Name: tara
DOB: 6 May, 2006
Gestation: 35 weeks
Weight: 2860gms or 6p 50oz
Length: 47cms
Length of Hospital stay: 5 days
Complications: feeding problems, unable to breastfeed
Outlook: Tara is about a month behind in all her milestones

Name: Jayson
DOB: 18 May, 2008
Gestation: 33+6weeks
Weight: 2815gm discharges at 2660gms
Length: 52cms!!!!
Length of Hospital stay: 2 weeks
Complications: breathing needed cpap,treated for suspected septacemia, jaundice requiring phototherapy,needed gastointestinal tube,weight loss able to start bf after one week ,trouble holding a temp
outlook:jayson still occasionally bf more on the bottle gaining lots of weight seems to be doing everything on time

Name: Lucas Graham
DOB: 15th April, 2008, 10:48am
Gestation: 35 +2
Birth Weight: 3010grams
Length: 49.5cm
Head: 34.5cm
Length of Hospital stay: 11 days
Discharge Weight: 3090grams

Complications: His first apgar test was only a 6, but he bounced to a 9 after 5 minutes. He had problems with oxygen retention for 36 hours, and needed a heat lamp for a couple of days.

Initially Lucas was gavage fed for 11 days (when he managed to do all of his feeds from a bottle for 24 hours, and gained weight - the happiest 20g of my life - we were allowed to go home. I wasn't able to breastfeed, so I spent the first couple of months expressing breast milk, because his little mouth was too small to attach.

Thankfully no serious health problems.

Outlook: Lucas seems to be travelling pretty well, he's due for his six month check up in about 9 days, so I'll know more accurately how well he's travelling then as far as the 'curve' of normality is concerned. To be honest, he's my first child, so I don't really have a definition of 'normal'.

I weighed him yesterday and he was at 6.9kg, so I'm not sure where that puts him in the curve, but he doesn't seem to be gaining weight anywhere near as fast as he was. Is this typical? I do know that he's quite long (since we just upgraded him to 00, because the 000 were too short, even though they fit everywhere else).

Lucas is a very determined little boy. He constantly tries to stand, and loves nothing more than standing on my legs while holding my fingers. He enjoys sitting as well (with support), but doesn't seem to like laying in my (or anyone else's) arms at all. He doesn't seem remotely interested in any other kind of movement, but he has just learnt how to twist his body from side to side.

He's a very noisy little boy, and loves to chatter and yell at the top of his lungs. Thankfully he doesn't seem to have any of the heart problems I had when I was born (I was also a month prem).

Lucas at birth

[img]http://i35.tinypic.com/1216dyx.jpg[/img]



Lucas at a day old, the first time I was able to hold him

[img]http://i33.tinypic.com/2s1r7v5.jpg[/img]


Lucas last week (at 5 months and 2 weeks old)



[img]http://i38.tinypic.com/10qxvlg.jpg[/img]

Edited by moderator - pics are too big, please resize to a maximum of 320x240pixels. Thanks.

Edit: Sorry about that, I thought I had corrected the size, but clearly not!

Name: Riley Cade
DOB - 06/09/2008
Gestation: 34 weeks 5 days
Weight: 1990grams
Length: 46cm
Hospital Stay: 3 weeks 1 days
Riley arrived about 6 weeks early for no reason at all, no problems during pregnancy, my waters broke and contractions started straight away. He was tube fed expressed Breast Milk until he developed his sucking reflex and we gradually upgraded to all breastfeeds. Was alittle bit jaundiced but didn't require phototherapy. No problems just a little fella.

Hi all,
I guess that I technically don't belong here, as my daughter was full term. We have though, had some of the minor issues of a prem, as she stopped growing at 36 weeks due to my blood pressure (did not realise the severity of it at the time)
Name- Charlotte
DOB 19/12/07
gestation 39wks
weight 2550g
length 47cm
hc 33cm
hospital stay 5 days
She suffered from jaundice and feeding issues. At 10 months, she doesnt hit the chart for weight any more, but is growing slowly.

