This is tough.

So i posted a few days ago about my low fluid and being apossibility of delivering early.
Well at my doctors appointment yesterday, she discussed my two largest options of what will happen in the next couple of weeks.
I go back to my high risk clinic for a follow up to check low fluid (right now im sitting at 2 ounces when i should have a little over 15ounces). Well if my fliud level stays the same or goes up (which is AWESOME!) they will just give me steriod shots, incase the baby does come early she will be a bit more developed hopefully.
BUT if my fluid level goes down or they decide they aren't comfortable with how things are going. They will take the baby that day or week (meaning id be have a baby at 24 weeks and 2 days.
SO. My questions...
1. has anyone had a baby THIS early? (hopefully id be able to hold off a few weeks after 24weeks.) so anyone having abbies 24-28 weeks?
2. Does anyone know a good website to go to to learn more about premature babies?
3. What should i know the doctors may not tell me with premature babies?
4. anything else would be appreciated! lol

i had my daughter at 28 weeks due to just preterm labor and is a very healthy baby....ummm it was very hard and very traumatizing.......at 28 weeks they still have a very good chance of making it and being fine...but 24 weeks is a different matter altogether....if they do end up making it they will most likely have brain bleeds and numerous other things that can go wrong......i dont want to scare u cuz im sure u are already scared enough...but every weeks counts and the longer they are in there the better....i know it is out of ur control tho and i am very sorry.....but just do as much research as u can and breast pump cuz that young they are very prone to all sorts of infection and need whatever help u can give them.....if u need someone to talk to u can pm me

Hopefully they will be able to fix your fluid problem...
hereare a fewwebsite about preterm labor that may be helpful...
http://health.yahoo.com/pregnancy-complication/preterm-labor-topic-overview/healthwise--hw222240.html

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/prematurelabor.html
I hope this helps...and good luck!!
Carina

thank you very much!

No problem...please somehow...let me know how things turn out......
Carina

My friend had twins at 25 weeks, they had several surgeries, and a long hospital stay but they just turned 1 in March and are perfect. My daughter was a 28 weeker, no steroid shots, and she did wonderfully. The NICU is hard. Probably the hardest, longest, scariest thing you'll ever do. But you'll survive it. It will change you. If your baby does go there, remember that you are the mommy. Ask questions, even if it seems dumb, and don't let the medical staff bully you or ignore you. It's a job to them and sometimes I think they forget how life altering it is for us parents. The March of Dimes has a site for NICU parents. Its www.shareyourstory.org. It's a wealth of information and support. I hope you can hold out a while. Best of luck to you!

Quoting Jessica [Slvrmoon]:“ My friend had twins at 25 weeks, they had several surgeries, and a long hospital stay but they just turned ... [snip!] ... Its www.shareyourstory.org. It's a wealth of information and support. I hope you can hold out a while. Best of luck to you!”

oh thanks!

My nephew was born at 24 weeks 3 days and he is now 3 years old. He stayed in the NICU for close to 6 months. Some of the things that are residual to the prematurity are he has what is known as a permanent shunt which means his brain never stop producing fluids and it builds up presure so he has a tube under the skin going from his scull to his stomach to drain the fuild out of his head. He is very small at 3 years old he still wears 24 month clothes. He is blind also which at 24 weeks is very common. They can correct it if your baby is stable enough when the surgery is needed. Nathan unfortunately was not. Nathan also has discoloration in his teeth due to liver issues and billy ruben(sp). At 24 weeks they only have about a 50% chance of survival and of those 50% that do make it the majority of them have brain damage that will affect their development in one way or another. Each case is unique. Some of the things you should be prepared for, they probably won't llet you hold your baby for the first few weeks cause their skin is just so thin the slightest touch usually will bruise them. Oxygen tubes, feeding tubes, and IVs for quite a while. And worse case sinario an IV line in the major vein in the head. Quite traumatic to see. Expect your little one to be around a pound with very transparent skin.

Here is a really good site
http://members.aol.com/DDerleth/extreme.html

And I would suggest familiarizing yoruself with pictures of 24 weekers so it's not quite as much of a shock if you actually do deliver at 24 weeks. Good luck girl I sure hope things work out for you and your baby. Here's a prayer for you that you keep that baby in until at least 28 weeks.

Quoting Lawna:“ My nephew was born at 24 weeks 3 days and he is now 3 years old. He stayed in the NICU for close to 6 ... [snip!] ... I sure hope things work out for you and your baby. Here's a prayer for you that you keep that baby in until at least 28 weeks.”

this was SUCH! a big help! I have been looking at websites and nothing said much about blindness, mentioned it but didnt go in depth, and nothing said anything about shunts, liver problems or that billy thing whatever that is. So you just helped me add two more questions to my list for my doctor! lol.
I havent been to that website (but i will go) and i tried looking at pictures on google of small babies 21-25 ish weeks but cant find many.

Quoting Jaylynn's Mama:“ this was SUCH! a big help! I have been looking at websites and nothing said much about blindness, ... [snip!] ... to that website (but i will go) and i tried looking at pictures on google of small babies 21-25 ish weeks but cant find many.”

There arn't many pictures. Here are some pictures of Nathan when he was new







And this is him at about 6 months after he came home

As you will probably notice he has some stickies on his chest when he was in the hospital, these keep track of his heart and his breathing he also has a sensor on his foot that measures the oxygen level in his blood. And of coarse his IV and feeding tube. He was on Morphene for the first few months of life and for the firstweek or so he was on a drug to paralyze him.

Quoting Lawna:“ There arn't many pictures. Here are some pictures of Nathan when he was new And this is him at about 6 months after he came home ”

Ohh he was sooo precious 6 months after he came home!!!
WOW!! That was very interesting!!!!
Amazing things can be done today with modern medicine!!

Carina

I had my baby April 13 @ 25 weeks an she doing good to be as small as she is today @ 28weeks she is off her cpap an breathing room air.  But she do have her good an bad days but just put in the Lords hands if you do have your baby early.

Quoting Jaylynn's Mama:“ So i posted a few days ago about my low fluid and being apossibility of delivering early. Well at my ... [snip!] ... babies? 3. What should i know the doctors may not tell me with premature babies? 4. anything else would be appreciated! lol”

really?? they told you they were going to take baby? im in same boat you are. my fluid is actually 0 afi. they messure by pockets in there. But iv been in the hosp for over a month, and they say as long as baby shows no stress they will leave her in, i also had the steriod shots too.. have they tested every thing to why your fluid is low? mine is unknown, they are thinking that the babys kidneys might not be producing any fluid, and realllly scared right now. i dont know whats gunna happen. Best of luck to you

Quoting Jaylynn's Mama:“ So i posted a few days ago about my low fluid and being apossibility of delivering early. Well at my ... [snip!] ... babies? 3. What should i know the doctors may not tell me with premature babies? 4. anything else would be appreciated! lol”

My daughter was born at 28 weeks. I had just turned 28 weeks. She IS doing fine and everything she spent 6 weeks in the hospital. She IS home now and almost 2 months. Just ask the doctors what they think, like if you have a question about how she IS doing and everything. The only thing is that they may not call you if they have to do a blood transfusion cause you sign a paper saying its ok for them to do that. My doctors called me all the time when something changed with my Gabby Wabby.