If you or your partner was hospitalized for pre-eclampsia prior to delivering your little one, tell me about your experience

[kimhimmel]

I am currently 27w2d, have been hospitalized for a week, and will be here until I deliver. I’ve had a hard time finding other experiences like mine. If you experienced this, I’d love to hear:

1. What week+day were you admitted, what week+day did you deliver, and how many days total was your hospital stay before delivery?
2. What was your blood pressure at admission? Was there liver and kidney involvement at that time?
3. 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?
4. What kinds of activity did your hospital allow you?
5. What kept you sane in face of the daily uncertainty?
6. What factor ultimately led to delivery? How much warning did you have?
7. Did you deliver vaginally or C-section? Why?
8. How many grams was your child and how was their outcome?
9. How many days was your child’s NICU stay? (Feel free to include whatever details of that experience you want)
10. Any tips to prep an impending NICU parent like me?
11. Anything else you’d like to add!

 

[mutambo]

@kimhimmel I didn’t have preeclampsia, but my water broke at 15 weeks. I was hospitalized from 15 weeks until 30+6 when I delivered! I was on bedrest the first month and a half then was transferred to a bigger hospital. They allowed me to get up and walk around. I tried to keep busy with word searches, coloring, books, games, shows, diamond dots, etc. My son weighed 3lbs 4 ounces and our nicu stay was 66 days! He’s home and he is so healthy! We didn’t come home with oxygen or an NG tube, (which is most common for preemies to come home with from where I live). Honestly I just took one day at a time and tried to distract myself from all the possibilities that could happen. Not knowing whether my child would survive or not was horrible. But between weekly ultrasounds, blood work every 3 days and constant monitoring it was a little easier! I did end up having a c section because I had placenta previa and Vesa previa. Delivery went smoothly though! I hope things work out for you mama! Keep hanging in there

 

[kimhimmel]

@mutambo What a long stay, that’s one of the longest I’ve ever heard. You’re a trooper!

 

[legrandvn]

@kimhimmel I developed pre eclampsia at 33 weeks 2 days admitted that day, delivered at 33 weeks 5 days. I had elevated liver enzymes and my blood pressure was in the 140s over 90s. They made the call to induce because my my kidney was showing signs of failure suddenly overnight but that seemed to be a one time thing as my levels returned to normal within a couple hours and stayed normal throughout my stay. But my liver enzymes kept going up so I would have been induced regardless in short order.
3. I did have the mag drip upon delivery, during labor and after labor. No blood pressure meds until post delivery as my blood pressure wasn’t high enough i guess to warrant meds until it was high postpartum.
4. I basically stayed on the labor on delivery floor and did laps around the hall. It was winter so going outside wasn’t going to be an option anyway.
5. Lots of youtube lots of crying haha. I spoke to the nicu team, the lactation team, my doctor friends, basically trauma dumped on all of them
6. My creatinine level (kidney function) was high so they induced immediately but my liver enzymes were very very high as well
7. Vaginal delivery, she was in a good position we had the time for a vaginal delivery, i had one prior so a vaginal delivery was my goal if possible as i knew what to expect with it and with the recovery.
8. A little over 2000grams i think she was in the nicu for 4 weeks so far so good but she is only 8 weeks
9. Do not burn yourself out! All my nicu parent friends warned me of this, don’t feel guilty for not going everyday. Healing isn’t linear. Your baby will have days where they take one step forward two steps back and it is heartbreaking but every baby heals at their own rate. And do your best to let go of any guilt you have. Speak to a therapist, joina support group, the pre eclampsia subreddit has a facebook chat for those who are currently in the hospital and everyone on there is very supportive. I am so sorry you are joining this shitty club!

Best of luck!

 

[kimhimmel]

@legrandvn Thank you for sharing your experience in such detail, I appreciate it!

