Has anyone had a premie? My daughter is in her 23rd week and she is going to deliver early, they just hope that they can keep her till she is in her 36th week. just want some extra advice because I dont know what to expect.

both my kids were premees
my daughter was 1month early and my son was 3weeks early but i also had alot of complications so i had a c-cection with both kids

how old is your daughter

My baby was 8 and a half weeks early. They gave me tributlyne shots to keep the labor at bay and to make his lungs stronger. He had to have I.V. fluid and food for awhile. That's hard to see as they use the bottom of the foot or the head for I.V. placement. Sometimes they are jaundiced. They may also have trouble breathing without oxygen. They are placed in incubators to help them maintain their body temperature. they may not let you hold or touch the baby for awhile if it is too small. Most premies grow into their bodies and are basically healthy. I hope all goes well for Mom and baby.

of course twins come early... but...they were born in Dec werent due til Feb..they did an amneo to check for lung developments one was fine the other wouldnt be..but they still had to take them one was in the regular nursey while the other was on life support and in the NICU for several weeks...weight wise was fine they weight 6,5 and 6,10 it was the 6,10 that was sickly.but..shes right, i couldnt hold him for some time and its very stressful and hard, and hurtful to know they are in that situation and knowo you cant do anything but pray, but just be strong and whisper to it let it know your there and loved and i sat and of course said prayers in his ear and sang to him, hes is perfectly fine now and almost 6yr old and is the lovingest of the 2. My heart goes out and wish you all the very best and ill tell you what... THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE ROCKS! I wouldnt have been able to go thru what i went thru without them either!

I will dig in my book case tomorrow and find a book I have on Preemies and post the info. You could probably find a lot on line too; March of Dimes I know publishes a lot of stuff. If you look on the forums there is a really nice gal who has worked 25 years in labor and delivery. Cut little brunette that wears a midriff top. I would go to my local NICU and ask for information and a tour. Most hospitals have medical libraries. County Women's Infant's and Children Program is sure to have info. Newborns In Need or Mother's of Multiples would be good place to find peer support locally. Will keep you all in prayers. They wrote my boys off and now they are parents of their own.

My daughter was 6 week early.It is so awesome to watch them develop.I can say first hand,She is in for one rollercoaster ride though.The ups and downs.One ride I will always cherish,but would never won't to do again...
You would never know my daughter was early now.
Will keep her and baby in my prayers and thoughts.Best wishes to all.

My son was born 6 weeks early but due to undiagnosed Gestational diabetes weighed in at almost 9lbs.

His lungs were underdevloped and spent a month in ICU which is so not fun but the nurses are usually wonderful.


Good luck

thank you all for your input. She was in labor over the weekend and they gave her a shot to stop it. The NICU at her hosp said they can not handle a baby this early so they will prob fly her to the bigger hosp in Green Bay. she is on bed rest and they say every day we can keep her pregnant is a gift. I will look into march of dimes, that is one I did not think of.

all of mine were on time or late and never did I have the complications that she is having so I dont know what to do. Any and all of the input is helpful, and thank you again.

She is 17 and obviously this was not planned. She has a condition that I can remember what they called it but where the uterus is not strong enough to hold a baby, which is why she is on bed rest.

It will be very hard to abide by the bed rest, but please tell her how important this is. I was almost crawling up the walls I was so frustrated at having to lie in bed and look around at all the things that needed done. My twins were born 10 weeks early 2.9# and 3.4#. This is the scenario you want to avoid if at all possible. Please also reaffirm to her that it's not her fault. People have complications, you just have to follow doctors orders and try to make it as long as you can, and even then she may go early.
I'm not sure there really is a way to prepare. Sure, you can read up, but don't let it consume you or her. You can have a plan formed around what to do if the need arises to get back to the hospital quickly and all that, but the rest will have to be day to day.
I will say a lil prayer for her tonight, and for you. I'm visualizing a beautiful baby in 17 or so weeks!

Oh, one thing that may sound off the wall but happened to me. If she does happen to go early and wishes to breastfeed, make sure you tell the staff. I had no clue they would just start feeding my kids without even asking me what our wishes were. What we ended up having to do because of the extremely small size was 1/2 preemie formula and 1/2 breast milk. I pumped and carted it to the hospital where they stored and mixed it.

Also, we walked in one early morning to find both the girls with pacifiers in their mouths. Once again, nobody really checked with the parents or even really told us what the plan was. It was something I was against but understood the logic that preemies need the sucking practice.

Um, not to be contentious but my sister's twins were born on her due date taken by c-section, They weighed 7.10 and 8.6. They don't always come early.

If they do come early, be prepared for weeks in the hospital, a huge medical bill and take notes when the doctors talk. Listen to the doctors.

Thank goodness she's only having one! I think it's about a 50/50 chance of twins coming early, but I remember the doc telling us to be prepared for at least 4 weeks or so early. It's pretty common.

My daughter was born at 29wks a week shy of 3 months early. She weighed 2 lbs 8oz she lived in the NICU for 2 months. She weighed 5 lbs 12oz when she came home. She has now been home 6 months and is 8 months old!! She weighs 15 lbs 5oz!! I am very proud to say she is 100% healthy! She had no side effects to her prematurity. The road was very bumpy and we had many scares, so if anyone has any questions at all please send me an e-mail!!

My daughter was 31 weeks, and she did fine, spent a month in the hospital, basically a feed a grow. Brought her home at 4.5 lbs, now she's 17 and has boobs and a butt, that bother's dad lol. Female premies do much better than boy premies, surfactant that develops the female lungs is more prevalent than in the males.