@teresafreez Wow. That sounds like so much uncertainty all around!
If you or your partner was hospitalized for pre-eclampsia prior to delivering your little one, tell me about your experience
notworthconsideration
New member
@kimhimmel I was admitted at 22 weeks for 4 days to get my meds sorted (at home wasn't working fast enough). I was able to go home. I wasn't on bed rest but I had to limit/pace myself. I couldn't walk for more than 20 minutes without my blood pressure jumping.
I was then admitted at 32+4 (BP was 165/80 when I went in, then proceded to climb up to 190/85 after iv meds so I was started on steroid shots, a mag drip and brought in to a delivery room for monitoring for 12 hours as a precaution.
I was then sent back to antepartum. In talking with OB, MFM and NICU, the goal became making it to 34 weeks.
I had talked with my nurse who had been in hospital for 9 weeks when she was pregnant. She advised to find hobbies i could do sitting to pass the time. Reading and TV could only pass so much time. She taught herself to knit. Our hospital also had social meetings (craft or game planned twice a week). They also had some classes you could attend - baby development, basic baby care and so on. I never made it to one.
I was allowed to do very little. I could walk the floor once slowly twice a day. I was allowed to go to the gift shop in the lobby if someone pushed me. I was not allowed to go to the cafeteria as it was in the building beside (10 minute walk away) as it was too far if I felt my pressure spike.
24 hours after that discussion (now 32+6) my labs came back and my kidney and liver results were not good
It was decided he was being delivered as in was in the best interest for both of us. From the time I was informed to the time I heard him holler, it was under 2 hours.
I was put on a mag drip for 24 hours. If your hospital doesn't give you a fan. I highly recommend one for the mag, it was giving me hot flashes that made me want to vomit. The fan made it better.
Now for my son. He spent 19 days in the NICU. The first few days he was on a canula. I was prepared that he may need to be intubated, but he just needed the nasal prongs as a precaution. She had a little issue with his blood sugars then jaundice (6 out of 10 babies get it and premies are more likely). After that he was bumped to a different wing where he just had to figure out how to feed. That is appearently a skill they develop between 36 and 37 weeks. This was the longest part of our stay. 2 weeks for him to take a bottle consistently.
Because he was 7 weeks early, he automatically gets developmental screenings to catch any delays. (Typically babies born between 32 and 34 weeks catch up to peers by 2 years old, babies born after 34 weeks are more in line with full term). He tested at or ahead his chronological age. We are just shy of a year and he has met or exceeded all the milestones. He has 6 teeth, quadrupled his birth weight and is full of opinions!
I was then admitted at 32+4 (BP was 165/80 when I went in, then proceded to climb up to 190/85 after iv meds so I was started on steroid shots, a mag drip and brought in to a delivery room for monitoring for 12 hours as a precaution.
I was then sent back to antepartum. In talking with OB, MFM and NICU, the goal became making it to 34 weeks.
I had talked with my nurse who had been in hospital for 9 weeks when she was pregnant. She advised to find hobbies i could do sitting to pass the time. Reading and TV could only pass so much time. She taught herself to knit. Our hospital also had social meetings (craft or game planned twice a week). They also had some classes you could attend - baby development, basic baby care and so on. I never made it to one.
I was allowed to do very little. I could walk the floor once slowly twice a day. I was allowed to go to the gift shop in the lobby if someone pushed me. I was not allowed to go to the cafeteria as it was in the building beside (10 minute walk away) as it was too far if I felt my pressure spike.
24 hours after that discussion (now 32+6) my labs came back and my kidney and liver results were not good
It was decided he was being delivered as in was in the best interest for both of us. From the time I was informed to the time I heard him holler, it was under 2 hours.
I was put on a mag drip for 24 hours. If your hospital doesn't give you a fan. I highly recommend one for the mag, it was giving me hot flashes that made me want to vomit. The fan made it better.
Now for my son. He spent 19 days in the NICU. The first few days he was on a canula. I was prepared that he may need to be intubated, but he just needed the nasal prongs as a precaution. She had a little issue with his blood sugars then jaundice (6 out of 10 babies get it and premies are more likely). After that he was bumped to a different wing where he just had to figure out how to feed. That is appearently a skill they develop between 36 and 37 weeks. This was the longest part of our stay. 2 weeks for him to take a bottle consistently.
Because he was 7 weeks early, he automatically gets developmental screenings to catch any delays. (Typically babies born between 32 and 34 weeks catch up to peers by 2 years old, babies born after 34 weeks are more in line with full term). He tested at or ahead his chronological age. We are just shy of a year and he has met or exceeded all the milestones. He has 6 teeth, quadrupled his birth weight and is full of opinions!
notworthconsideration
New member
For the nicu side, leaving the hospital without him was probably the hardest thing I ever did. I ugly cried the whole way home.
Make sure you are doing what is needed for you to heal. The NICU is exhausting on its own, and the hormonal swing post partum is a ride in itself. Ask questions, be there when needed but the nurses got baby if you need time away to heal and be ready when baby comes home.
It took a long time for me to understand that my body did not fail him. The placenta had a mind of its own (the placenta develops from the egg and is only half from you).
You may get your milk supply in or it may take time. It will be what it is. My supply never came in (had other things going on and we figured I'd have trouble with it) so I steuggled with my bodynfailing home again. It was after a conversation with my endocrinologist who reminded me, my job is to ensure he's fed, there are many ways for that to happen.
r/nicuparents is a good resource too.