I hope no one minds me posting here, but so many of the later term premmies seem so similar to Charlotte, it is nice to see others with births and bubs similar to ours

Welcome MatisMum and Danielle!

Danielle - of course it's ok for you to post in here. Charlotte is very similar to Cole.

MatisMum - you will find alot of support on here from the premmie mums! I know what you mean with the mums groups. I was put in one for Coles corrected age not actual age so he was older than the other bubs (but so much smaller).

Hope to chat to you both some more!

Welcome Danielle and MatisMum.

And Danielle, Charlotte is tinier than Lucas was!

I always feel kind of strange as well because Lucas had such a large birthweight for being so early.

We just had our six month check today, and Lucas is 69cm, but only 7.07kg. So he's well below the curve in terms of his size. He was growing pretty well, he was 57cm length, and 4.65 at his 6 week check, but since the he's dropped further below the curve. The doctor said we'll monitor it and keep an eye on him.

I'm sure he'll be fine, and I know he is much luckier than many other premmies in terms of his health, but I still worry for him.

He's a sad little guy at the moment due to his injections, so hopefully he'll feel better in a day or so. I always have such a hard time adjusting when he's miserable, because generally (unless his teeth are hurting him) he's such a wonderfully happy and playful little boy.

Danielle - Charlotte is only a few months younger than Cole. and she was a teensy bit smaller when she was born!

The last time I took him was at 15 months and he was 8.9kg and 75cm so for weight he is below the 3rd% but for length he is on the 10th%. He is now 17 months (time got away from me for the 16 month stats) so I am taking him on Monday to have him weighed. We are going to have a party when he finally reaches 10kg!!!! He is still so little.

How big is Charlotte now?

Mel JL - hope Lucas is a bit happier soon! I hate needles! Although Cole doesn't have too many problems with them. And teething sucks too!!! Thats when the grizzly baby comes out!

lauramac - your little ones are growing so well! Wonder if Cole will catch up soon?

Same here. It used to be such a big deal but I now know that Cole still eats and is happy, he is just little. But looing at me and DF - I am pretty short and while DF is taller he is slim so I don't think Cole was ever destined to be a great big hulker!!!

#4 baby
Name: Leigh-Roy
DOB: 16 April 2002
Gestation: 36+1weeks
Weight: 2830 gms
Length: 49.5cms
Length of Hospital stay: 11 days (8 hrs in Karratha hospital, air lifted by RFDS to Port Hedland hospital)
Complications: Intrauterine pneumonia, tube feed, jaundice, severe reflux
Outlook:Once the reflux was under control (around 8mths, when he went on solids) he quickly caught up on the motor skills but he has always been skinny. I am not sure if that was due to his complications or he is just skinny (like me )He is 6 now and he is doing well at school but does still have a slight speech problem, which we are seeing a speech pathologist.

#5 baby
Name: Emily
DOB: 2 January 2008
Gestation: 35weeks
Weight: 2210 gms - discharge weight 2010grams
Length: 45cms
Length of Hospital stay: 6 days (2 days NICU, 1 day SCN)
Complications:CPAP, Lost more than 10% birth weight.
Outlook:Emily BF on day 2, I think this helped with her quick recovery. She is on the 50% for height, weight and HC. She is now crawling and into everything...you would not even know she was born early and so little.

Emily:
[img]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg289/astrosgirl6/emmy_new.jpg[/img]

Leigh-Roy
[img]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg289/astrosgirl6/leigh_01copy.jpg[/img]

Emily and Leigh-roy now:
[img]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg289/astrosgirl6/leigh_em-1.jpg[/img]

We are now pregnant with #6, we have already had a threatened preterm labour (at 19 weeks) which fortunately settled down. I have been told there is a good chance of this little girl being early too, but I am still hoping we will go full term.

lix & astrosgirl - your kids are gorgeous!!!