 

[blartz]

@kimhimmel

1. I started having pre-e symptoms at 19+0, was admitted at 24+3 and delivered at 28+6, exactly thirty days. I stayed an extra 5 to stabilize.
2. The blood pressure that got me to the ER was 171/116, and was consistently >150/100 measured every 15 minutes in L&D before I was ambulanced across the state to a hospital with a level III NICU. Liver labs were normal upon admission but as for my kidneys I was found to have severe proteinuria and a protein-creatinine ratio of 0.6, double the threshold for "severe features".
3. As soon as I started nifedipine 30mg and got my first betamethasone shots my blood pressure dropped into the normal range and stayed there about a week. What I didn't know was that the steroids cause a honeymoon period for mom's symptoms too. I had a dose increase at the end of the first week, the second week, and twice in the third week where I maxed out on 120mg. They mentioned adding oral labetalol but did not make it to that point. In L&D IV labetalol did nothing for me either.
4. I was not ordered on bedrest and actually encouraged to walk around my room, down the hall to get water and put my meal tray away, and do light stretching. If I wanted to go further, like to the cafeteria or get a little bit of fresh air outside, a nurse would take me in a wheelchair.
5. Immediately upon admission I requested a mental health consult and had regular visits with the inpatient psychologist. This was crucial because she continues to follow up with me at my baby's bedside and caught some concerning things postpartum. I also got a Roku for my TV in the room which was really nice. I had regular visitors but not constantly, I couldn't handle everyone's questions all the time. I spent a lot of time on here and writing updates for my bumper group which helped me process everything.
6. It was several factors, almost all maternal. Early the fourth week (28+0) I started actually feeling sick - having right upper quadrant pain and nausea/vomiting. My blood pressures did not respond to the last dose increase in nifedipine and continued to rise back above 160/110. Baby's scans showed increasing intermittent absent cord flow (was only mildly resistant upon admission) and no growth from 26 to 28 weeks (had been measuring right on time at 24 weeks). I had my blood drawn every 6 hours and told I needed to deliver immediately if my labs looked any worse for the entire week. I was constantly having orders not to eat being given and taken away which was frustrating. They gave me the second round of steroids which, as mentioned above, caused a honeymoon period for me, my blood pressures settled and my labs went back to normal. But only for about 3 days, and then they shot back up and I was sent to L&D at like 8pm at 28+6 for prep and monitoring. They told me I would probably deliver 29+0 sometime in the late morning but based on what they saw in my blood pressures despite being on IV meds, they just got the OR ready for me right away and my son was born at 10:25.

So to answer that more concisely, I knew it was going to be soon for about a week but only had about 2 hours actual warning that it was actually happening.

1. They made me sign the c-section consent upon admission since they didn't know whether he'd need to be born right then and didn't want to risk an induction on a baby so small. I pushed for wanting to be induced when the time came, but ultimately he was breech on the day of (after doing flips the whole week) and even if he wasn't it would likely have been too risky for me to attempt induction.
2. On the scan the day before he was born, they estimated he would be 850g. He was born 995g. They attempted various levels of respiratory support before ultimately intubating him, and he was intubated for 9 weeks. He has had various issues crop up along the way (stage 3 ROP which required laser, some mild tummy troubles) but none as serious as his lungs. He's had a long road with respiratory support as you can read in my post history. Even with two rounds of antenatal steroids, 5 doses of surfactant, and two rounds of DART after he was born, his lungs are still struggling and he was just moved to CPAP from NIMV. That's the main thing holding us back. He can't take a bottle until he's off CPAP but once he takes all feeds by bottle we will be able to go home, even if he still needs oxygen.
3. We've been in 86 days so far and will likely be here at least another 6 weeks. This is not super typical. Most NICU babies come home around their due date; mine just happened to need more support. Luck of the draw.
4. Get as involved as possible as early as possible. Ask what cares you can participate in and revisit that as your baby gets older/tolerates more. Take a tour of the NICU before your baby is born. If you are wanting to provide breastmilk, have a chat with a lactation consultant about pumping before your baby is born (I felt like I had zero idea what I was doing and it took a while to get that help after baby was born). If there's a NICU nurse you really like, you can ask them to be your baby's primary for some consistency, which is so so important not just for your baby's care but for your own sanity. If there is a nurse you really don't like you can tell the charge nurse or unit manager you don't want that nurse assigned to your baby - don't be afraid to do this, some personalities just don't work together and there is nothing worse than leaving the NICU knowing your baby's in the care of someone you don't have good rapport with.

