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

[tw1nsmom]

Oh, and I just wanted to add that 36 weeks has always been considered premature. The only reason that having a baby a month early wasn't considered that big of a deal is that a lot of babies whose parents said were early, weren't really early at all. Lot's of babies have been born seven or eight months after their parents weddings.

 

[Keli]

Some of you 'oldtimers' might remember me asking for prayers for my dn Samantha who is now four years old. She was born at 36 weeks and she was over 8lbs. Her mom had gestational diabetes and Samantha's lungs weren't fully developed. She was flown to a children's hospital a couple of hours away and it was pretty scary for a couple of weeks. She looked like the giant in nursery, she was so much larger than most of the other babies and yet she was having so many difficulties.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Wow.
Thanks for setting the record straight for me, guys. I had no idea that being born a month to six weeks early could cause so many problems.

I'm just curious...is it true that your risk for having multiples goes up as you age? I'll be 28 in Sept and we haven't decided whether or not we're going to have another child yet. I want to do it before I'm 30 though. I am praying that insurance will cover sterilization (for me, because I don't want to put DH through that) at such a young age.

Well..alright. 30 isn't YOUNG YOUNG but I know some insurance companies make you wait until your practically menopausual before they will even CONSIDER coving a surgery like that.

TOV

 

[poohandwendy]

Well..alright. 30 isn't YOUNG YOUNG but I know some insurance companies make you wait until your practically menopausual before they will even CONSIDER coving a surgery like that.

I have never heard of an insurance company not covering sterilization because of age, that almost seems discriminatory. Unless the patient was a minor or something. I have heard of doctors not wanting to do it on very young women, but never after 30.

I had my tubes tied when I was 27, no problems with the doctor doing it and no problems with my insurance company. I imagine if that was a common problem, my doctor would have told me to check with my insurance company beforehand, to make sure. They never questioned it at all.

The only thing about getting it done young is that the doctor may want to counsel you multiple times before doing it to make sure it is not a rash decision. (mine did) To be honest, I think that is an ethical way to handle it no matter the age. They should make sure the patient knows what she is doing and is absolutely sure that her mind is made up.

You (general you) really should go into it with the idea that it is permanent, because even with the improved rates of reversal...there is no guarantee. I think that is what doctors want the patients to realize.

 

[robertsmom]

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

Same here. My DS weighed 7lbs, 9oz. at 34 weeks and spent 9 days in the NICU. Size is not always an indicator of health.

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

PAW--I say that because at the age of 21, DH and I weren't sure we ever wanted children. Ever. And when I consulted the insurance, they were like, "Nope...gotta be at least 28 OR have at least one child first. And even then we might not cover it, depending on whether it's a medically necessary surgery or not."

Personally, if I could get them to do it, I'd have a full blown hysterctomy. That way I don't have to worry about ever getting pregnant again. I've heard that if you have your tubes tied, sometimes that doesn't always 'take' permanently.

TOV

 

[Pea-n-Me]

is it true that your risk for having multiples goes up as you age?

TOV, I think this article will answer your question.

I don't want to put DH through that

Many men find the vasectomy procedure to be pretty tolerable, and some even welcome the opportunity to have it done after seeing how much their wives have already gone through having their children.

 

[poohandwendy]

PAW--I say that because at the age of 21, DH and I weren't sure we ever wanted children. Ever. And when I consulted the insurance, they were like, "Nope...gotta be at least 28 OR have at least one child first. And even then we might not cover it, depending on whether it's a medically necessary surgery or not."
TOV

That is really strange. I don't think it is the norm, though. I know tons of people who had their tubes tied with no problems or issues with thir insurance covering it, or even questioning it. There really aren't too many situations where having your tubes tied would be medically necessary, (actually, I can't think of even one, LOL) I'm not sure where they are coming up with that idea.

Personally, if I could get them to do it, I'd have a full blown hysterctomy. That way I don't have to worry about ever getting pregnant again. I've heard that if you have your tubes tied, sometimes that doesn't always 'take' permanently.

I know everyone has heard of women becoming pregnant after a tubal but the odds are super slim and minute compared to the risks of having a medically unnecessary hysterectomy.

If you really want to be sure, you could get the tubal, have him get the vasectomy and use condoms. I would guarantee you won't get pregnant then! LOL, jk

 

[FreshTressa]

Another big 'preemie' here.

DD was 9lbs and 36 weeks. She had sucking problems and was definately not at the level of her full term bro!

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

Thanks Pea-n-me! Part of me says, "Well if you're going to get pregnant again, might as well do it big and have twins or triplets." DH's grandfather was one of two sets of twins. I know that if I have twins, I either want a boy-boy pair of fraternals that look NOTHING alike. OR..I want a boy-girl set because at least that way I can tell them apart. I have this insane fear of having identical twins and getting them mixed up, calling them the wrong name, etc.