Make sure you are doing what is needed for you to heal. The NICU is exhausting on its own, and the hormonal swing post partum is a ride in itself. Ask questions, be there when needed but the nurses got baby if you need time away to heal and be ready when baby comes home.
It took a long time for me to understand that my body did not fail him. The placenta had a mind of its own (the placenta develops from the egg and is only half from you).
You may get your milk supply in or it may take time. It will be what it is. My supply never came in (had other things going on and we figured I'd have trouble with it) so I steuggled with my bodynfailing home again. It was after a conversation with my endocrinologist who reminded me, my job is to ensure he's fed, there are many ways for that to happen.
r/nicuparents is a good resource too.
@notworthconsideration Also really great advice, especially on navigating things with the postpartum hormone swing
@kimhimmel
- Admitted at 30w1d, delivered at 33w2d, blood pressure remained high after delivery so remained in the hospital for five days post delivery. I had been hospitalized for high bp overnight at 17 weeks, so it was not a sudden thing.
- Not sure, but sky high. 180s/110s? Nurses told me later they were sure I’d have to deliver that same day. I never experienced any symptoms, no swelling, no headaches, no dizziness, no protein in my urine, no pain at any point during all this! That’s why I was able to stay pregnant for three weeks, basically. Along with blood work always looking okay (until it wasn’t).
- Maxed out on two oral meds (labadalol and nifedipine) and had IV meds almost constantly due to pressure remaining over 160/100. Was told once we maxed out on those drugs they would have to deliver. They adjusted the oral meds and timing every few days to give them a chance to work.
- Nothing, i never left my room! I showered and convinced drs my work was not stressful so I didn’t have to use up my pto, so I did some work and watched tv on my iPad. But basically remained in bed.
- Hmm, I had wonderful nurses but by week three I was really tired of being so anxious and the lack of privacy, the ivs. But every day meant another day my baby had a chance to fatten up, have steroids administered to help his lungs, so I wanted to wait as long as it was safe to deliver, obviously.
- Blood tests showed a huge drop in my platelets, an unexpected twist. So, I developed HELLP syndrome and then it was go-time.
- C-section after a couple hours of labor. Preemptively set up my epidural in case my platelets dropped further because it wouldn’t be safe to do so later. Honestly I was happy to have the c-section. It and the recovery was the easiest part of my whole ordeal!
- My baby was 1800 grams (a hair under 4lbs). He was small, but healthy. We were lucky, he was a feeder/grower. He just turned two and he knows how to ask for Siri on my watch and runs faster than I can I think. These babies are amazing.
- 25 day uneventful NICU stay. Lots of skin-to-skin, kangaroo care. Learning from nurses (we are first time parents, had no idea how to do anything!)
- Watch and learn from the nurses, use the time to recover yourself; writing up these answers reminded me this was a lot to go through. Give yourself time to rest, know your baby is in good hands when you aren’t there. Best of luck! If any of my details sound similar to your situation feel free to DM me if it would help at all!
@kimhimmel I had great care! And I was super lucky, all things considered. Oh, I had my husband bring me a blanket and pillows from home, among other things. I recommend leaning into the idea you sorta live there and try to make it comfortable where you can.
@kimhimmel 1) Admitted at 25+3 and delivered at 27+1, so 12 days in the LDU before delivery.
2) Upon arrival at ER, BP was 198/104 and 208/112 when they retested because they thought the first was a false read lol.
No liver or kidney involvement that I recall. I had zero symptoms and only knew to go because I was taking my BP daily.
3) It took them a few days to find the right dosages of meds to stabilize my BP. I was put on IV magnesium when I was admitted and also pushed IV labetalol then as well.
Eventually the regimen that worked was labetalol 500mg every 8 hours AND nifedipine 60mg once daily. Yeah... It was a lot lol.
4) I was on strict bed rest the first 7 days (I had to wear the inflating leg massager pretty much continuously unless I had to get up to use the bathroom). I was only allowed to get up to use the bathroom.
On day 8, they decided I was stable enough to be transferred to the post-partum unit where the level of care was less than in LDU. They also told me I was allowed to get up and walk about, but not to over do it. I was so excited that I was walking rounds around my room lol. Which I did t think was overdoing it, but maybe it was..... Because eI lasted 1.5 days in the post partum unit until they decided to transfer me back to LDU
The post partum unit nurses were.... Not as attentive. Which meant my BPs went haywire and went high again.
5) Honestly, I ended up mostly disassociating from the situation and just had an attitude of "this is what this is, not much I can really do". The hospital was 2 hours away from home and we have a few dogs so my husband couldn't stay with me because they needed to be fed morning and evening. He visited me for a handful of hours every other day. My mom visited me for a couple hours alternating days with him. We moved away from my home state a couple years before so I didn't really have many close friends here. It was fairly lonely the rest of the time.
I read and listened to a lot of books, played a lot of games on my phone, surfed a lot of reddit, crocheted a blanket for my baby while listening to audiobooks. I never used the TV in the room, I didn't even know how to use the remote haha.
There was one nurse I had who was precepting with a student and I unfortunately don't remember their names anymore because I only had them the one time, but I remember their actions the most because they were the ONLY ones that offered to take me outside in a wheelchair to get some fresh air. I was SO grateful to them!! Even now I get tears remembering their kindness.... This was about 10 days after being admitted. For 10 days I hadn't been outside!
6) The entire time I was admitted, they monitored my baby's heartbeat continuously. I had that belt thing around my belly the entire time, and they were constantly coming into my room to adjust it because my baby was a gymnast in there and just kept moving around everywhere.
