Since when is deliving at 36 wks a 'preemie'???

[TheOtherVillainess]

Woman gives birth to 14 lbs 'preemie'

I thought a preemie was where a child was delivered anywhere from around 3-6 or 7 mos of pregnancy. My OB (and a bunch of books I read as well) said that at 36 weeks, you were pretty much full term and it was safe to deliver the baby at that point if you happened to go into labor.

TOV

 

[lil mermaid]

A baby who is born before 37 weeks gestation is considered premature. Although a baby born at 36 weeks is likely to be fine they are still "technically" premature.

A 14 lbs baby??? OMG...

 

[DawnCt1]

Woman gives birth to 14 lbs 'preemie'

I thought a preemie was where a child was delivered anywhere from around 3-6 or 7 mos of pregnancy. My OB (and a bunch of books I read as well) said that at 36 weeks, you were pretty much full term and it was safe to deliver the baby at that point if you happened to go into labor.

TOV

The normal length of a pregnancy is 40 weeks, with 2 weeks on either side. A 14 pound preemie indeed can be a reality since that baby may not have his lungs fully developed. Size in fact may be a sign that there is a problem; gestational diabetes is the most likely problem and size cannot be used to determine maturity.

 

[poohandwendy]

Yep, 36 weeks has always been considered a preemie. I agree, 14 lbs at 36 weeks is extraordinary!

 

[Rachie0507]

My hospital considered anything before 36 weeks as premature and shipped the mom right out to a bigger hospital where they had better equipment. My DS was born at 37 weeks exactly and was called a preemie by doctors and nurses for a few months because he had problems and characteristics of a preemie.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Ah..ok. I know that 40 wks is full term, but I had no idea that 36 wks was considered a 'preemie'.

I hear 'preemie' and I think of NICUs and DNephew IttyBitty (who was delivered around 5 mos of gestation) who weighed barely 2 lbs at birth. He had more wires and doodads hooked up to him than a Swiss Army knife.

TOV

 

[Galahad]

Yeah, folks get it in their head that pregancy is suppose to be 9 months but it's really 10.

 

[poohandwendy]

My OB (and a bunch of books I read as well) said that at 36 weeks, you were pretty much full term and it was safe to deliver the baby at that point if you happened to go into labor.

TOV

Note...'if you happened to go into labor'...that is not a guarantee that the baby will be healthy, or even survive. Just that it would probably be just as safe to deliver as it would be to try to stop the labor.

If it was a foolproof age, doctors could just induce/CS then... and they never would.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

PAW--um. Ok. I"ll have to take your word on that. It seems to me that I remember my OB telling me after 36 wks it would be alright to go ahead and deliver if I went into labor. IIRC, she said that the last month was more about the baby putting on weight than anything.

However, IANAOb/GYN..so I could be wrong.

TOV

 

[illini]

My son was born at 34 weeks. He spent 10 days in NICU even though he weighed 6lbs 1 oz.

 

[kbkids]

WOW!! Can't imagine. Of course, I'm with the one with "BIG" 2 lb and 3 lb babies. In fact, my first child didn't even weigh 14 lbs on her first birthday!!

My doctor told me at the start of my second pregnancy, because of my history with the first pregnancy, to count on not going past 36 weeks, even if everything was going fine. Still only made it to 32 weeks.

 

[mom2rb]

MY twins were 6'1 and 6'8 and 34 1/2 weeks. They were still preemies and spent a week in NICU. Sometimes weight doesn't mean much.

 

[kbkids]

MY twins were 6'1 and 6'8 and 34 1/2 weeks. They were still preemies and spent a week in NICU. Sometimes weight doesn't mean much.

Wow! That was a "full tummy!"

You're right about weight not meaning much. When DD was born at 32 weeks, she weighed 1'13. There was a baby next to her in NICU that was born the same day, same gestational age, but he weighed 5 lbs. He had so many problems though. To look at the two babies though, my puny, scrawny little girl and that chubby little boy - you would have said that the boy was much healthier. DD was there for 6 weeks, and he was still there when we left. We ran into them about a year later at the mall and asked about him. He had died at 6 months. It was so sad!!

 

[Robinrs]

Yeah, folks get it in their head that pregancy is suppose to be 9 months but it's really 10.

AMEN!! And do I remember that TENTH month!!

 

[poohandwendy]

AMEN!! And do I remember that TENTH month!!

Iwill second that AMEN! My first DD was born at 37 weeks (when I was still feeling pretty good), then my son was born at 41 weeks....holy cow, what a difference that last 4 weeks makes! I had no idea!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

gestational diabetes is the most likely problem and size cannot be used to determine maturity.

I agree, and I was told by my OB that gestational diabetes delays lung maturity even further, which was in part why they would not induce me when I was still pregnant with twins at 39 weeks (babies eventually born by C/S at 40 wks - and big, too 7.4 and 7.10 - I could barely walk, LOL).

 

[poohandwendy]

I agree, and I was told by my OB that gestational diabetes delays lung maturity even further, which was in part why they would not induce me when I was still pregnant with twins at 39 weeks (babies eventually born by C/S at 40 wks - and big, too 7.4 and 7.10 - I could barely walk, LOL).

Wow, they were big! My sister delivered her twins at right around 40 weeks too, although she did not have gestational diabetes, they were 7.14 and 6.9, we were astounded.

Interesting to note, she didn't find out (officially) that she was having twins until a month before they were born. She kept insisting that she was having twins but 2 different ultrasounds showed only one baby. (this was 15 years ago)

Finally, the doctor sent her in for another one because she was measuring so huge and there was the other one! This was her third pregnancy and she knew there was far too much movement for one baby.

I can only imagine how uncomfortable you were!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wow, it's unusual to hear that with pregnancies after the 1980's or so. I heard many, many stories (in the mall, LOL) from older women who had multiple pregnancies before routine ultrasounds were done, that they kept telling their doctors there was more than one baby, but nobody believed them until during the delivery, when it became quite apparent there was another baby still in there!

You can really tell when you have two babies; or I should say, at least I could. It was my first and only pregnancy, but the babies were laying side by side vertically. One side of my belly (where DS was) was actually larger and much more active than the other, the side where DD was. I'm glad your sister didn't have any problems as a result of not knowing until later in the pregnancy. Believe it or not, it also happened to a coworker's daughter a few years ago, too, but she had refused the routine ultrasound.

I can only imagine how uncomfortable you were!

Yes, it was biblical!!

 

[goofyforlife]

My DD was born at exactly 36 wks..... (Emergency C-section because she was totally backwards and i was dialated 5 cm. They didn't want water to break on it's own with her backwards like that.)

She was 6lbs 12.5oz and 21 inches. So tall and skinny those first few weeks.

She was jaundiced and had trouble with her sucking reflex so there were some preemie issues.

It was weird because many of the full term babies in the nursery that week weren't much bigger than she was.

However, within a month my DD was well over the 100% for height and weight and has stayed there ever since. Since age three she's been a good 7-8 inches taller than her peers.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I delivered my twins at 35 weeks and they both had mild issues associated with being premature. DS was 4lb 14 oz and DD was 5lb 14oz. Ds had weak suck, and jaundice. DD had eating apnea (she would forget to breathe while eating...would still be sucking and swallowing, but would be turning blue).

I can't imagine carrying and delivering twins as big as some of yours! I'm such a wuss. I didn't have a c-section, so that may be why it seems impossible to me.

We don't know if being premature, having a forceps birth, getting less nutrients inutero than his twin, or simply genetics caused DS to have special needs.