Would you try a 35-36 week delivery at home? - Page 2

[at_the_hip]

I agree with the majority here that say no, not before 36 weeks.

For me personally, I would be concerned if it were before 38 weeks and even that would make me nervous. Reason being: my babies 'cook' for about 41 weeks. My sister had a c-section at 38 weeks with #2 and her little one had to spend over a week in the NICU. Now most babies at that age would be OK but for our family history of longer gestations, it was much too early.

[~bookcase~]

36 weeks YES (so long as I had back up/ was close to hospital)

35 weeks NO - not by choice!

You're more likely to have some b'feeding issues with a 36 weeker too, so I would be paying close attention to that after birth, sleepiness/ jaundice cycle etc

My 36 weeker was breathing better than my 40 weeker at birth, but I felt happy to be in hospital with him where there was a team of helpers behind the door.

I also had 32 week twins. 4 weeks makes the most mind boggling difference, but so can 4 days.

[lilmamabrown]

I had my dd at 35 w 4 d and she was 100% healthy... no problems whatsoever. They didn't take her away, granted there was no nicu at the hospital i went to but as soon as they saw she was ok they stayed really relaxed.

If I went into labor the same time again I think I would go back to the hospital even though my midwife has expressed that she would be ok to attend me at 35 weeks. There's just so much unknown in those last couple weeks before full term. She was sooo tiny (4.12) and I think it would be so traumatic this time to try at home and not have the same outcome as I had w my dd. i feel we were very lucky.

you'll be in my thoughts! i hope you LO settles down to cook a little longer for you!!

[JenChaffee]

I am trusting my MW and my gut. My MW is willing to do 35, though I am nervous before 36, and I am trying to hold out until 37. I think that part of her willingness to do HB that early is dependent on her assessment of the mother's confidence and comfort. My vote is to trust your MW and trust yourself. If, deep down, you nervous about HB at 35 weeks, then don't do it.

Just curious, do you have any updates? I notice that you started this thread a few days ago.

[hac1224]

Originally Posted by JenChaffee

I am trusting my MW and my gut. My MW is willing to do 35, though I am nervous before 36, and I am trying to hold out until 37. I think that part of her willingness to do HB that early is dependent on her assessment of the mother's confidence and comfort. My vote is to trust your MW and trust yourself. If, deep down, you nervous about HB at 35 weeks, then don't do it.

Just curious, do you have any updates? I notice that you started this thread a few days ago.

Sorry I haven't updated. Still hanging in there with pretty much the same symptoms. I did speak to my midwife yesterday about what to do if I go before Friday (36 weeks). She said she was willing to attend now and would leave the decision up to me and dh. Unless there are signs of a problem, we've decided to stay home. Basically, if my water was to break and there were to be meconium or a decent amount of blood at this point, I would go straight to the hospital. Unless something like that appears to be wrong, I am not nervous about it from this point on. I'm also hoping this little one stays in until tomorrow evening, so dh would have an extra few paid days off work.

[HappyTomato]

I had my dd at 35 weeks and 5 days. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz but still needed 10 days in the NICU. She didn't need a ventilator but her breathing was too fast so she had to have tube feedings to prevent aspiration. She had a really low need to suck as well (like alot of preemies) which made BF'ing a big challenge. Although she needed NICU time, they did not take her from me right away. I had the first hour with her before she started becoming distressed.

[hac1224]

Originally Posted by HappyTomato

I had my dd at 35 weeks and 5 days. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz but still needed 10 days in the NICU. She didn't need a ventilator but her breathing was too fast so she had to have tube feedings to prevent aspiration. She had a really low need to suck as well (like alot of preemies) which made BF'ing a big challenge. Although she needed NICU time, they did not take her from me right away. I had the first hour with her before she started becoming distressed.

I'm sorry she had trouble in the beginning. Was the labor and birth completely natural or did you have some type of medication? I know my oldest DS was 37wks-4days and had a bradychardia a little while after birth and was breathing like that for several hours+, but they said it was because of the oral pain med (can't remember the name for sure), epidural and pitocin that would've passed into his system right before birth. After that I swore off ever even considering pain relief for labor and delivery again. He also had a 7 day stay in the NICU.