On day 11, my son had an event where his heart rate dropped quite drastically for a hot moment. The nurse paged the attending and in 5 seconds I had a whole crowd of concerned nurses and doctors and med students and miscellaneous healthcare providers all around me. Eventually heartbeat came back and stabilized after doing a couple interventions.
The next morning, his heart rate kept decelerating again and more often than previously. So at that point, the MFM told me it's probably best to get him out before it became an actual emergency situation. That was around 9am. I called my husband to drive up. They got things ready, my husband arrived just before they were about to wheel me to the OR. Son was born at 2:21pm.
7) Straight to C-section, vaginal was not even given as an option for me. They just wanted to get him out as soon as possible. Also vaginally probably would have spiked my blood pressure again.
8) He was born 820 grams. He is now 22mo / 19mo adjusted with no major health problems other than being underweight. He's been followed by early intervention specialists (pt, it, dietitian) how whole life due to the prematurity and low birth weight... But honestly he wouldn't have needed them otherwise. He has been developing at an average pace with his adjusted age so far.
9) He was in the NICU for 95 days.
He was on vent for a total of 2 weeks (a week after birth, then again for a week about 2 months later when he went septic because he was hit with 3 different infections at the same time--a blood infection, a skin infection, and a UTI).
He had mild bilateral brain bleeds that self-resolved.
He left the NICU with a mild ROP diagnosis that eventually also went away on its own.
A pretty mild NICU journey, and I am damn thankful for that.
10) My number one best advice would be to establish a friendly rapport with all your babies nurses. Find the one you vibe with the best and ask them to be your baby's primary nurse (that means when they are scheduled to work, they get dibs on taking care of your baby). I felt the least anxious when my son's primaries were taking care of him because I know they cared about him and advocated for him as I would.
We got along so well with his daytime primary to the point that we knew her work schedule and when and where she vacationed haha.
You can have more than one primary! My son had a primary night nurse and a primary day nurse. We still keep in touch on fb so they could watch my son grow too.
I liked to bring goodies to the nurses every other week to be put in the nurse's station. You really don't have to, but I felt it didn't hurt to show my appreciation for (ok ok, essentially kiss ass to) the ones taking care of my NICU baby lol. If you do this, don't forget the night shift!
Take care of your physical and mental health! Do things that relax you! Honestly, get your sleep in now while you can. Once you take them home, it's game over on sleep lol.
The NICU journey is truly a rollercoaster and things can change within hours if not minutes. Your highest of highs can at any moment be humbled by the lowest of lows, but it can also be vice-versa.
Ask for help with anything if you feel you could benefit from it.
Don't feel like you HAVE to stay at your baby's bedside all day unless you REALLY want to. It doesn't make you a bad mother. Babies actually need a ton of sleep and peace and quiet the younger gestational age they are. In the beginning, we were there for a full session of kangaroo care and a set of cares. We let him sleep unbothered the rest of the time and we tried to do things for ourselves the rest of the day. As he got older and could tolerate more stimulus, we stayed a bit longer and/or visited multiple times per day.
We literally lived at the hospital the last few days before discharge (ok, it was a requirement to be discharged lol, we were required to sleep over in the unit and take care of him "on our own" but the nurses and docs were around should any medical intervention be needed... We did this for 2 nights).
Save the big plastic drinking jugs you get from the hospital of they're nice lol. They're more expensive than Stanley's, mine cost about $1.2 million
They are my favorite cups to use when at home though, seriously.
Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. As a nurse myself, it's absolutely not a bother if a patient asks for something to be explained until they understand. I want them to understand because that helps them become an active part of the care.
Good luck to you and your little one! Hoping for an uneventful stay for you guys!
2) Upon arrival at ER, BP was 198/104 and 208/112 when they retested because they thought the first was a false read lol.
No liver or kidney involvement that I recall. I had zero symptoms and only knew to go because I was taking my BP daily.
3) It took them a few days to find the right dosages of meds to stabilize my BP. I was put on IV magnesium when I was admitted and also pushed IV labetalol then as well.
Eventually the regimen that worked was labetalol 500mg every 8 hours AND nifedipine 60mg once daily. Yeah... It was a lot lol.
4) I was on strict bed rest the first 7 days (I had to wear the inflating leg massager pretty much continuously unless I had to get up to use the bathroom). I was only allowed to get up to use the bathroom.
On day 8, they decided I was stable enough to be transferred to the post-partum unit where the level of care was less than in LDU. They also told me I was allowed to get up and walk about, but not to over do it. I was so excited that I was walking rounds around my room lol. Which I did t think was overdoing it, but maybe it was..... Because eI lasted 1.5 days in the post partum unit until they decided to transfer me back to LDU
The post partum unit nurses were.... Not as attentive. Which meant my BPs went haywire and went high again.5) Honestly, I ended up mostly disassociating from the situation and just had an attitude of "this is what this is, not much I can really do". The hospital was 2 hours away from home and we have a few dogs so my husband couldn't stay with me because they needed to be fed morning and evening. He visited me for a handful of hours every other day. My mom visited me for a couple hours alternating days with him. We moved away from my home state a couple years before so I didn't really have many close friends here. It was fairly lonely the rest of the time.
I read and listened to a lot of books, played a lot of games on my phone, surfed a lot of reddit, crocheted a blanket for my baby while listening to audiobooks. I never used the TV in the room, I didn't even know how to use the remote haha.
