Fear of having another premature baby.

Alyssa - posted on 04/11/2012

Heres My Story! Here we go!..i had a pretty bad pregnancy..i had Hyperemisis (constant throwing up) couldnt keep any liquids down or any food i was in the hospital pretty much Everyday of my pregnancy up until i was 23 weeks pregnant when they decided to have me go home with a Pic line! To keep me hydrated even then still didnt prevent me from getting sick. At 24 weeks pregnant i was feeling great!! and like i could actually finally enjoy my pregnancy..Then when i went in for a gestational diabetes check 27 weeks they sent me to over to get a stress test because my urine was spitting out protein and my blood pressure was high my obgyn then comes in and tells me about how i may have Pre Eclampsia my blood pressure was extreamly high and this being my first pregnancy i had NO idea what it was and he tells me i have to be transferred to diff hospital because they didnt deliver pree mies i was terrified! Little did i know i gained 30lbs in water weight in one month and my kidneys were failing as they were talking about Kidney dialsis they were saying how i had to have an emergency C-section because her heart rate was dropping which i was awake for :/ they didnt even have time to knock me out. AT 27 weeks 4 days i Gave birth to my 1lb 10 ounce baby girl Aubree :) she spent 107 days in the NICU and thankfully didnt have to have any major surgeries and is doing great! With no health concerns :D shes my little miracle!. I was told if i were to get pregnant again there was 25 percent chance of getting hyperemsis again and another 25 percent chance of having pre eclampsia again . I asked why it all happened and wasnt given a real logical answer all i was told is sometimes it happens they dont really know why.

Alyssa - posted on 04/11/2012

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Abigail - posted on 04/08/2011

so im pregnant right now with my second child my first baby was 25 weeks when she was born I didnt had preeclamsia though...what are my chances that this one is hoing to be born earlie too? does anyone have an snswear?

Bridgette - posted on 09/21/2009

I had my first baby with preeclampisa at the end of my pregnancy @ 39 weeks and my second baby I had @ 26 weeks due to eclampisa and Hellp syndrome. But I was told it wasnt a strong chance of getting it a 2nd time but I did.

Melissa - posted on 09/18/2009

Usually doctors only expect preeclampsia to happen once, after that your chance of developing it is relatively low. However if you develop it more than once your risk of developing it again is a lot higher . In my case I developed preeclampsia 3 times and HELLP twice. No one expected me to develop preeclampsia/hellp in my second pregnancy so I wasn't watched as closely as I was watched during my third pregnancy. We delivered my son at 26 weeks and I spent 3 days in ICU after delivery. That pregnancy almost took my life. My husband and I had decided not have any more children because the risk was too high, and we didn't want another child to go through what our son had. He's almost 3 and has started asking about the scars on his hands. The Lord had other plans, and in January 2009 we found out we were pregnant again. During my that pregnancy I developed preeclmpsia/hellp again, this time however I was being watched extremely close by my OB and a perinatologist. I was also admitted to the Antepartum unit at the hospital for observation and bedrest. My youngest was delivered in July at 31 weeks due to preeclampsia/hellp. The disease process didn't advance as far this time, however my platelets did drop to well under 100,000 and I was put on Mag for 48 hours because my doctor was concerned about seizing. This time I got my tubes tied because for we know it would absolutely happen again and it's not worth risking my life. Preeclampsia/HELLP is a nasty thing and it's not something to take lightly. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and make sure that he/she will be monitoring you closely for any changes. Be diligent in paying attention to what your body is telling you, trust me it will tell you. In my most recent pregnancy I went from everything looking good to everything being very serious in a matter of 4 weeks.

Kylie - posted on 09/18/2009

i had my first son at 28 weeks, they told me 2 wait 2 yrs b4 trying again and i did but my secound came at 25 weeks, i dont have anwser they cant give me any but it just depends on youe body and why u had your little one early, i know some that had a baby at 24 weeks and there secound was born at 38 weeks

Amber - posted on 09/17/2009

Not sure about the chances...but I understand your fears! I had twin boys at 28 weeks gestation. One of the twins broke my water! They were 2lbs 10oz & 2lbs 15oz and stayed in the NICU for over 2 months. I am now pregnant (only 1 this time!) and 24 weeks. I am terrified that she will come early as well. The pregnancy is pretty normal and I've been told over & over that the other situation was different, because I was carrying twins. But...I still get that overwhelming feeling of fear.

I know there aren't any answers in my response, I was just hoping you'd see you aren't alone. Pregnancy can be a scary thing, but it's also a miracle. Try to enjoy it as much as possible and try not to worry!

Sandra - posted on 09/17/2009

I developed preeclampsia with my 1st pregnancy. My son was born at 32 weeks via c-section, he weighed 4lbs 10 oz. He spent 3 weeks in the NICU. After the section I developed a uterine infection and spent 2 weeks in the hospital. Once he and I were healthy, I swore I didn't want to have any more children. When I found out 2 years later that I was pregnant again, I was scared to death. When I went in for my first OB appointment, I told the doctor that I wasn't going to get it again. I saw him and a perinatologist throughout the duration of my pregnancy. I educated myself on the disease, with the knowledge I gained and with the help of my 2 wonderful doctors, I was able to make it the full 40 weeks without developing preeclampsia again. My daughter turned 1 yesterday, my son will be 4 the end of October.

