Anyone with more than 1 preterm birth?

[susienjay]

I'm 16 weeks pregnant with a little girl. My first 2 girls were both full term. I delivered boy/girl twins 2 years ago at just 32 weeks. I was planning to have a homebirth with this baby and found a midwife willing to take me. Obviously if I don't make it to 37 weeks then we'll have to be at the hospital but the midwife didn't seem to think I was at high risk for another preterm birth. My early delivery was for advanced cervical effacement. I measured 44 weeks at the time I delivered so I figured it was just my body thinking I was ready to deliver and went into labor.

I saw a perinatologist earlier this week because I was having 2nd trimester bleeding. The source of the bleeding is gone and everything looks great with the baby. He told me that he believed I would definitely have another preemie because I'd delivered early before. I really don't know what to think now. I feel like if I'm definitely going to go too early for the homebirth then I should stop seeing the midwife and concentrate on finding a good doula and support for the hospital.

[twins10705]

If your OB's sole basis for saying you will deliver premature again is because you did before with multiples...he is nuts. Since you are carrying a singleton again and your first two went full term, there is no reason to believe you'd have another preemie...if anything your uterus is even more stretched out now(b/c of the twins) and capable. I'd say keep seeing the midwife and I hope you have a great homebirth!

--Amanda

[eilonwy]

I've had two NICU babies, but only one was preterm (and only by a day). My son was born at 37 w 3 d. I was told that because it was my first pregnancy, my body had "learned" that that's when a baby should be born, so I was at higher risk for preterm birth later on. I don't know if i buy into it, though. My second child was born by emergency c-section after no labor at 39w1d, and I think I'd have been pregnant with her forever. My daughter, on the other hand, was born at 36w6d, but I think that it had more to do with all the stress I went through during the pregnancy than anything else.

[CallMeMommy]

That's the stupid thing I've ever heard. No one will "definitely" have another preemie just because they've had one before, and the fact that your preemies were twins and more likely to go early because of that makes the statement even more absurd! I'm no medical professional but I wouldn't give up on a homebirth because of that moronic OB!

[Lousli]

I have had two, but both were PROM. A friend in my ddc had a 10 pound 9 ounce full term baby after previously having had 31 week twins. I think that the peri is full of hooey!

[susienjay]

Originally Posted by Lousli

I have had two, but both were PROM. A friend in my ddc had a 10 pound 9 ounce full term baby after previously having had 31 week twins. I think that the peri is full of hooey!

That's great to hear about your friend.

I don't know where the peri was getting his info from. He claimed that the second trimester bleed compounded with a prior preterm birth meant that I'd almost for sure go early again. My twins combined weighed almost 9 lbs plus there was 2 placentas and 2 amniotic sacs in there. Quite a bit more than a regular full term delivery. I was searching for studies last night on repeat premature birth but I didn't come up with much.

I'm not planning to get rid of the midwife but I think I'll definitely get a doula now and she can come to either the homebirth or the hospital. My dh is pretty much useless during labor. He always nods and agrees to everything the doctors recommend so I have to have a doula at the hospital. Last time I had a doula but the hospital refused to let her in so I think I'll make sure we meet and go together this time instead of meeting at the hospital.

[shelbean91]

Mine were all early- 35.5 weeks, 35 weeks, 34.5 weeks. I had PROM w/all of them, w/my dd at 31w6d, w/ds1 and ds2 is was right before delivery.

[Brinda]

My first two were 35 weekers simply from PTL. My third was PROM at 29 weeks with cervical shortening and funneling by 22 weeks. My last one I had cervical shortening at 24 weeks, but was on progesterone suppository and delivered at 36 weeks.

[ApplePieBaby]

Mine fluctuate LOL

DS1- 36 weeks (PreE)
DS2- 39 weeks
DS3- 40+ weeks
DD1- 23 weeks (stillborn, PreE)
DD2- 35 weeks
DD3- 35 weeks (less than two weeks in the NICU)
DD4- 25 weeks (Currently in the NICU, PreE)

[myjulybabes]

Originally Posted by susienjay

I'm not planning to get rid of the midwife but I think I'll definitely get a doula now and she can come to either the homebirth or the hospital. My dh is pretty much useless during labor. He always nods and agrees to everything the doctors recommend so I have to have a doula at the hospital. Last time I had a doula but the hospital refused to let her in so I think I'll make sure we meet and go together this time instead of meeting at the hospital.