There was one nurse I had who was precepting with a student and I unfortunately don't remember their names anymore because I only had them the one time, but I remember their actions the most because they were the ONLY ones that offered to take me outside in a wheelchair to get some fresh air. I was SO grateful to them!! Even now I get tears remembering their kindness.... This was about 10 days after being admitted. For 10 days I hadn't been outside!
6) The entire time I was admitted, they monitored my baby's heartbeat continuously. I had that belt thing around my belly the entire time, and they were constantly coming into my room to adjust it because my baby was a gymnast in there and just kept moving around everywhere.
On day 11, my son had an event where his heart rate dropped quite drastically for a hot moment. The nurse paged the attending and in 5 seconds I had a whole crowd of concerned nurses and doctors and med students and miscellaneous healthcare providers all around me. Eventually heartbeat came back and stabilized after doing a couple interventions.
The next morning, his heart rate kept decelerating again and more often than previously. So at that point, the MFM told me it's probably best to get him out before it became an actual emergency situation. That was around 9am. I called my husband to drive up. They got things ready, my husband arrived just before they were about to wheel me to the OR. Son was born at 2:21pm.
7) Straight to C-section, vaginal was not even given as an option for me. They just wanted to get him out as soon as possible. Also vaginally probably would have spiked my blood pressure again.
8) He was born 820 grams. He is now 22mo / 19mo adjusted with no major health problems other than being underweight. He's been followed by early intervention specialists (pt, it, dietitian) how whole life due to the prematurity and low birth weight... But honestly he wouldn't have needed them otherwise. He has been developing at an average pace with his adjusted age so far.
9) He was in the NICU for 95 days.
He was on vent for a total of 2 weeks (a week after birth, then again for a week about 2 months later when he went septic because he was hit with 3 different infections at the same time--a blood infection, a skin infection, and a UTI).
He had mild bilateral brain bleeds that self-resolved.
He left the NICU with a mild ROP diagnosis that eventually also went away on its own.
A pretty mild NICU journey, and I am damn thankful for that.
10) My number one best advice would be to establish a friendly rapport with all your babies nurses. Find the one you vibe with the best and ask them to be your baby's primary nurse (that means when they are scheduled to work, they get dibs on taking care of your baby). I felt the least anxious when my son's primaries were taking care of him because I know they cared about him and advocated for him as I would.
We got along so well with his daytime primary to the point that we knew her work schedule and when and where she vacationed haha.
You can have more than one primary! My son had a primary night nurse and a primary day nurse. We still keep in touch on fb so they could watch my son grow too.
I liked to bring goodies to the nurses every other week to be put in the nurse's station. You really don't have to, but I felt it didn't hurt to show my appreciation for (ok ok, essentially kiss ass to) the ones taking care of my NICU baby lol. If you do this, don't forget the night shift!
Take care of your physical and mental health! Do things that relax you! Honestly, get your sleep in now while you can. Once you take them home, it's game over on sleep lol.
The NICU journey is truly a rollercoaster and things can change within hours if not minutes. Your highest of highs can at any moment be humbled by the lowest of lows, but it can also be vice-versa.
Ask for help with anything if you feel you could benefit from it.
Don't feel like you HAVE to stay at your baby's bedside all day unless you REALLY want to. It doesn't make you a bad mother. Babies actually need a ton of sleep and peace and quiet the younger gestational age they are. In the beginning, we were there for a full session of kangaroo care and a set of cares. We let him sleep unbothered the rest of the time and we tried to do things for ourselves the rest of the day. As he got older and could tolerate more stimulus, we stayed a bit longer and/or visited multiple times per day.
We literally lived at the hospital the last few days before discharge (ok, it was a requirement to be discharged lol, we were required to sleep over in the unit and take care of him "on our own" but the nurses and docs were around should any medical intervention be needed... We did this for 2 nights).
Save the big plastic drinking jugs you get from the hospital of they're nice lol. They're more expensive than Stanley's, mine cost about $1.2 million
They are my favorite cups to use when at home though, seriously.Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. As a nurse myself, it's absolutely not a bother if a patient asks for something to be explained until they understand. I want them to understand because that helps them become an active part of the care.
Good luck to you and your little one! Hoping for an uneventful stay for you guys!
@kimhimmel Honestly I don't feel like it was that bad of a hospital stay haha. But I'm also already on the other side of it and time has healed some of the trauma I guess.
Yes, the initial ER i went to administered the first dose of steroid. It was a small rural hospital that was not equipped to care for me so they ambulanced me to the next bigger hospital with a level 3 NICU. I got the second dose whenever it was due, I can't remember the exact spacing.
I'm very glad I was able to get both steroid shots that early because even though I got them, my son still needed 2 rounds of getting surfactant for his lungs.
They did not put me on heparin, no. I don't have any history of or increased risks of blood clots though.
Yes, the initial ER i went to administered the first dose of steroid. It was a small rural hospital that was not equipped to care for me so they ambulanced me to the next bigger hospital with a level 3 NICU. I got the second dose whenever it was due, I can't remember the exact spacing.
I'm very glad I was able to get both steroid shots that early because even though I got them, my son still needed 2 rounds of getting surfactant for his lungs.
They did not put me on heparin, no. I don't have any history of or increased risks of blood clots though.
@kimhimmel I was hospitalized at 27+1 for extreme blood pressure (234 over 100 something). I had been on labetalol for a few weeks for gestational hypertension. At the hospital labs came back as preeclampsia. Thankfully no major organ involvement.