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. Preeclampsia is the effing worst. I hope you and baby have an uneventful stay. Feel free to ask any questions or just message me to chat. It's so much to take in at once but you got this mama

 

[kimhimmel]

@blartz Thank you for all this. What a long journey for you, especially since it sounds like you’re very far from home. I really hope a village has risen around you to help

 

[silversun]

@kimhimmel Hey OP,

I was meaning to reply earlier, so possible you already have all the info you need.

I started showing symptoms at 20+0 and was admitted to hospital at 24+1 and I gave birth 24+6.

My blood pressure was really high and barely manageable, I was admitted with a pressure of 180/105 and was managed with Labetalol and Nifedipine in rotation and took increasing doses each day. Last blood pressure measured in Theatre was 225/130 before I lost consciousness.

At the time of delivery I was already in total kidney failure for 3 days and my liver was beginning to fail.

the Hospital allowed me to walk around but stay close basically. Nothing kept me sane, I tried to stay so positive and hope that the meds would work and I could keep her in as long as possible, so you already beat me in that task, that is amazing!

It was discovered that my Daughter was IUGR and the Plazenta was failing, the deciding factor at the end was a fully reversed end diastolic flow and my Daughter Kidneys had failed and her waters were gone.

I was rushed to the delivery suite and started on Magnesium Sulfate right away, I had received Steroid the two days prior to help her lungs. It was intended to be a delivery the next morning, but she was born around 3 hours later due to fetal distress and I was not doing any better either.

From MFM Ultrasound to delivery about 4 hours passed.

She was born via emergency C-section under full general anaesthesia, my Daughter was born weighing 479 g or 1 lbs.

She stayed in Hospital till shortly after her due date, 111 Days in total, and it was not a smooth start. Her first two weeks were incredibly rough, but she survived and made it home to us.

She is about to turn 2 and she is the most amazing Kid you can imagine, she has slight developmental delays but given her start into life, she is thriving.

She did sustain a large amount of lung damage, she was resuscitated at birth, had a lung bleed, a tension pneumothorax and prolonged need for breathing support and came home on Oxygen for about a year, but that has not stopped her so far.

I know my story is a scary one, but it is also a really rare one and hopefully shows you, that these little fighters are tough and can overcome so much!

Find support wherever you can, lean on your loved ones, connect with the parents on the Unit, they are your comrades in this and you found this group. Instagram is full of Birthtrauma and preeclampsia support!

I am really sorry this is happening to you, I hope you have many more weeks in hospital, I know it sounds odd, but rather you are both safe and baby can cook a bit longer, than you having to go through what we have gone through!

Preeclampsia is such a horrific disease and there is lots for you to learn afterwards, for now, I hope you are okay and I hope you can stay pregnant for a little while longer!

Lots of love!

 

[kimhimmel]

@silversun Wow. What an incredible thing your family has been through. Thanks for sharing your story and you are incredibly resilient

 

[silversun]

@kimhimmel And had access to some really good therapists. I had a lot of therapy and I still have lasting health concerns and ongoing issues.

Preeclampsia changed who I am on a molecular level. It is my goal to support as many women as I can!

 

[favourofone]

@kimhimmel I was hospitalized for both preeclampsia and intermittent absent dopplers. My baby also had IUGR.