That sounds like a good plan, IMO. It seems unlikely to me that you'd go early again, because the last time was situational, and you had 2 full terms before that, but it never hurts to have all your bases covered.

I did have 2 preemies (with a full termer in between), but I also had severe pre-e both times, so that's a different story. :

[boscopup]

My first was preemie due to PROM, and my OB says there's a 15-20% chance of it happening again. But pretty much, HE doesn't think it will happen again.

I'm seeing a midwife and planning an out-of-hospital birth, just as I was last time. But the difference this time is that I'm also seeing my OB, so that if I do go preterm, I'll have him in the hospital rather than being assigned to someone. I was not happy with the teaching group at my hospital. I do like the OB I've got now. He's very open minded and willing to go along with women's choices, as long as they're reasonable ones. In fact, he's even doing a waterbirth for my chiropractor next month... first waterbirth at that hospital and first waterbirth for my OB! He's that openminded. The hard part was actually convincing the hospital!

With two full term births and then a preemie twin birth, I'd suspect that you're likely to go full term with a singleton. But yes, it is possible that you could have a preemie again. I would certainly have a plan in place should the need arise, but still plan for your full term homebirth to be the real plan.

[wende]

My first 3 were full term. My 4th was born early due to (we think) a huge ostrich egg sized fibroid. My 5th was supposed to be a homebirth but then my membranes ruptured early. The 2 premies were totally unrelated issues and I'm my guess is that she (my 2nd) needed to be born when she was born because she had a true knot in her cord and wasn't getting enough nutrients. I am not having any more children but if I did I'd be cautious, but not convinced that I'd have another preemie.

[paxye]

I have not had a preemie but a good friend of mine has had three....

#1- 27 weeks due to pre-term labour (she had the flu, was dehydrated and her dd has tons of medical problems and a few were probably present before birth)

#2- 28 weeks due to uterine rupture, it was only 11 months after her dd was born by C/S.

#3- 33 weeks (scheduled C/S though they thought she was over 34 weeks)

[Guinevere]

Congrats on your new little bundle of joy!

As the others have confirmed and you already suspected, WHY you delivered early has a great deal to do with your chances of a repeat preemie experience. And delivering early due to multiples, in the absence of any other conditions (like PROM or pre-e), means your chances for another full-term birth with a singleton are excellent.

I think your plan sounds like a good one -- with my most recent birth, I was planning to birth at home for the first time, but given my history, I also made sure to build a relationship with a good backup OB, just in case the unexpected were to happen. Turns out to have been a fantastic idea, as I ended up with an emergency c/s (my first) and he was the one to perform it; at least there was one familiar face amidst all the chaos, you know? And my homebirth midwife (whom I just love) came to the hospital and was there with me through the whole ordeal; had I been allowed to labor, she would have acted as my doula. Perhaps that would be an option for you?

Oh, and I've had 3 preemies, all due to different reasons. Even given my extremely colorful medical history, were I to have another child (not very likely, but a gal can dream, right? ), my chances of another preterm birth are not particularly high, since I have significantly mitigated my risks of developing pre-e again, and have managed to avoid it in 3 subsequent pg's:

DS #1: 33 wkr. due to PROM (also had mild pre-e, but the PROM is the reason I delivered early)
DD #1: 31 wkr. due to severe pre-e/eclampsia
DS #2: 37 wkr., no complications
DD #2: 37 wkr., no complications
DD #3: 35 wkr. due to severe fetal distress, possibly caused by Down Syndrome, we'll never really know

I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming birth; I'd love to know how everything goes!

Guin

[WannabeaFarmer]

I have had 7 pregancies and only 1 survive. My first was 21 weeks and he survived for 1 1/2 hours. A the others in between were 1st trimester or right at the 16/17 week mark. My dd now was born at 30 weeks and I had a ob that was excellent. He got me through that far and said we were lucky to have made it. I found that a number of factors contributed to my early deliveries: Thyriod, being the biggest problem-Diabeties-and a number of weak muscles which all accumulated to difficulty carring to term.
Every time the docs have told me that its not the baby, its my body that rejected the pregnacy due to mainly my thyriod probelms.
I am very greatful to have found that doc who got me through to the third trimester. Unfortunatly he moved far away and now next time I have to find another great doc to help me out.
I send my best wishes and {{{HUGS}}} to all..