My best friend went to the OB today and they had a problem with the baby's heartbeat and they sent her to the hospital and after further testing they found a heart abnormality and have scheduled her for a c-section tomorrow morning (this for a woman who literally was in labor for 3 hours with her first and pushed for 2 minutes, no epidural no nothing, so you can imagine the stress). They need to put him on medication and don't want to put him under the stress of labor and delivery (not sure about that info, but that's what she told me)

She's in a panic, and I was wondering if any of you have had 34 weekers so that I can talk to her later about how big they were, etc. She also was not prepared with stuff, so I want to send her some clothes, etc, once the baby is born safely and don't know whether I shoudl send preemie clothes or not.

Poor thing, I am so worried about her, this is her biggest nightmare come true, her husband had cancer last year and (at the age of 33) and the idea of something being wrong with her baby boy is too much.

Well, I didn't have a 34-weeker, but a 32-weeker. He was 4 pounds 8 ounces and breathed on his own...never needed a ventilator. He was a "feed and grower" at the hospital until he was gaining weight well. I would definitely send preemie clothes. Some preemie clothes are for < 5 pounds, others < 7 pounds. I would go with the bigger ones. DS outgrew the other ones by the time he came home.

You may want to x-post this under NICU and Preemie parenting for more info :)

My nephew was born at 35 weeks and definitely needed preemie clothes. He was 5 lbs. Maybe separates rather than onesies if he's going to be in the NICU or receiving meds with tubes and things.

Good birth and healthy baby vibes being sent her way.

Thanks ladies,
I spoke to her again this evening and she is stressed, they won't know how bad the heart defect is until he's delivered and he could be in the hospital one day or one month, they just don't know. So you can imagine how she's feeling right now. I bought her some preemie clothes thanks to your advice and will ship them tomorrow.
Thanks for the baby vibes, I am praying like a crazy woman and I am not even religious!

My SIL had two girls born at 35 weeks to the day by c-section. First was taken fairly quickly to the NICU to be checked out an examined. They monitored EVERYTHING, but if I remember correctly, it was mostly precautionary- not that she actually *needed* it. They were watching her temp in particular and also she had a bit of trouble eating. She was 5lb5oz and 15in long I think? She went home exactly a week after she was born and had no further problems.

Baby 2 was delivered, checked out, and then actually allowed to visit and room in with mom for about 2 hours, until they discovered some abnormal breathing patterns and wanted her to be checked out. She too was monitored for everything, although she did have problems with her breathing, I think it was related to fluid in her lungs, and they were suctioning her very frequently, and feeding her by an NG tube. She was starting to get better, and then at almost 2 days old her lung collapsed, and they had a bit of trouble getting it ti stay inflated again. She eventually went home after 9 days, and has been fine since. She was 5lb7oz and about 19in long.

Both babies were very small, had the 'preemie' features, but were nothing alarming to look at. They gained weight very fast. Both fit into preemie clothing for a few weeks.

If you want, I've got some extensive photo albums on webshots of both girls in the hospital- it shows the tubes, size, etc.

thanks! I would be interested in seeing the photos, I am actually on instant messenger with my friend since she is in the hospital and can't sleep and I promised to keep her company and just chat, her husband had to go home and stay with the 2 year old, so I feel bad that she's all alone and I would like to help her prepare since this was so out of the blue, she just went in for her regular appointment today

My best friend went into labor at 35 weeks and the baby was perfect. He was born at 6lbs and never needed to be in NICU. He was breathing great on his own, feeding great, etc. She went home in the usual 2 days and he has been great ever since...actually eating like crazy and gaining a lot of weight. Hope all goes well with her, babies can be pretty resilient- pass on good thoughts to her and tell her to try not to stress too much!

This article might help? A story of a mama's NICU experience and how she fought to provide the care she wanted
http://www.mothering.com/articles/pregnancy_birth/birth_stories/crunchy-mama-nicu.html

And another article on Kangaroo Care for premature newborns from New Beginnings (LLL mag)
http://www.llli.org/NB/NBMarApr07p52.html

I had a 33-weeker nine years ago. He weighed 5 lbs even, breathed perfectly, nursed like a champ from the start! No NICU time at all, just two days together in the hospital (he roomed in with me) for observation, and then we were both able to go home.

i had a 35 weeker at 4lbs 15 oz. she stayed in the NICU for 16 days due to jaundice and some fluid in her lungs. she stayed in preemie clothes until she was about 8 weeks old.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_dalITM0Jf9g/Rc4EKA4qFUI/AAAAAAAAAAs/8Zq3nt4yssM/s1600-h/101-0166_IMGSmaller.JPG

all the best to your friend and her new baby. hopefully he will do well and go home soon.

I am so sorry! I thought I had subscribed to this, and when I didn't get a response I assumed that the photos weren't a big deal. Obviously I didn't subscribe properly!
I assume this is a moot point now, but would you still like the photos?