I am prepared for that possibility. Honestly I don't think there is ever a safe time where you can count on no NICU stay, even at full term, so all that can be done is for the doctors to do what is best for mom and babies whenever it needs to be done. Hang in there momma! Have you heard about seeing the specialist yet? :hug:

 

i see her tomorrow. i will keep everyone posted for sure!!

 

I delivered at 36w3d and my twins were 5.8 and 5 lbs ... the u/s 2 days earlier estimated them at 6lbs and 6.5 lbs ... so they were a full pound off. That being said, we had no NICU time. But it was a week and a half later than you are mentioning.

I know that you are having a tough time of it ... but I still think that the later you can go, the better. Hang in there! It really will seem like a distant memory once they are here!!

 

My twins were born at 35 weeks. They were 6 pounds, and 6 pounds 1 ounce. I had the steroid shots at 32 weeks. They required no NICU time.

I hope you have a smooth delivery and fast recovery.

 

As pp said, you never know what babies will need when they are born, so its impossible to know whether or not they'll need nicu time. DS was born during week 35, no steroid shots, and at 4lb 15oz never needed nicu time. He was a bit of an exception to the rule, but it happens. I agree the longer they cook the better though. Its miserable and every day i want it over, but i want my boys also to have the best chance starting out.

 

DD was born at 34 weeks on the nose, weighed 3lbs 14 oz (the ultrasound that morning was only off by 1oz) and stayed in the NICU for 13 days. I had been given 2 steriod shots so we knew her lungs were devolped because I had an amnio that morning also. But she still needed to be able to regulate her body temps and learn how to eat. She was just over 4lbs when we got to take her home. 34-35 weeks is when they are learning to suck. I don't want to scare you, but the NICU nurses and docs did tell us that had she been a boy she may have had to stay in the NICU longer because boys tend to take a little longer to learn those things. I just want you to be prepared just in case.

 

well my appointment with the specialist to give the green or red light is today at 9:30. my regular OB wants to take them out and i highly doubt she would want to take them this early if she thought something bad would happen.

like i have mentioned before every bpb scan shows 8/8 fetal scores for breathing, suckling, heart rates, bladder, kidneys, etc. so they are very healthy.

i wouldn't be so gun hoe about having them take them at 35 weeks if i doubted my doctors competency.

with all of my complications my specialist wanted to get me to at least 35 weeks before we did anything.

basically these babies are acting like parasites in my body, with the gest. diabetes, irritable uterus, the mental issues and the pre eclampsia. so the longer we wait to try and control the birth the more risk they put on my health and then it becomes and emergency situation.

believe me if i could carry these little boogers to term i would but my body just can't handle it.

i know the NICU risk and i know they will be there for at least 7 days but i also know that they will be in the greatest care around. our hospital is the best in the area with the best NICU facility around. so that doesn't scare me.

i just want all three of us to be safe and my doctors agree that this may be the best way. it's actually pretty amazing that i have made it this far. no one thought i would make it passed 29 weeks, so to have come this far is a miracle!

 

Am thinking of you! Definitely post when you hear any news!! :hug: Good luck!

 

Mine were born at 35w 1d, here's the summary:

We'd had the steroid shots at 30 weeks and an amnio was done to check their lung maturity on the day I delivered, lungs were mature.

Sullivan (Baby A): sluggish at birth, given Oxygen and antibiotics in case an infection was causing the sluggishness. Had an xray, found fluid in his lungs from the c-section. Was on O2 for 24 hours and 48 hours of antibiotics just in case there was an underlying infection (around 24 hours, blood tests came back negative for an infection). Sucked fine from a bottle (had to supplement breastfeeding with bottles b/c they lacked the strength to exclusively bf) but were weak at breastfeeding - but got much better. Jaundice arrived around Day 3, spent 48 hours on Bili lights. Discharged after 1 week in the NICU. Main issues that kept us there were slow weight gain and getting better at breastfeeding.

Finley (Baby B): fine at birth, given antibiotics for 48 hours b/c he and Sullivan shared a placenta...so if Sully had an infection, Finley did also. Jaundice at Day 3, Bili lights for 48 hours, slow weight gain while working on breastfeeding. Discharged after 1 week.


Best of luck tomorrow!! I would definitely go into it expecting NICU time, it seems like most 35 weekers have *some* kind of issue(s). Though I've seen some around TS who had no NICU at 35 weeks. You never know!

Edited: Sullivan was 5lbs 7oz and 18.75 inches and Finley was 5lbs 11oz and 18.5 inches

 

Hannah was a 35 weeker, my water broke, and she was in the NICU for 10 days. She had breathing(vent for about 8 hours, and then an oxygen tent) and weight gain issues(major reflux/milk protein problems), and jaundice.

 

I delivered at 38 weeks exactly, and Ainsley was in the NICU for 13 days. She crashed at birth, was not breathing, and had a brain bleed. It's a long story, but I was also unprepared for it. I also falsely assumed that once I passed a certain point, I wouldn't have to worry about it. But yes, the longer you go, your chances of the babies needing it go down.

 

I delivered at 35 weeks and 6 days. Mine were 5 lbs 9.5 and 5 lbs 12 oz. Neither had any NICU and I didn't have steriod shots...but the doctors were amazed that they didn't need it. However, they did have trouble regulating their temps and we had to keep socks and hats on them at all times and they had to be swaddled well.

I agree with other posters, though..it's not really about the weight, but more about the individual baby. Good luck!!