HELP?!

[satoripooh]

hello everyone!

sorry for chiming in a bit late, but it's better than never....right? so here's my 2cents...

BEWARE! fiona and gordon have both said it, but this disease can progress so fast. looking back, my wife was showing signs in the 24/25wk mark. she wasn't diagnosed until 28, went to the hospital that day and delivered 4 days later! it was so sudden at the time and nothing could've prepared us.

i see it's been a week since your last post...hope all is well and keep us posted.


josh & jenny
bryce 29wkr 3.5.04

[sweetiesuzy]

Wondering how your wife is doing? Update us when you can.

Hugs,
Suz

------------------------
Aaryngston ~ 3/25/95
Chloe Rose ~ 10/26/01 Stillbirth
Samuel Isaac ~ 12/30/02
Laura Elise ~ 7/19/04

"Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble remembering how to fly"
-Marion Beatty

[dsp]

Hi everyone,
Well, life has been just a little hectic of late!! It seems you were all correct. Here's a brief run down of what has happened in the last week!
What happened: We have known for a couple of weeks that the birth was going to be early and not full term. Cherie has high blood pressure from a condition known as pre-eclampsia, but it had been reasonably settled and we still hoped to get to 34 weeks. On Wednesday Cherie was fine and resting at home. Within about 10 minutes of tea, Cherie suddenly felt very ill (my cooking?) Having a pre-natal class that evening, we decided to go in a little earlier and get her checked (expecting to go home and rest afterwards!) The nurse checked her blood pressure (180/110) and immediately phoned our doctor. Within 5 minutes of entering the hospital, we were told that it was 98% certain the baby would be taken out in the next 24 hours. Ok, so this was a bit of a shock!! We were immediately transferred to the Labour & Delivery ward next to the neo-natal department. The next 36 hours were harrowing, with Cherie becoming sicker than I ever thought possible (swelling to be almost unrecognisable). Fortunately however, they were able to get another day and a half out of Cherie so that they could get some steroids into the baby to help with his lungs. On Friday March 11th, we went into the theatre and at 11:40 am Luke was born via emergency caesarean, weighing 1100 g (2.4 pounds) and 10 weeks early! We never did get to that second pre-natal class……

We named the baby Luke Edward (the Edward part is after my grandad who died on March 10th 2 years ago)
Here is some info on Luke's progress:

Luke: Is stable at the moment. The doctors are reasonably happy with his progress so far and there has been some good news. Yesterday he underwent a cranio-ultrasound to check for any brain damage and most importantly to ensure there is no bleeding into the immature cavities. The results suggest it was all clear, but he will have another one tomorrow and then next week, a week or two after that and so on..

They did detect yesterday that a duct running blood to the lungs had failed to close. In full term babies it does it itself, but in premmies it often doesn’t. He is on a 6 day course of medication that usually fixes the problem, but if not he will need an operation to fix this.

Luke is being ventilated at the moment but had progressed so as to no longer need any extra oxygen. We are hopeful that the tube into his lungs will be removed today or tomorrow and he will go onto CPAP which will help with pressure when he breathes by himself.

Luke is expected to be in the Intensive Care section of the neo-natal department for a couple of weeks and 10 weeks in total (which means many trips to the hospital and back for mum & dad!) We have a huge amount of hurdles to overcome, but am reasonable confident he will make it.



All of this information was originally for my work colleagues, so forgive me if it is a bit basic.

Cherie is well. She is recovering, but dealing with being away from her baby.

I am absolutely buggered. I have spent two hours out of the hospital in the last week, but am now back at work.

Any advice on dealing with the challenges ahead would be most welcome.
David

[fiona]

David,

I'm so sorry things turned out so stressful - but many congratulations on the birth of Luke. My son was born at 30 weeks and spent about 8 weeks in total in the NICU. It was a very tiring time, with many challenges - I spent most every day by his side; my husband went back to work after two weeks in order to take time off when he came home.

My best advice is to ask questions and pipe up if anything seems odd to you - you need to understand as much as possible about what is happening to Luke. I got very good at refusing to allow students to practice on Jay - he has a big scar on one arm from just that. You and your wife are your son's advocates now.

If your wife is hoping to eventually breastfeed, please urge her to demand as much help and advice as is possible - I was left to my own devices and didn't pump enough in the beginning to establish a supply by the time Jay was ready to suck.

