Pre-eclampsia

[SuzieQ74]

This is a question I have about my SIL. She is 32 weeks and has pre-eclampsia. It is getting so bad and the doctors can not get it under control and they are thinking of taking the baby as early as Friday. The doctors have been giving her shots to help the baby's lungs develop faster. How will they deliver the baby, will they induce her or will she have a c-section? Also, what is the chance of the baby serviving being born at 32 weeks? This is her first baby, she is 41 years old and they have been trying to get pregnant for 5 years, not useing any meds.

[trixie charles]

Chances of baby doing well are very good!  I had my daughter at 25 weeks in 1990 and she is now going to be 15.  She only weighed 817 grams (roughly 1 and 1/2 pounds).  She was born Sept 18 and didn't come home until the end of Feb of the next year but it was well worth the wait.  I also had to get the steroid shots to help her lungs.   Chances are they will induce unless her pressure goes up during labor in which case they may have to do the section for the protection of the baby.  Wish her the best and good luck

[Mom2BeX3]

Hi Suzie,
If my niece is any measure of success, they del'd her little girl at 32 weeks, with the same steroid treatment to help the lungs along, and she's doing wonderfully! She's 6 months now and is perfect. It sounds like your SIL has excellent medical care & they're right on top of it. Wish her all the best!

[SuzieQ74]

How long did your neice's baby have to stay in the hospital after she was born?

[Christie2004]

Suzie
Babies delivered at 32 weeks have an EXCELLENT chance of survival.  There will of course be a NICU stay, and odds are fairly high (even with the steroids) that the baby will have some breathing difficulties, perhaps even requiring a ventilator for a while.  There can also be other problems, but the odds are very much in the baby's favor.
A rule of thumb we tell people is to expect the baby to be in the hospital until shortly before the due date.  Most 32 weekers would probably go home well before that, but it is simply a rough rule of thumb.  It will depend on a lot of things--how well the baby is breathing, any signs of infection, feeding difficulties, and thermoregulation...lots of things.  The baby has to be breathing without problems, able to hold its temp without difficulty, and feeding well and gaining weight.  Most hospitals don't have a hard and fast rule about how much the baby "has" to weigh, but rather how well its doing the things I just mentioned.  Realistically, the baby will be close to or perhaps slightly exceed 5 pounds before those things are accomplished reliably.

Whether they will do a C/S or induce will depend of whether the baby is breech or not, how favorable the cervix is, and the severity of the condition of the mother or fetus.  If the cervix is favorable (soft, perhaps slightly opened) and monitoring shows the baby is stable and mom's condition is stable, they will more than likely induce.  If her condition or the fetal monitoring seems to indicate that inducing (often a slow process) would be dangerous, they may elect to do a C/S.

Good luck and let us know how things go.

[Mom2BeX3]

Hi Suzie,
The baby stayed in the hospital for 2 weeks, until she reached a certain weight. My niece's situation is much different than your SIL tho. She had a normal delivery the first time. The second time, she went into pre-term labour and del'd her baby at 21 weeks, and unfortunately, he didn't survive. The 3rd pregnancy they put her on bedrest immediately and managed to keep the baby in until 32 weeks. There are many variables, each baby is different, but I do know the odds are very good for a baby at 32 weeks.

[SuzieQ74]

Thank you all for you responses. By the way if any one wants to know Michael is doing really good, still not gaining much weight. He is 15 months and weighs 20 lbs. He still only has 4 teeth. But he is a little turkey. He has an attitude that I don't know where he gets it from (ha ha)

[andileigh]

I was preeclampsic and they induced me.  I ended up having a c-section but not because of that...but rather because of her position.

[robin1979]

I strongly encourage your sil to have a c-section. I was in labor for 33 hours with my first and got Hellp syndrome and pre-eclampsia, so bad to the point my kidneys and liver started failing. Labor can make it worse because when in pain your bp goes up. I would strongly encourage a c-section.