[tri-med] Re: preparing for the birth of a trisomy 18 baby

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Erin Maurer"
> Why were you in the hospital for 3 months prior to birth.

Premature contractions.
With my first they started about 28 weeks and I spent about 4 weeks in 
hospital with them trying to stop her arriving too early. On that occasion 
they were too successful and she ended up being overdue and an emergency 
caesarian because labour failed to progress :-))

With my second they started about 24 weeks and I spent 6 weeks in hospital 
and she arrived 6 weeks early when the nasty drugs to stop labour stopped 
working.

With Alex they theoretically started at 18 weeks and I spent almost 3 months 
in hospital, (plus I was totally stressed out for other reasons). 
Technically he was also 4 - 6 weeks early, however I never had any dates on 
him (no menstrual period for 18 months, just a D&C about a month before he 
wa conceived). His datings were always done via ultrasounds and with the 
IUGR I doubt their validity. His theoretical conception date (from the due 
date) was a physical impossibility, and he had absolutely no signs of 
prematurity. Especially his lung factor. At 4 - 6 weeks early his lung 
factor should have been around 3 to 4 whereas in reality it was 8 which is 
what you would expect from a term baby. Now his lungs were either very 
mature due to the cortisone injections that I received when they expected 
him to extremely premature (he threatened to come with a vengence at 26 and 
30 weeks and I received cortisone because they expected me to deliver) or he 
was older than their dates. I think it was the latter as their is no hard 
evidence that cortisone really increases lung factor, let alone by that 
amount.

Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well.
                                            -- Josh Billings

Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
   _--_|\
 /Karen \
 \ _.--._ /
          v Karen, Mum to Alex (11 years, T-18 Mosaic)
http://members.optushome.com.au/karens

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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