Blood pressure wouldn't be controlled to satisfaction despite following the cascade of medication repeatedly (lower than initial reading, but not within normal limits) and we were starting to get absent flow to baby. They were using lebetalol and nifedipine but I don't remember the doses. MFM decided on 27+4 that we would do a C-section the next day (better to control the outcome with a plan than rush things due to an emergency). Had C-section on 27+5. They said baby was small enough that a vaginal delivery would tire her out too much - she didn't have enough fat to tolerate that stress/energy expenditure well. Blood pressure came down over the next 24 hours after the C-section to a controlled level with medication. I went home without baby (in NICU) 5 days after the C-section.
I was able to wean off bp meds by 8 weeks postpartum.
My daughter was 780 grams (1lb, 11.5oz). She's 16 months actual now and has met all of her milestones the last 2 months without adjusting for her prematurity. She's still small (almost 18 pounds) but she's mighty! After the C-section they let us go see her in NICU later that night when everything was stable. I was pumping and hand expressing getting some colostrum every 2-3 hours.
She was in the NICU for 85 days (we came home the day before her due date). She was mostly a feeder/grower but did need a little boost of oxygen a bit longer than some babies do (the very tiniest amount in high flow cannula) to help her have the energy to learn to eat. We did budesinide nebulizer treatments at home for a while, but the doctor cleared us to stop at her 6 month adjusted high risk infant follow up visit.
When I was in the hospital waiting to see how things would turn out, I did a lot of praying. Some was "Lord, please let me and the baby be ok" but a lot of it was also "Lord, I can't control any of this - you take it." Every time I would start to loop in my head with what-ifs I would give it back to him again.
I distracted myself by watching TV in the room (discovered Big City Greens and regained hope for the future of kids cartoons). They let me walk to the bathroom, but they had these inflatable cuffs around my calves to help reduce swelling and help circulation, and they didn't want me moving around too much before the baby came because they had a monitor around my abdomen to keep track of her heart rate. There were some heart rate decelerations that started to increase in frequency (another contributing factor to push us toward delivery).
I remember taking an audio recording of her heartbeat just in case the worst happened. I still listen to it every so often and cry a little and thank God that she's here safe and is thriving.
Edit to add that I didn't feel that crumby on magnesium like a lot of people do, but I did feel really hot/warm after the C-section, which was attributed to "hormones". I was able to have the steroid shots for baby's lung development, which hopefully you've already had since you've been in for a week. Edit 2: I just saw you haven't done them yet
Blood pressure wouldn't be controlled to satisfaction despite following the cascade of medication repeatedly (lower than initial reading, but not within normal limits) and we were starting to get absent flow to baby. They were using lebetalol and nifedipine but I don't remember the doses. MFM decided on 27+4 that we would do a C-section the next day (better to control the outcome with a plan than rush things due to an emergency). Had C-section on 27+5. They said baby was small enough that a vaginal delivery would tire her out too much - she didn't have enough fat to tolerate that stress/energy expenditure well. Blood pressure came down over the next 24 hours after the C-section to a controlled level with medication. I went home without baby (in NICU) 5 days after the C-section.
I was able to wean off bp meds by 8 weeks postpartum.
My daughter was 780 grams (1lb, 11.5oz). She's 16 months actual now and has met all of her milestones the last 2 months without adjusting for her prematurity. She's still small (almost 18 pounds) but she's mighty! After the C-section they let us go see her in NICU later that night when everything was stable. I was pumping and hand expressing getting some colostrum every 2-3 hours.
She was in the NICU for 85 days (we came home the day before her due date). She was mostly a feeder/grower but did need a little boost of oxygen a bit longer than some babies do (the very tiniest amount in high flow cannula) to help her have the energy to learn to eat. We did budesinide nebulizer treatments at home for a while, but the doctor cleared us to stop at her 6 month adjusted high risk infant follow up visit.
When I was in the hospital waiting to see how things would turn out, I did a lot of praying. Some was "Lord, please let me and the baby be ok" but a lot of it was also "Lord, I can't control any of this - you take it." Every time I would start to loop in my head with what-ifs I would give it back to him again.
I distracted myself by watching TV in the room (discovered Big City Greens and regained hope for the future of kids cartoons). They let me walk to the bathroom, but they had these inflatable cuffs around my calves to help reduce swelling and help circulation, and they didn't want me moving around too much before the baby came because they had a monitor around my abdomen to keep track of her heart rate. There were some heart rate decelerations that started to increase in frequency (another contributing factor to push us toward delivery).
I remember taking an audio recording of her heartbeat just in case the worst happened. I still listen to it every so often and cry a little and thank God that she's here safe and is thriving.
Edit to add that I didn't feel that crumby on magnesium like a lot of people do, but I did feel really hot/warm after the C-section, which was attributed to "hormones". I was able to have the steroid shots for baby's lung development, which hopefully you've already had since you've been in for a week. Edit 2: I just saw you haven't done them yet
@babooshka Wow, I can’t believe the BP numbers you came in with. That’s wild.
A harrowing time but it sounds like everybody made it through okay. Thanks for sharing.
A harrowing time but it sounds like everybody made it through okay. Thanks for sharing.
worththewait
New member
@kimhimmel 1.) Saturday admitted at 3am at 33w6d. Gave birth via c section on Sunday at 2pm. 34w0d. So about 1.5 days before c section. I remember none of it though. I did drive myself to the hospital which was STUPID. If I try I can remember the L&D room in black and white.