But I also know that if I don't at least get pregnant with #2 by the age of 30, I don't want to go through it again. So it's either tubes tied or something else. Not the Pill/shot/implant, because I can't handle it and not an IUD because I've heard too many bad t hings about it.

TOV

 

[anewvance]

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

Same situation with my son, he was born at 34 1/2 weeks and he spent 7 days in the NICU and he weighed 6lb 6oz. He had breathing difficulties and was on a cpap in an incubator. He'll always be considered a preemie by doctors... he's had problems with RSV (he's had it 3 times already) which is common in preemies and he had a gag reflex that caused him not to be able ot eat anything but smooth baby food until he was 14 months old which the doctors also blame on being a preemie. Oh and he didn't walk until he was near 15 months old... but all other milestones he passed earlier then average.

 

[Talking Hands]

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

Same with my oldest daughter. She was born at 34 weeks and spent 10 days in NICU because her lungs were immature. Her birth weight was 8 pounds 8 ounces and I was diagnosed as diabetic a week before the delivery. Blood sugar was 800 at the time. and no it wasn't gestational in my case but type 1 so I never got rid of it.

 

[Poohnatic]

My nephew was born at 35 weeks, was 9.5 lbs and still spent 3 weeks in NICU. He's got asthma and has had lung issues from arriving early. My sister did NOT have gestational diabetes, in fact, was a WW leader throughout the pregnancy and was extremely healthy throughout.

TOV, if my tubal worked, anyone's will! Had number 2 at 33, and he's a singleton. My stepsis and best friend both had kids at 40 and no multiples, so I'd look at family history more than the anecdotal. Family history on your side means more than DH's, as you're the one producing the eggs.

Suzanne

 

[Talking Hands]

There really aren't too many situations where having your tubes tied would be medically necessary, (actually, I can't think of even one, LOL) I'm not sure where they are coming up with that idea.

I had a medically necessary tubal ligation after my 3 pregnancy. My OB felt that for me to have further children with my diabetes was too much of a risk and that I would not survice another pregnancy. My insurance would only pay for it if it was medically necessary. They actually wanted to abort my youngest daughter but my husband and I refused to allow it. We do not believe in abortion.

 

[SueM in MN]

My youngest was born at 42 weeks (so 2 weeks late, and we were sure of the dates because I was an infertility patient). She was 6 pound 6 ounces. She spent a day in the NICU because she was having trouble controlling her temperature (no fat to keep her warm) and her blood sugar.
But, on the other hand, my sister had planned C sections at 38 weeks and made a big deal of her "premature babies", even though they were really within the "normal" range of pregnancy. I was at a party with my 6 weeks old baby; her newborn girl cousin outweighed her by well over a pound (the planned C section at 38 weeks). My sister was getting really mad because everyone kept coming up and oohing and ahhing over the "cute little premie" - my baby girl.

 

[mrsv98]

DD was a planned c-section (breech) and they would not deliver her before 39w1d, otherwise they had to do an ammnio to make sure her lungs were developed.

 

[RachelEllen]

DD was a planned c-section (breech) and they would not deliver her before 39w1d, otherwise they had to do an ammnio to make sure her lungs were developed.

That's the current recommendation now that pregnancy dating is usually so accurate. We have a very biased view in the NICU, as we see all the 34-38 weekers who get ill, and some get critically ill. So whenever babies are delivered for a 'soft' reason before 39 1/7, I inwardly cringe.

 

[SandiH]

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

Humm, are we the same person??? My son was born at 36 weeks and spent 12 days in the NICU and weighed 6 lbs 1 oz. They had to go to the PICU to get diapers and a gown.

 

[challada]

The term "preemie" is not a set in stone gestational date.

I work in early childhood and we do not note anything early unless it's at 34 weeks or earlier (six weeks is considered preemie in our field).

I had a 43 week pregnancy (a 10 pounder) and a 35 week (a 5 pounder). Neither one of my kids would be noted as an abnormal pregnancy based on our early childhood standards.

DD (the 35 weeker) went home from the hospital after 2 days, no lung issues, no jaundice.....but at 1 month had digestive issues and was hospitalized (in a children's hospital w/newborns twice her size). She's a healthy, happy six year old now!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow, my eyes are really being opened here! I'm an "old time" mother-had my first son in 1978, at 31 weeks, 3lbs2oz. A few months later, our pediatrician got pregnant and she said that if she made it to 35 weeks, she could relax since that was kind of a "milestone" gestational age. The next year I got pregnant again, and my then high-risk OB led me to believe that if I made it to 35-36 weeks (DS was born full term), I could probably relax about so many of the prematurity issues. Lots of changes over the years!