Clara - posted on 09/17/2009

I sometimes think about the possibility of another preemie. My first daughter was stillborn at 32 weeks, 2 days due blood clots. My second daughter was preemie at 35 weeks, 2 days. True, I had a little pre-e, but we had been monitoring weekly from the beginning (that happens after a stillbirth, depending on the doc), and the pre-e developed almost overnight! I was on low-dose aspirin and twice daily heparin shots the second pregnancy and even with all the blood thinners, I still had a blood pressure of 99 for the bottom number. There isn't always anything that can be done to prevent preemies (and unfortunately very little that can be done to prevent most miscarriages and stillbirths, that we know of yet), but it doesn't hurt to take excellent care of ourselves, stopping smoking/alcohol, excercising lightly, eating regularly and in a healthy way (drinking enough water and limiting salt and caffeine intake, too), and taking those prenatals. I'll talk to my OB when we get pregnant again, though, about that 17P shot someone mentioned.



Good luck and have an honest chat with your OB/midwife about your concerns.

Iysha - posted on 09/16/2009

I know I will have premature babies. I actually have a medical condition where I am at risk of having preemies and late pregnancy miscarriage and I didn't even know about it until my postpardom check up. It's super stressful and scary having a preemie, but i'm not going to let that stop me from having as many children as I want.



Most women who have preemies don't have them every time.

Alicia - posted on 09/16/2009

I had a son born at 29 weeks by emergency C-section due to preeclampsia, and then two years later had a healthy full-term baby girl born vaginally. The doctor monitored me closely throughout my pregnancy, but nothing went wrong - no intervention was necessary. Just make sure you take care of yourself and get enough rest.

Susanne - posted on 09/16/2009

I had my 1st full term and my 2nd at 35.5 weeks and my 3rd full term also had two miscarriages one at 8weeks and the other at 13 weeks and had to have a D&C. I talked with my dr to find out if we could prevent anything and he had me take 17P injections every week from 20 weeks on to prevent my 3rd being a possible preemie. Only thing is getting the shot in the office every week, but it was well worth it.

Jennifer - posted on 09/15/2009

I had my first daughter by c-section at 29 weeks, weighing less than 2 lbs. I had severe eclampsia with kidney and liver failure, and she was so small because of IUGR. 18 months later, my second daughter was born by c-section at 38 weeks, weighing 7 lb. 13 oz. with no complications for either of us. So, one never knows what the body will do in response to another pregnancy. Don't let the fear dictate whether to have another child. If you're that concerned, sit down for a heart-to-heart with your doctor to find out his/her thoughts. When I told my doctor I was pregnant the second time, she was NOT happy with me, but we discussed every concern and possibility and she watched me like a hawk, and it all turned out well in the end. Good luck to you with whatever you decide.

Tori - posted on 09/14/2009

there is always a chance to have another preemie because of preeclampsia but it won't neccessarily happen though... I had my son at 28 weeks due to preeclampsia and I am scared to have another baby also because I am afraid of having another early one because everyone told me that if you had one early the chances of having another one early and that is more likely to be more of a preemie...but my sister had preeclampsia with her first pregnancy and then with her second one she did not have it with and everything turned out fine... I would just talk to the doctor about it and discuss your concerns with the doctor!!!!

Kathryn - posted on 09/14/2009

i had pre eclampsia my daughter was born at 29+5days, weighing 2pound born!! i was told if me and partner do decide to have any more children from 20wks i wil back and foe the hospital with regular checks up and scans, also will b given tablets to help, if i do delevop pre clampsia again, but the doc also told me that the next baby mite not b full term! i will only make it to 34wks as the pre clampsia damage my placenta! so we are really nervous same as you whether to try 4 another baby?? good hun hope everything goes well, xx

Diashanna - posted on 09/13/2009

After i had my son who was 5 weeks premature , i was pregnant about a year later and had a bad miscarriage that almost cost me my life. that was about a year go and recently about 6 months ago had to have a D&C done, so i am scared that i may never have any more children -- I don't know the cause on why this keeps happening? I have friends who have miscarried and had to stop working and be on bed rest in order to carry their child to full term. Everyone is different so your chances on having another miscarriage or a premature baby can not be determine your next may be full term.

Kelly - posted on 09/12/2009

I was told after my first child (who was born prematurely at 28 wk due to re-eclampsia and HELLP, that in each pregnancy there is a slightly higher risk you will develop pre-eclampsia again. My doctors did a fantastic job of looking out for me during my subsequent pregnancies although my 2nd, 3rd and 4th children were also born prematurely. You just can't predict how and when thosebabies will arrive. Good luck.

Amanda - posted on 09/11/2009

I had my first son at 34 weeks and thought I just had a bladder infection got prego with second child and had him at 32 weeks have no clue why I have had both boys early, but both are healthy and no problems no oxygen or nothing I was so lucky. I took shots to even try to help so I would say if want another baby just have your dr keep a very close eye on you! I think it is out of our control how those babies are going to come, but good luck to you!