2.) 200/110. I was having contractions and didn’t know it. My liver levels were not great. I got one steroid injection in.
3.) I have no idea what meds they gave me as I was very much out of it. I had flashing lights, black and white vision and tunnel vision a lot. I know they gave me magnesium so I would stop seizing at one point. It makes you feel awful too.
4.) no activity. I sat on the bed and zoned out then my OB came in and was like “let’s do this!”
5.) I don’t think I was sane until 48 hours after the birth. I didn’t see my baby until 24 hours after due to mag drip and seizures.
6.) High BP, seizures, contractions, liver levels and fetal heartbeat were all concerning.
7.) c section. Don’t remember it. They gave me meds to keep me stable. I do remember them pulling him out and them hustling him out to the NICU.
8.) My son was 6.5 lb so he was a healthy weight.
9.) His NICU stay was 18 days total. He has RDS but only needed the cpap/bubble for about 3 days. The rest of the time was learning how to drink from a bottle. This took 3 weeks and felt never ending. Like I was sick and anxious the entire time.
I’m not sure there is any advice to make it easier. I liked reviewing posts on here and it did help to know mine was just a grower unlike micropreemie cases on here. Idk. It’s awful and your just endure it.
In the end, my boy is 19 months old now, and 99th percentile across the board. He is perfect, healthy and worthy every second of heartache.
2.) 200/110. I was having contractions and didn’t know it. My liver levels were not great. I got one steroid injection in.
3.) I have no idea what meds they gave me as I was very much out of it. I had flashing lights, black and white vision and tunnel vision a lot. I know they gave me magnesium so I would stop seizing at one point. It makes you feel awful too.
4.) no activity. I sat on the bed and zoned out then my OB came in and was like “let’s do this!”
5.) I don’t think I was sane until 48 hours after the birth. I didn’t see my baby until 24 hours after due to mag drip and seizures.
6.) High BP, seizures, contractions, liver levels and fetal heartbeat were all concerning.
7.) c section. Don’t remember it. They gave me meds to keep me stable. I do remember them pulling him out and them hustling him out to the NICU.
8.) My son was 6.5 lb so he was a healthy weight.
9.) His NICU stay was 18 days total. He has RDS but only needed the cpap/bubble for about 3 days. The rest of the time was learning how to drink from a bottle. This took 3 weeks and felt never ending. Like I was sick and anxious the entire time.
I’m not sure there is any advice to make it easier. I liked reviewing posts on here and it did help to know mine was just a grower unlike micropreemie cases on here. Idk. It’s awful and your just endure it.
In the end, my boy is 19 months old now, and 99th percentile across the board. He is perfect, healthy and worthy every second of heartache.
@worththewait Thanks for sharing. It sounds like it’s for the best that you were out of it/don’t remember a lot. Tough stuff.
jennifergryph
New member
@kimhimmel
- First issues and admittance was 27 weeks, baby had lots of soft markers for genetic issues and was iugr, my BP was 160/90. Decided it was hypertension due to stress for baby's issues (probably wasn't in hindsight, my consultant agreed but when you're told your baby has a fatal form of dwarfism (he didn't!) everyone expects your BP to be raised!). Then readmitted at 32 weeks due to 180/120, given methyldopa and nifedipine and discharged when BP fell - trace protein in urine. Admitted 33+4 with high BP and no movements at 4pm (after midwife said I was fine and shouldn't go in), pre-e diagnosed at 8pm (protein in urine and blood tests), baby born just before midnight
- BP at admission was 220/180 at peak if I recall correctly, and sustained at 200/160. I wasn't told of any kidney or liver involvement. Baby was in distress and ctg showed blood flow reversing.
- Started on methyldopa and nifedipine pre-birth, during delivery hospital stay I had multiple rescue doses of hydralazine, more nifedipine, more methyldopa, captopril, ramopril and a few others I can't recall at this exact moment (can't have labetalol as I'm asthmatic) as well as magnesium sulphate. Ended up on captopril for 6 months post delivery. Dose was changed basically daily until delivery hospital stay and was then changed approximately every 30mins-1 hour for two days, then changed weekly for a few weeks post delivery.
- I got into a hospital bed at 4pm the day I delivered and was not allowed out of it for 4 days. I was allowed to walk to the bathroom day 4-6, day 7 I was allowed to walk the 100 yards to nicu and was discharged on minimal exertion. I spent 4 days in ICU, then 3 on the ward and one readmittance for a day after a week due to uncontrolled BP. My icu stay was due to a rare reaction to magnesium sulphate though, and the bed rest was largely due to this as well. I spent the first 4 days being started at by a nurse as I was incredibly high risk of stroke due to my BP and heart attack due to hyperkalemia and hypocalcaemia
- Animal crossing on switch and crochet. This is all I did pre delivery and post delivery and in nicu!
- My BP not being controllable at all (only came down to 160/120 with all the meds and the spinal injection which normally massively lowers BP) and baby being in distress. We had 20 minutes warning.
- C section. Baby had to come out asap and they were of the opinion that baby would not survive a vaginal delivery and I would not survive the amount of time an induction would take, nor would it be advisable with my BP.
- 33 weeks 4 days, 1.68kg/3lbs 11oz. He's 4 years old now and has additional needs. Specifically he has a sereve speech delay and disorder (his speech sounds are at a 6-9 month old level, so it's significant) and has been mild-moderately delayed across the board developmentally. He is a happy and healthy little boy though. Important to mention he had sepsis post birth and a throat abnormality that has likely caused his speech issues, he was also discharged the day covid lockdowns started in our country so we had no support or early intervention
(( - He spent a month in nicu, first 7 days were touch and go with infections/sepsis, next 7 days were diagnosing throat issues and stopping aspirations, final 2 weeks were just learning to eat and stay warm.