[stiss]

My water broke spontaneously at 36 weeks on the nose. My midwife came over and assessed me, but we both knew that their policy was not to homebirth until 37 weeks. Instead, I stayed home until the last possible minute to avoid getting induced and hooked up to monitoring (my contractions were regular and strong, and I was in transition six hours later.) We went to the hospital while I was in transition, and while my midwife said that we could stay home if I couldn't move (I know it was her way of giving me my out), we agreed that it would be safer to be in hospital when the baby came, because he was a bit preterm.

He was fine when he was born, but after a few hours his breathing changed and he needed to be in the incubator. It sucked, but I'm glad I was able to stay in the hospital with him, and not have to travel back and forth for those few days (48 hours). I would do that again in a heartbeat.

My friend just had a baby at 36w4d and her baby needed immediate intubation. He was in the NICU for ten days and had a breathing tube for a few of them. He was very sick and they had no indication prior that there were any problems. This solidified my confidence that transferring was the right thing to do.

Staying at home for as long as possible allowed me to labour the way I wanted to, and while I was sad I didn't have my homebirth, I'm really okay with it. We still had our baby in a room with just us and the midwives, with no interventions, and it was great. Was it perfect? No. Does it matter? Not one bit.

Good luck.

[pamamidwife]

I've done births at home at 35-36 weeks with solid dates. Most babies do ok, some need a watchful eye with temperature regulation and nursing. At that point, a transfer could be done without any real panic.

[hac1224]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I'm at 36 weeks 1day now, so I would definitely stay home. If I was a first time mom or if mine normally stayed put until 40 weeks my MW probably wouldn't be as comfortable doing a 36 week delivery. However, since all of mine have been great at just over 37 weeks, and we know for sure on my EDD we are both unconcerned about attempting it from this point forward. This one may be like my last and come with little warning, but at the moment my pressure, etc seems to be gone. S/he is staying head down and active, though.

[erin_brycesmom]

I have 3X "late" babies (42+4, 42 and 41+2) so I wouldn't feel comfortable with homebirth at 36 weeks. But I can definitely see how you would be since you are usually in the 37 week range. Glad you have passed the 36 week mark and hope you have a wonderful safe birth .

[shelbean91]

Mine were all around 35 weeks- 35.5 weeks, 35 weeks, 34.5 weeks. All were able to breathe on their own, no issues besides some suck/swallow issues and jaundice, which could all have been addressed at home. Even knowing that, I wouldn't do a HB that early. Congrats on making it past 36 weeks!

[Mom2Blessings]

We are attempting our first Home Birth this upcoming June. I have a history of preemies. My first was born at 38 weeks 2nd at 35 weeks 3rd at 34 weeks and 4th at 33 weeks...I am going with a midwife who knows tons of natural ways to keep baby in and has experiance with other Mama's who had premies before and got them to full term with the next. All my babies were good in size (the smallest was my 33 weeker who was 5lbs 1oz), they all could breath on their own and the only one who had a NICU stay was the 33 weeker. That being said because they all were big and did so well and I had the 2nd and 3rd come home with me and we battled the feeding problems at home, my midwife would deliever me at home at 35.5 weeks, and we both would be comfortable with that. She said she would do things different make sure the room was really warm and it was darker, but since I have a history of healthy early babies she'd be okay with it. That being said all the herbs I am taking from now till then will not be stopped until 36/37 weeks and we are praying to make it that far. 35.5 weeks isn't our first choice but we would do it with my history...

I know I'm late in reply I'm new on this board (and love it! so much info) Congrats on making it to 36 weeks, I hope baby makes it one more so you can offically make it to term!

[thismommy]

I had my second UC/third baby at 35w6d at home. My first son was born at 37w6d after my water broke the day before spontaneously. He was a hospital birth (and medicated due in part to lack of support from the medical staff for my desire for a natural birth). The most noticeable complications he had were from the epidural-heart rate dipped repeatedly to the 70's during labor, and he wouldn't nurse for the first 14 hours. He was a good weight 6lb15oz. Our daughter and first UC was born at 39w3d. Short perfect labor, perfect healthy baby. She pinked right up and nursed within the hour. She was 6lb12oz. With our second son I knew that he'd be born early from the beginning. Just one of those gut feelings. Labor with him was 4 days long (monster was posterior and came out with a nuchal hand), and before it started while I was laying down I felt what I can only describe as the feeling of him practicing breathing. I felt confident that it was God's way of assuring me that it was ok for him to be born. He was born 4 days later at 35w6d and did great. He nursed in the first few hours and breathed perfectly (we knew to watch for fast breathing). He pinked up great and stayed that way. The only issues we had were him maintaining his temps while clothed, so he spent most of the first few days in just a diaper inside my shirt. We also had some breastmilk jaundice going on, but he was fine. He was 6lb5oz at birth.