One of the things my husband has always been grateful for is that when Jay was stable and off cpap, the nurses had me leave for a couple of hours while they went through everything - nappies, feeding, bathing - with him. It was a great way for him to get over the fear of dealing with a tiny baby and bolstered his confidence no end.

As the weeks go on, and your wife is feeling better, try and do some nice things together ; we went out for good dinners a couple of times a week.

Mostly though, know that you're not alone - here many of us have been through what you face and we're happy to listen or try and answer any questions that may come up. It's an exhausting time - physically and emotionally, so don't expect to get over that in a hurry.

I hope your son continues to do well - please keep us posted. My 30 weeker is now a strapping 6 year old and biggest in his class.

Fiona
dh Tom
ds Nate 12/8/97 - 14/8/97 26 weeks severe pre-e IUGR 1lb
ds Jay 4/11/98 30 weeks pre-e 3lbs 11 oz
no 3 due 15/6/05

[gordon k]

CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of your son, Luke Edwasrd!!

I'm no expert, but I'll share with you what I've learned from others.

Trust that he's in good hands at the hospital.

Take this oppportunity to focus on any last minute clean-ups at home, focus on your wife, and get sleep. We took a childbirth preparation class, and it seemed weird at the time, but that was their (the presenters') insrtuctions. They had a baby in NICU, and they told us to get the sleep while you can, because your baby will need you later when he comes home.

Just take it one day at a time. The hardest thing is to relax in this situation, but it also is one of the most important things.

We'll continue to pray for you and your family.

Cheers,
Gordon

Gordon (38),
DW, Norlisa (35)
essential hypertension diagnosed before pregnancy, successfully treated with atenolol, post-partum preeclampsia
Joseph/Josephine Our Angel in Heaven (9/16/02)
Twins Mary Frances and Samuel (a.k.a. Frankie and Sammy) 38 2/7 weeks, 5/26/03

[dorio22]

Wow! Quite an ordeal you and your wife went through. This disease can happen so fast, glad you checked on her when you did.

My dd was born 5 weeks early and was in NICU for 2 weeks. We had incredible nurses in there. All of them had been at that same hospital for over 20 years. They were great and I knew my dd was in good hands.

If your wife cries alot it is normal. She is going to have raging hormones and I was a blubbering mess, just be there for her she will do fine.

Keep us updated on how everything is going. Your doing a great job and your wife is lucky to have you.

Dori - Utah
Mom to Kallie,09/02 Adopted, Brianna, 35 Weeks due to Severe PE.
PG again, EDD 08/01/05

[fiona]

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that the care in the NICU was anything but amazing. You can absolutely trust that Luke is getting top quality care. My thoughts were getting ahead of my typing.

Fiona
dh Tom
ds Nate 12/8/97 - 14/8/97 26 weeks severe pre-e IUGR 1lb
ds Jay 4/11/98 30 weeks pre-e 3lbs 11 oz
no 3 due 15/6/05

[sweetiesuzy]

What a journey! Congratulations on the birth of Luke! I am so glad you knew she was feeling bad and went in. I pray that all continues to progress and Luke is home with you safe and sound.

Let us know how everything continues to go. Many women here have had preterm babies. I am sure they can share their experiences with you as well.

Congrats again and hang in there.

Hugs,
Suz

------------------------
Aaryngston ~ 3/25/95
Chloe Rose ~ 10/26/01 Stillbirth
Samuel Isaac ~ 12/30/02
Laura Elise ~ 7/19/04

"Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble remembering how to fly"
-Marion Beatty

[kdreher]

OH David and Cherie you sure have both been through so much. When Tyler was born, weighing at just 15 ounces, he also had hyaline membrane disease and bleeding in his brain and was born over 14 wks early. He was just to small to fight. I am glad to hear that Luke is a good weight and he is fairing well. It will be an up and down roller coaster from here, but try to remain strong. We are all praying for you.

Kris (35) & Tom (35)
Connecticut

My Angel - Tyler 3/9/95 to 3/23/95 (15 oz, 26 wks severe pe/HELLP)
Tubal Ligation 2/2000
Tubal Reversal 10/2004
Miscarriage 1/05



tkstevens@sbcglobal.net

[akemt]

Congratulations on the birth of your son! Prayers that Luke and parents will do well in the upcoming weeks...

Catherine (23), Moderator
DH Britton (28)
Emma Margaret (03/02/03) 37 wks PIH & Oligo
Lara Julianne (07/31/04) 38 wks Borderline PIH