- It's hard, even now 4 years on the days around my sons birth are some of the worst and scariest days of my life, but we get better and the babies get bigger and stronger and it gets easier. Also buy a well insulated water bottle and get someone to fill it full of ice water and get good lip balm! Nicu is so unbelievably hot! I don't really have any good advice, I've blocked most of it from my memory, just muddled through it really. I hope you manage to keep baby in as long as is safe for you both and you have a smooth nicu ride
@jennifergryph Oh my gosh, what an incredibly hard road compounded by extra bad luck with covid timing. Thanks for sharing even though I’m sure it was hard to revisit.
bonngamchan
New member
@kimhimmel I was in this exact situation. Please message me if you need anything or want to talk.
- What week+day were you admitted, what week+day did you deliver, and how many days total was your hospital stay before delivery?-- admitted 27+4, delivered literally right after midnight on 33+0. total stay 41 days
- What was your blood pressure at admission? Was there liver and kidney involvement at that time? 160-170/90s, no
- How did things progress for you in terms of BP and meds? What meds were you given and how often was your dosage/regime change? I think I started on nifedipine, maxed, then started carvedilol , once a day -> three times day, occ. labetolol iv pushes when severe.
- What kinds of activity did your hospital allow you? walking on the unit. able to go to the courtyard, but only with visitors.
- What kept you sane in face of the daily uncertainty? Visits from loved ones, uber eats, shows, taking it day by day, VIRTUAL THERAPY!! daily/weekly countdowns and celebrations.
- What factor ultimately led to delivery? How much warning did you have? maxed on meds, still having severe range blood pressures, unrelenting headache. every day was a conversation about risk vs benefit. it was obvious to me when we were getting close though.
- Did you deliver vaginally or C-section? Why? c section, severe BPs, breeched baby
- How many grams was your child and how was their outcome? 1500g. intubated at birth. got surfactant. 3 weeks(?) oxygen/cpap. feeds via NG tube. some trouble with feeds, Brady/desats, and did require blood transfusion. started feeding after about 5.5 weeks in the NICU. Discharged after about 6.5 weeks. Followed weight gain, goes to weekly PT, doing amazing overall. 7 months actual currently
- How many days was your child’s NICU stay? (Feel free to include whatever details of that experience you want) I think 46 or 47?
- Any tips to prep an impending NICU parent like me?
- yes... accept any help offered (as long as it is from people you trust). when people offer help say YES and be specific. EX: can you walk my dog? would you be able to drop off food/coffee? would you come sit with me for a while? can you set up the crib? etc etc
- . Also, release any guilt about being in the NICU 24/7. They are in the best care and you WILL bond with them regardless. I always aimed to go for 1-2 care times a day in the morning, and go back to say goodnight , but I was close by. Whatever is feasible and feels right is what's right for you. You do not need to hold vigil 24/7 at the bedside -- its important to recover, get their nursery ready, eat, pump (if you choose) etc.
- Mentally plan for them to be in the NICU till your original due date. I was trying to be positive that when I delivered at 33+0 I thought we'd just stay a week or two. I was taken aback when it took 7 weeks, intubated etc. I wish I had tempered my expectations and didn't ONLY focus on best case scenario. You may have a shorter stay in the end but it helps to just mentally plan for longer.
- Start online video therapy like now. It was such an asset when in the hospital and ESPECIALLY in the NICU. In the hospital I actually was super positive and upbeat- every day in felt like a win. However, when he was in the NICU and the hormones hit I was a wreck. I've never felt so fragile, scared, panicked. It was really helpful to have a therapist established. There was some weeks I talked to her multiple times. Now I genuinely feel like I am on the other side of things and genuinely have processed it. Wishing you so much love. Message me for anything.
@bonngamchan Holy moly, what a long hospital stay. Incredible that you were able to hang on that long.
Thanks for the offer to reach out.
Thanks for the offer to reach out.
kiwiatheist
New member
@kimhimmel I was admitted at 23w 5d and delivered at exactly 29weeks so I was in the hospital for 5 weeks and 2 days before delivery and a few days after.
I came in with blood pressures in the upper 160s and was shocked when they told me I wouldn’t be going home. Especially because my labs were good and there was no protein in my urine. Ultimately, I ended up delivering because of elevated AST and ALT enzymes even though they went up then went down then slightly went up again. My platelet count was also a little low and we saw on the ultrasound that baby girl went from 68th percentile on the day I came in to 38th percentile at 26w and 5 days to 21st percentile the day before I delivered. This made me feel like she wasn’t getting what she needed inside and made me more at peace with delivering.
Initially I wasn’t put on any meds for a few days and they monitored me and my readings were ok after the magnesium. After about 3-4 days I went on 30mg of procardia twice a day and after a few days 60mg twice a day. I think it was a few days after that I was put on 200mg labetaol three times a day and that lasted a few weeks. Then I went to 400mg 3x which barely lasted a week then 600mg 3x and that’s when my BP was ok but the lab readings were not and I delivered.
I was able to walk around and move. They recommended that so as not to get blood clots.
