Scared to see NICU again.

[GRTR]

So, I'm pregnant again - 14 weeks and I'm scared to see the NICU unit again. I was wondering if anyone knew the statistics of having another preemie.

My doctor said my chance was increased, but she didn't elaborate.

Our second son was born at 34 weeks and spent a week in NICU. He was born with a heart murmur, sepsis, breathing problems and a whole list of other complications. Nothing too serious and we were very blessed to have avoided any serious complications and long term care.

[sbrinton]

I don't remember exactly. I think our perinatologist told us that the odds were about 35-50% for a repeat premature delivery. I think it depends on the reason for the premature birth, which sometimes is not clear!

I had preterm labor with all of my pregnancies. With my first, it began at 32 weeks and he was born at 38. With my second, it began at 23 weeks and he was born at 35 weeks. With my third, I began feeling contractions at 14 weeks and he was born at 31. I think that for me, the cause of my preterm labor was probably hormonal or genetic. We did everything we could as far as "lifestyle" to make it better, but it just seems like my body keeps having babies earlier and earlier.

[jennchsm]

It completely depends on the reasons you had a preemie in the first place, so that question is really hard to answer in general.

Good luck! If I am lucky enough to get pregnant again, I know I'll be worried about the same thing...

[henriksmom]

GRTR, and am hoping for the best for you and your little one. I am reposting this from another post that I responded to.

I am endlessly asking the same question because I have always wanted more than one child. I had my boy at 29w 6d and am extremely scared of having the same or worse experience.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but today I found a Canadian report called "Too Early too small" and this is what it said about repeat preformances:

"Women who had a previous preterm delivery were more likely to deliver a preterm baby in a subsequent pregnancy. The magnitude of this association depends on the gestational age of the previous preterm birth. For example, the earlier the previous baby was born (that is, the lower the gestational age), the greater the likelihood that the next baby will be born preterm. This association also increases as the number of previous preterm births increases. The increased hazard is observed for both spontaneous and medically indicated preterm births—though the mechanisms underlying the early birth may be slightly different. For example, recurrent spontaneous preterm births have been linked to women who experience ongoing genitourinary infections during pregnancy, while recurrent medically indicated preterm deliveries are usually associated with medical disorders such as diabetes or hypertension. Additionally, maternal ethnicity and cervical length are also associated with recurrent preterm births. Repeated preterm deliveries may also be indicative of poor maternal health, poor nutrition, low SES or other factors."

Here is the link:
http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/produc...o_small_en.pdf

This report goes on to say:

"Across Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the three territories
used in these analyses, the preterm birth rate among women who had
a previous preterm delivery was 22.7%, compared to 6.4% among women
who had previously only delivered at term or post-term. A similar though
less dramatic relationship was observed for SGA rates (8.2% versus 6.7%,
respectively). Provincial/territorial proportions of in-hospital births by previous
preterm delivery status are shown in Appendix B."

I must point out that Canada's rate of preterm birth is 8.1 compared to the USA's of over 12 percent. So I do not know if the recurrent percentage would be exactly the same.

[justmama]

It SUCKS being in the nicu a second time. Odds are though that your baby will be born without the whole host of complications that your first child was born with. The poor thing, seems like a lot to lay at the feet of a tiny one. I have no advice. My second child and third child were nicu babies and I HATED stepping foot into that hospital with the third babe because I KNEW what was coming. PROM the first time wasn't much fun and we almost lost her due to sepsis. I was terrified about losing my third child who is also a PROM baby. But if it makes you feel any better, she was the stronger of the two. She weighed less but she did a lot better and no sepsis and no feeding issues and no apnea monitor and no RSV. She spent less time sick and gained weight much faster.

[Amys1st]

I do know mamas here who got pregnt again, sometimes within 6-12 months of their first nicu baby and went on to deliver FT babies. I guess the no two pregncys are alike rings true.