1. I was admitted at 33w and delivered at 34w, so 7 days exactly.
2. I honestly forget my BP when I was admitted but likely 130s/80s. It was also because of my dopplers that I was admitted so I think the threshold was lower for me. No liver or kidney issues.
3. I didn’t take any meds to manage my BP and it stayed about the same for a week.
4. I could walk around on the floor and there was also a rooftop garden we could go to. We sometimes went on supervised field trips to the cafeteria with a nurse lol
5. Honestly I was bad at this and I’m not sure what I would have done if I had to stay longer. I watched a lot of movies and read books. I tried to think of it as being the safest place for me and baby and a signal from the world to slow down and rest. I had a lot of visitors come by to help keep me company.
6. My BP spiked to 160/110 (don’t remember exactly) and stayed that high for about 30 minutes between measurements. I also had some slightly elevated protein in my urine from an earlier urine test. Once they saw that it was recommended I be induced.
7. I was induced and delivered vaginally. There was concern baby wouldn’t handle contractions due to size but she did well with the stress test so I was able to be induced.
8. She was 1418g when born- she had IUGR so very small for a 34w baby. She was on CPAP for a day but they said that was mostly because I was on magnesium and that makes babies sleepy. Otherwise she did well and only had to feed and grow.
9. She was in the NICU for 27 days. It was pretty uneventful since she really just needed to learn to eat and gain weight. She started out with a feeding tube and we introduced a bottle and breastfeeding. It took a while for her to have the strength to do full feeds with a bottle but it just clicked one day!
10. Make sure to focus on your own recovery as well. It’s so hard and you’ll want to be at the NICU all the time but preeclampsia is no joke and can get worse postpartum! Try not to overexert yourself too much at the start, your baby is in great hands with the doctors and nurses.

Good luck!

 

[kimhimmel]

@favourofone Wow thank you for all this. I’m so glad to hear your baby did well and had a relatively smooth time in the NICU.

I feel so lucky that my hospital has no activity restrictions… if i feel well, I can wander around as much as I like, go sit in local nearby cafes and parks between monitoring. Going to ask for a day pass home this week as well while things are still stable.

 

[buju]

@kimhimmel My wife was hospitalized with Pre-E at 27 weeks+3. Happy to share as it was wild ride for us both.

1. We were told at admission that she'd be there until delivery. They couldn't give an estimate because there's no predicting how it'll progress. We ended up having an urgent (not emergency, one step down) c-section delivery 4 days later. She stayed another 6 days, for a total of 10. We were told the goal was to keep baby in for as long as possible, hopefully to 37 weeks (didn't happen).
2. I believe her BP was around 180/116 or so at admission, and it hung around there whenever meds wore off. Kidneys and liver seemed ok, but we caught it quickly at home so she wasn't going undetected for very long.
3. She was given regular doses of BP meds (can't remember the name), and we got 2 rounds of steroids for our baby (one early on, one the day before delivery) based on lab results. Her BP remained high after c-section, and she was given magnesium and BP meds after delivery.
4. She was on bedrest from admission until 1 day post delivery, and then was allowed short walks in the halls.
   
5. The only things that really helped were having activities like books/switch/puzzles and having company. Having people bring outside food helped as well.
   
