Looking for some insight( preemie family member)

rn2binca · Jul 6, 2005

First off, my prayers are with your cousin, her baby and her family. I am finishing my 2nd semester of an ADN program and work in a nicu as an extern. I also had personal experience with preeclampsia.

Your new cousin at 24 weeks has a very long bumpy road ahead of him, one unfortunately many preemies do not survive. From what I have heard, read and seen, 24 weekers are still on the verge of viability. Alot will depend on the medical care available to him and on him. No child is like any other, and that begins long before they are born.

Again my prayers are with your family. Please keep us posted.

Tracy :crying2:

rn/writer, RN · Jul 6, 2005

So sorry to hear about your cousin. This is the right forum for NICU info. If you want the low-down on what might be happening with your cousin, try the OB forum. They'll be able to tell you the ramifications of PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension aka eclampsia) and what is ahead as far as her recovery.

I just started in Post Partum so I'll let some of the more experienced folks fill you in. I do know that delivery of the baby is the only "cure" for PIH and that hypertension and possible complications can happen up to several daysafter the birth.

I hope that being delivered early made a difference for your cousin and her renal failure is only temporary (thank God she was monitoring her BP!). And I hope the little guy does well. 24 weeks is scary early but he has a chance.

I will pray for both of them.

Miranda F.

TiffyRN, BSN, PhD · Jul 6, 2005

My prayers go out to your family, if all goes well your new little 2nd cousin will still have a long road ahead. Initially his (it's a boy?) biggest struggles will be with breathing and blood pressure, also chances of brain bleeds are highest in this first few days of life. There are so many statistics out there for survival and it seems all NICU's have their own statistics which seem to vary a lot. I think I've heard 24 weekers average about 25% survival. After that he has a good chance of having anything from mild to severe challenges. There is no telling but I've never known a 24 weeker who had an easy hospital stay.

Your cousin will need much support from her family though she and her husband may not need visitors at the hospital, it's a very personal thing for each couple to go through. I'm sure the family would appreciate help with cooking meals, keeping the older kids and keeping house. So much may seem like a blur to this family due to extreme high stress. I hope your cousin's health is improved. I've never cared for post-partum women however I know from caring for their babies that not all of them are "cured" by delivery and it takes a while to get their health back.

Once more, my prayers go out to your family. Don't hesitate to come back here.

fmrnicumom · Jul 6, 2005

My prayers are with your cousin and that precious little baby. I'm not a nurse (just a student) but have personal experience having a baby at 24 weeks. Mine was not so good, so I won't say anything else about it. I will pray for them...

Tiffany

BoonersmomRN · Jul 6, 2005

Thank you everyone.

As of today (WED) my cousin ( the mom) is doing a little better. The baby ( yes it is a boy) had a really rough night but is still hanging in there.

I will keep you up to date. I appreciate all the insight.

loriangel14, RN · Aug 3, 2005

any update?

BoonersmomRN · Aug 3, 2005

Hi, yes...sorry I have not updated in a while.

He is doing very well. He's up to 2 lbs 8 oz. They called me tonight and said they had a little scare last weekend where they thought he was getting pneumonia but they also found he was anemic so they gave him a few tsp ( ?? not sure of this she rattled it off very fast) of blood a few times and then his chest films were clear so they said they thought the " tightening" in his chest was probably due to labored breathing.

She got to hold him yesterday for the 1rst time. He does also have GERD so they have to space his feedings over a long period of time.

Other than that he's holding his own! She said the nurses call him " rocky" ( like a little fighter) because when laid on his stomach he will pick his head up and move it around.

loriangel14, RN · Aug 3, 2005

That's great news.

My prayers are with them. My daughter was 1 lb 10 oz. and gaining weight was agonizingly slow. After 5 weeks she was still only 2 lbs.Now is a healthy 13 y.o. almost as tall as me!

Good luck.

BabyRN2Be · Aug 3, 2005

BoonersMom,

I'll keep your second cousin and your family in my thoughts and prayers. Thanks for the update, and let us know how he's doing. Again, my thoughts are with you!

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Aug 5, 2005

Gosh, is anyone on this forum an actual NICU nurse? ;>P

Well, I am a relatively new NICU nurse, but I'll give you all the help I can. First off, my prayers are with you and your family during these next few challenging months.

At 24 weeks, the baby's body and organs are still very immature. 23 weeks is the current threshold of viability with our technology, and even then, most babies don't survive. You have to understand that we are asking this baby's organs and body to function at an unnatural level, one that wouldn't happen until 40 weeks. Immature nervous systems can lead to seizures and brain damage, Immature blood vessels can burst in the brain, causing injury. Immature lungs can leak air or fail to absorb the oxygen we normally do. Immature kidneys can't metabolize the many drugs they get as well as healthy ones can. Immature immune systems are unable to fight off infections as well as we can. Your cousin's survival depends on the cards he's dealt. He may have several of these problems, or only a few. In any case, accept each step forward as a victory, and accept each step back as an expected one. It's a long fight. Above all, be supportive of the MD's and nurses in the NICU. We see stuff like this all the time. While at times we may not seem to have the level of hope for the baby as you do, We have a different point of view, maybe somewhat more realistic as far as outcomes and expectations. I REFUSE to lie to parents. I'll tell it like it is, not falsely inflating hopes, but offering each encouraging change as they come. Hang in there. Give your cousin lots of love right now, and realize that loving someone that tiny sometimes means not letting one suffer to make us feel better about ourselves. Do what's best for HIM, whether that's doing everything possible, or enough to keep him comfortable here on earth. I'm not trying to be a doomsayer, but just realize that the time may come when your family may have to make some tough decisions. Realize that the miracles you hope for may have already happened in the life your cousin has already been given. God Bless!

SteveRN21

RNin2007 · Aug 14, 2005

I am just a pre-clinical student...about to ( hopefully) enter clincals in Jan.
My cousin is 29...2 prior births..both boys...both extremely FAST deliveries( as in she barely made it to the hospital)...she is 29. She was due w/ boy #3 at the very end of September/early October ( not sure exact EDD but I know she was 24 wks and I am too freaked to calculate that out).
Over the 4th of July weekend she traveled w/ her sons + Dh from Pa to Wva for a family weekend. I wasn't there...but what I was told was that she was to monitor her BP over the weekend. She did and it spiked so they had to leave on Saturday.
Monday night she was admitted to the hospital in which ( I was told ) she was in renal failure/eclampsia. They decided to take her baby...which was born at 1lb 6 oz. Both of her other sons were full term weighing 6lbs a piece.
The baby is now in NICU ( Im guessing- Pitts area) and although I don't know what hospital she is in.. I know she isn't /wasn't doing well as of 6:00pm tonight.
What I could really use some insight in is what my little 2nd cousin is in for. Again he was 24 weeks. I'd like to know his odds. I know this board isn't the one I should be asking for about her( or maybe?)....
I'm really scared for both of them.

I had that with both of my children (who were 1 lb 8 oz and 2 lb 2 oz born three yrs apart)...it is not a fun thing to go through for sure! I was sooooo sick, and also going through renal failure and had swelling on my brain. I literally felt like a dump truck ran me over and gained 20 lbs of water weight in 2 days. I hope your cousin is doing better by now (delivery is the cure...) and my prayers are with the little one. My two had a rough course but you would never know it now (they are 11 and 8). They were in very good hands at a wonderful hospital...and that is why I am now working on my RN and hope to be in NICU someday too.

Again, my prayers are with the baby. I truly know what your cousin is going through.

~J