Honestly, tracking my BP readings in a notebook helped. I could see trends and anticipate what was coming based on past experience with all my scores. I cried sometimes. I prayed. I worked from the hospital which took my mind off things and I finished up my classes for my masters. My boyfriend visited pretty much every day and I texted and called friends. I had many weeks where everything was really good and stable and it came out of nowhere for me that I would have to deliver at 29 weeks.
I was three times told we might have to deliver tomorrow. Once when I came in which I kind of laughed at because we had done nothing yet like BP meds (but they probably thought my labs might be bad or they couldn’t control the BP). Once a week before I delivered but my enzymes went down and my BP also was better maintained upping the labetalol. And then the week I did deliver. My dr said she wanted to deliver me the next day when we talked and I asked her to give me until the day after that. When symbolically I would reach 29 weeks. Which for me just meant something. I was trying for 30 at least. But every Friday was a milestone for me in the hospital because it was a new “week” and it just felt right to me. And I needed a day to process. So, I had a day and a half basically and to decide if I wanted a c section or vaginal delivery.
I opted for the c section. Since I was only 29 weeks they said I may be induced and be in labor or waiting for DAYS and then have to have a c section anyway. I worried what would happen to my BP and numbers in that time and the stress it would place on the baby. All the drs said a c section in my case would be safer for the baby. So that’s what I did.
My little girl was estimated to be 2 lbs 11 oz at the ultrasound a day before delivery and she was 2 lbs 10.5 oz when born so it was very accurate. So that’s about 1205g.
She was delivered Feb 23 so is still in the NICU but the dr said she sets the bar! She hasn’t needed a ventilator at all and she’s on CPAP but she pulls the tubes out and still breathes well. Her brain scan was normal. She really just needs to fatten up. The hardest part now is just worrying that something will turn and she won’t do as well. It’s just a lot of anxiety even though she’s been fairly healthy and we’ve been fortunate in that respect. But she is now 3lbs 2.1 oz and hopefully just keeps growing!
Good luck to you!
Also, I had two steroid shots when I was admitted and two in the 24 hours before her birth and I really think that helped her lungs. They also told me girls generally do better in breathing when a preemie so that was working for her too.
I came in with blood pressures in the upper 160s and was shocked when they told me I wouldn’t be going home. Especially because my labs were good and there was no protein in my urine. Ultimately, I ended up delivering because of elevated AST and ALT enzymes even though they went up then went down then slightly went up again. My platelet count was also a little low and we saw on the ultrasound that baby girl went from 68th percentile on the day I came in to 38th percentile at 26w and 5 days to 21st percentile the day before I delivered. This made me feel like she wasn’t getting what she needed inside and made me more at peace with delivering.
Initially I wasn’t put on any meds for a few days and they monitored me and my readings were ok after the magnesium. After about 3-4 days I went on 30mg of procardia twice a day and after a few days 60mg twice a day. I think it was a few days after that I was put on 200mg labetaol three times a day and that lasted a few weeks. Then I went to 400mg 3x which barely lasted a week then 600mg 3x and that’s when my BP was ok but the lab readings were not and I delivered.
I was able to walk around and move. They recommended that so as not to get blood clots.
Honestly, tracking my BP readings in a notebook helped. I could see trends and anticipate what was coming based on past experience with all my scores. I cried sometimes. I prayed. I worked from the hospital which took my mind off things and I finished up my classes for my masters. My boyfriend visited pretty much every day and I texted and called friends. I had many weeks where everything was really good and stable and it came out of nowhere for me that I would have to deliver at 29 weeks.
I was three times told we might have to deliver tomorrow. Once when I came in which I kind of laughed at because we had done nothing yet like BP meds (but they probably thought my labs might be bad or they couldn’t control the BP). Once a week before I delivered but my enzymes went down and my BP also was better maintained upping the labetalol. And then the week I did deliver. My dr said she wanted to deliver me the next day when we talked and I asked her to give me until the day after that. When symbolically I would reach 29 weeks. Which for me just meant something. I was trying for 30 at least. But every Friday was a milestone for me in the hospital because it was a new “week” and it just felt right to me. And I needed a day to process. So, I had a day and a half basically and to decide if I wanted a c section or vaginal delivery.
I opted for the c section. Since I was only 29 weeks they said I may be induced and be in labor or waiting for DAYS and then have to have a c section anyway. I worried what would happen to my BP and numbers in that time and the stress it would place on the baby. All the drs said a c section in my case would be safer for the baby. So that’s what I did.
My little girl was estimated to be 2 lbs 11 oz at the ultrasound a day before delivery and she was 2 lbs 10.5 oz when born so it was very accurate. So that’s about 1205g.
She was delivered Feb 23 so is still in the NICU but the dr said she sets the bar! She hasn’t needed a ventilator at all and she’s on CPAP but she pulls the tubes out and still breathes well. Her brain scan was normal. She really just needs to fatten up. The hardest part now is just worrying that something will turn and she won’t do as well. It’s just a lot of anxiety even though she’s been fairly healthy and we’ve been fortunate in that respect. But she is now 3lbs 2.1 oz and hopefully just keeps growing!
Good luck to you!
Also, I had two steroid shots when I was admitted and two in the 24 hours before her birth and I really think that helped her lungs. They also told me girls generally do better in breathing when a preemie so that was working for her too.
@kiwiatheist Holy moly what a long hospital stay. You are a very tough parent and your child is a fighter just like you 
I can’t even imagine how scary it was to be admitted that early knowing how far you were at the time from some big viability milestones.
I can’t even imagine how scary it was to be admitted that early knowing how far you were at the time from some big viability milestones.