6. On delivery day, she had her usual lab work. The doctor came in around 9am and told us that based on her labs, both her and the baby's numbers were at "peak levels" and were going to trend downwards. We had the c-section at noon. Delivery at 28 weeks on the nose.
7. C-section, due to baby being breach and being extremely small (was IUGR prior to pre-e diagnosis)
8. Our girl weighed around 726 grams at birth. She was taken directly from the womb into an isolette, and the NICU team was in the operating room during c-section. Our girl stayed in the NICU for exactly 3 months to the day. She is now home and so far extremely healthy with no apparent problems. It's a bit odd because they say she's like her adjusted age (regarding milestones), but she often behaves like a 3-4 month old baby, including rolling, grabbing, etc.
9. Her ~90 days were ROUGH at the start. I stayed in her room every night for the first week. We had a grandparent stay with my wife every night until she was recovered fully and BP stabilized (took another week or two to go down fully after discharge). It was a series of ups and downs, where our baby would improve a bunch, then get moved to new less invasive support, and then do poorly on that for a while, sometimes going back to more invasive support once or twice. This pattern held all the way through feeding from bottles (she got oral aversion at one point). One of us stayed the night every night, though we were told later that they've literally never seen that done before and were shocked we managed it.
10. Be patient with yourselves. It is hard. Be sure to ask questions, and ask to talk to the doctor regularly, or at least to the NP. You can often pick specific nurses to be assigned to your baby regularly, so check into getting a nurse you like assigned as "primary" for both day shift and night shift if you can. Do as much "kangaroo care" (skin to skin holding sessions) as possible. It really helps the little preemies develop and stabilize, and you'll bond much better. Advocate for your baby. If you don't like a nurse, tell the charge nurse you don't want them back with your baby. Same for doctors. Also, learn the important numbers on the monitors, but learn to focus on how your baby looks and acts as a true measure of their health. Check for resources at the NICU. We ended up automatically on Medicare due to birth weight, and the social worker guided us the whole time.
    
11. You'll manage. Hang in there, and talk to people at the NICU. It helps to learn you've got others around you going through the same thing. Take breaks, get a nice dinner sometime, go out together occasionally. You're going to be super stressed the whole time, so take care to relieve that stress. Don't guilt trip yourself either. It's easy to do, but pre-e is a medical condition (one with no known direct cause and no cure beyond time and meds), not something you caused. Blaming yourself for it would be like blaming s cancer patient for getting cancer.

 

[kimhimmel]

@buju This was really thoughtfully written and helpful. Thank you for your experience. It sure sounds like it was quite the difficult ride for you both but I’m so glad to hear everyone is well safely on the other side.

 

[buju]

@kimhimmel Thanks! If sharing it can help other people through a similar experience, I'm happy to do so. Hopefully your experience isn't quite as harrowing, particularly early on.

 

[g54]

@kimhimmel Hi OP, I’m really sorry you’re going through this. I was in a similar position to you just a few weeks ago and I also tried to gather as much information as I could to try and understand it, so I’ll try to help. That being said, it doesn’t seem like any two cases of pre-eclampsia are the same, so please take what I say with a pinch of salt. I’m also in the UK and it seems like it would be highly uncommon to hospitalise pregnant women for weeks at a time here (god bless the NHS!).

I was first admitted to hospital with high blood pressure (180ish/110ish I think!) when I was 26+4. This came out of nowhere as my blood pressure was normal previously and I had none of the risk factors for pre-eclampsia. I also felt completely fine. I’d experienced some minor swelling in my feet and hands that week but wrote it off as a normal pregnancy thing as it went away on its own after a walk. There wasn’t any protein in my urine and I wasn’t having headaches or visual disturbances. I stayed in hospital for two nights on that occasion so I could be monitored and I was prescribed a fairly low dose of labetalol which stabilised my blood pressure. I was discharged but signed off work and told to take it easy and come in for twice weekly appointments.

Over the next few weeks, my blood pressure continued to climb back up and I was hospitalised twice so it could be stabilised. I was also experiencing extreme swelling. However, my baby still appeared to be growing and doing well.

On the fourth occasion, I think I must have maxed out on the medication (400mg of labetalol 4x per day and 30mg of nifidipine 3x per day). I also had protein in my urine at this point and my platelets were dropping. Baby’s heart rate was being monitored overnight when it suddenly took a dip and I was told that I would need to deliver her imminently. I was able to have a final growth scan which confirmed that she was no longer getting enough oxygen and it was time to deliver. My lungs were also full of fluid so it was in both of our best interests.

I had an emergency c section and she was born at 30 weeks and 3 days weighing 2 pounds 8 ounces. Violet is almost 4 weeks old now and is still in NICU but doing amazingly well. She’s incredibly healthy, just needs time to grow and learn to feed. I’m recovering from the pre-eclampsia and have started reducing my medication and the blood pressure seems to be behaving itself.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this, I can honestly say this is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through, even though I know I am so lucky that we are both well now. I was also looking for more positive stories of early onset pre-eclampsia so I hope that this has helped. If you have any more questions, I’d be happy to answer them.