I think it definitely has to be a case by case decision, and for us we relied completely on God to feel comfortable. If it wouldn't have been for feeling him practicing breathing, I'm not entirely sure what we would have done. I did take comfort in the 4 day labor too because I've read that contractions trigger the release of surfactant, and boy did I have plenty. 3 days (well, 2 1/2 really since they started in the evening) of contractions averaging 11 minutes apart and then the 4th day they were 7 minutes apart when I woke up. If I were someone that went postdates, or if he had been a girl (we get u/s because we can't wait to find out the sex), I might have been worried since our daughter was born later and smaller.

[AllyRae]

Nope. But my 36 weeker, apgars of 9 & 9, still had respiratory distress syndrome (kicked in after her apgars were taken), required oxygen, had no suck reflex at all and had to be tube fed in additon to nursing and drinking pumped milk for several days because she couldn't even suck the breast or bottle, and had jaundice where her bilirubin was up near 20. She had some pretty nasty breathing issues that caused her to turn blue in her sleep for nearly a month after she was born, her lungs were wet, she would breathe incredibly fast and had flared nostrils, and her temperature regulation was crap.

And that happened even after I had 2 steroid shots to develop her lungs. She didn't go to the NICU, but was about 5 minutes away from doing so. And we are absolutely positively sure of her dates. The test they did confirmed her gestation too (where they do various manipulations of her ears to check cartilage, her limbs to check reflexes, etc.). Instead of the NICU, I just remained in the hospital with her as a patient for 5 days and she stayed with me doing kangaroo care and skin to skin for almost the entire time, with the medical staff doing what they needed to do while she was with me. Her (very natural minded) pediatrician checked in with me via phone daily once we were released, but she still had to be seen several times during the first couple weeks because she was having issue after issue. I can't even imagine how it would have turned out had she not been in the hospital to begin with. I very much support homebirth, but when we're talking about a preterm baby who likely will have at least one significant medical issue, it's walking the line for me... YMMV.

Some 36 weekers do fantastically well. Some have a bit of trouble. Some have a lot of trouble. At that gestation, you just don't know for sure...it's right on the cusp. But, it's still preterm and you very well might have preterm baby issues.

It might depend on how long you typically gestate too. A 36 weeker born to a mom that generally has 37-38 weekers might not have trouble. My babies are usually 40-41 weekers, so 36 weeks was way early.

[Peppamint]

We'll do 36 weekers, if the baby feels of good size via palpation. Most are fine, although we recently transported after birth for a 37 weeker who just did not transition well. Then there is the first-time mom who by all signs/dates is 36 weeks and pops out a baby in a 2 hour labor who definitely looks 40 weeks.

It's just not an exact science and no one can make you any guarantees either way.

[S.Elise]

Today my MW said 36 weeks would be OK with her IF the baby felt big enough to her. She prefers 37 though.

[hac1224]

Well, I'm at 36wks 4days, and so far she's still staying put. Since I'm only 4 days from my "normal" range, we're not worried at all about having her here. Unless I have a really short labor (like less than an hour since they are approx 45 minutes away), I'll have both midwives here as full support, too.

[mysticmomma]

yup.

[minkajane]

I wouldn't feel comfortable before 37 weeks. DS was born at 37 weeks 1 day, though my cycles run really long and he was probably around 36 weeks. I think I went early because he was a breech. He was just fine except for some grunting, which I believe was due to the C-section. But I still wouldn't feel comfortable doing it on my own. 35 weekers can go either way and even 36 weekers can have issues, especially with breathing.

I'm planning a UBAC, but if I go into labor before 37 weeks, I'm getting my butt to the hospital ASAP. I'm at higher risk for early birth anyway, since DS was a month early, so that UBAC may not happen.