Take care x

 

[kimhimmel]

@g54 Thank you for sharing! I hope your NICU stay is as smooth and brief as possible moving forward

 

[altondavisjr]

@kimhimmel Hi momma, I had a similar situation as yours. I delivered due to severe preeclampsia and this was my experience.
I was admitted right after an OB appointment at 281 and delivered at 285. My whole hospital stay was 1 week and 1 day. I stayed 4 days pp dude to hellp syndrome.
My BP was initially 150/90 at my OB appointment and upon arrival it was 160/98. Mine peaked at 180/95. There was some kidney involvement due to high protein levels. So my urine was being monitored 24/7.
So right away I was given my prescription pills that I was initially taking ( baby aspirin & labetalol 200 mgs) and that was followed by a magnesium drip. My original prescription was for labetalol 100mgs twice a day. They increased Labetalo and was given every 8 hrs and baby aspirin was once a day. Magnesium was given when my BP was not stabilized. But I did have magnesium drips through out my hospital stay up until 2nd day pp.
My hospital allowed for walks and stuff but I never got the chance due to the staff. It would’ve been nice tho bc being in bed all day was super depressing.
Praying. Listening to Christian music and talking to my partner how I felt. I loved having company over but it got hard when my loved ones were gone all morning.
The main factor that led me to delivery was my babies heart rate dropping. That day my nurse ordered me a new set of labs since they weren’t done in days and she noticed that the heart rate kept constantly dropping. It wasn’t a dramatic change but it was just not getting any better. I didn’t have much warning time. By 10 am it was decided that I was going to deliver and sure enough I had my little one at 12pm.
I delivered thru c-section, I wished that I would’ve been able to deliver naturally but due to his heart rate, my nurse thought that it was safest to go thru c-section since we didn’t know how long it would’ve taken for me to fully dilate. I wasn’t even aware that It was possible to delivery naturally for preemie babies but he was head down and my DR did mention it to me. In my situation, it wasn’t safe to follow thru.
I’m not too sure how much he weighed in grams but he weighed 2lbs and 4 oz and He’s currently a 9lb healthy baby boy.
Our nicu stay was a total of 83 days. Our journey wasn’t ideal but he was in the best care possible.
Be strong mama, you got this. Things will get hard along the way and there will be days where you feel like your world is falling apart but I promise you that all those tears and heartache is worth it. I’d recommend for you to be present for some care times so you can be proactive w your baby. Also try to set a schedule for when you’ll be present at the hospital. Ask questions if you are unsure about anything that you don’t understand, you are your babies advocate. Don’t worry if there’s days where you can’t be there, it’s tough emotionally and the staff will understand. Don’t be hard on yourself, you and your it family got this! I wish you and your little one the best of luck

 

[kimhimmel]

@altondavisjr Thank you for sharing

 

[braesha]

@kimhimmel Secret pre-e:

1. What week+day were you admitted, what week+day did you deliver, and how many days total was your hospital stay before delivery? Hospitalized 28+1 delivered 30+4
2. What was your blood pressure at admission? Was there liver and kidney involvement at that time? 160/something - I found later they were concerned about HELLP syndrome presenting when I was admitted but it never did (thank god)
3. 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? They were able to stabilize my BP the night I was admitted. I was put on various blood pressure medications throughout my hospitalization. Myula came and gave me a massage. I focused on breathing exercises and relaxation techniques and trying not to be bored.
4. What kinds of activity did your hospital allow you? Just about everything except walking too much. I was allowed to walk to the pantry and back. My husband brought my computer and an HDMI cable so I can plug Netflix into the TV. Brought games that I could play solo in bed. Coloring books. Because my electrolyte levels were so out of whack (they were super concerned about my kidneys) they also encouraged me to put salt on everything so my husband brought just about every spice mix we had so I could put it on the hospital food.
5. What kept you sane in face of the daily uncertainty? I tried to just focus on getting from one fetal monitoring session to the next while I was strapped to the fetal monitor, I would talk to my son. I had fetal monitoring every 4 hours so I just took life in 4-Hour increments. I got to learn the hospital rotation schedule. I memorized my medication schedule and watched a lot of hgtv
6. What factor ultimately led to delivery? How much warning did you have? The Friday I was induced my BP started getting really high again and they adjusted my medication and it went back to normal for a bit and then started getting high again and then adjusted my medication again and we were doing that cycle most of the day. About 3:00 the doctor came and sat down and said that the disease is progressing and it is in her experienced opinion that it's time to start an induction and for baby to come. She then did a consult with maternal fetal medicine and they agreed with her conclusion. I started my induction at 5:00 p.m. luckily I had 2-hour warning so I was able to eat a bowl of cereal which was my last food until 24 hours after I delivered.
7. Did you deliver vaginally or C-section? Why? I delivered vaginally. I started my induction 5:00 p.m. on Friday and he was born 4:30pm on Monday. It was brutal, but I'm glad that I ended up delivering vaginally and I really do think it gave him the best chance for his NICU stay. I told you my electrolyte levels were all out of whack. They got even worse during delivery. Internal medicine put me on a total fluid restriction so the only fluids I was allowed to have had to come in via IV. So basically I was not allowed to eat or drink anything throughout my entire delivery. They did give me ice chips because it gets so dry. In those rooms my mouth would get dry but that was it Monday morning. I was so so tired and weak. I honestly have zero idea where I got the strength to push him out at the end of the day. He was going to get delivered that Monday. I was either going to have a C-section (at my insistence) at the end of that Ob's shift or he was going to come and he came 2 hours before the shift ended.
8. How many grams was your child and how was their outcome? 1360g - he had very bad RDS. He had a very very hard time with breathing. I had been given a shot for his lung development when I was admitted and then another one when they started the induction and I am so glad that I was able to get both because had I delivered the night I was admitted. I really am terrified to think of what his outcomes would have been.
9. How many days was your child’s NICU stay? (Feel free to include whatever details of that experience you want) - he was a NICU for 69 days. He came home 2 days after his due date. I brought home a perfect newborn no tubes, no oxygen. Nothing. Sometimes it feels like a fever dream because in the end I came home with a baby exactly on the timeline that I expected to come home with a baby and it's like the hospital time didn't even happen. It's really a weird thing.
10. Any tips to prep an impending NICU parent like me? Ask any and all questions that come to mind even if you feel stupid. Write down notes because you're going to get all kinds of new medical terms and you're going to forget some of those terms and if you have them written down you can at least Google them. Do not be afraid to take advantage of learning from The nurses. Do not be afraid to ask for different nurses if you are not comfortable with one. Take time for yourself though too. You need to take care of yourself. Your baby will be taken care of by the greatest baby caregivers on the planet. Nicu, nurses and doctors are angels on Earth if you need time away from the hospital, know that your baby is fine. I also like to tell people that an unspoken positive about NICU is you get kind of a on-ramp to parenting. Most people give birth and go home the next day with a baby and go wait. What do I do now? When I brought my baby home it had been 69 days of being taught how to feed him, how to bathe him, how to get him dressed how to change his diapers? (And doing it all navigating around wires and cords! Way easier when he's cordless!!) My husband and I felt so confident in our ability to take care of our child the day we came home that it empowered us to be able to speak out as to how we wanted to see our child taken care of as people met him. I'm not saying. I wish Nicu on anyone but that is a positive.

If it's at all possible to get a doula for your delivery, I'd see if you can look into that. My doula was my saving Grace during the delivery and like I said she came to the hospital when I was antipartum and gave me massage and talked with me. Having her there during delivery was such a relief both for me and my husband.