Parenting: Preemies Community

Hello all! I'm a long time lurker who decided to come out of the shadows! My first pregnancies were normal, full term, no complications. Around the 17th week of my 4th pregnancy, my OB/GYN noticed on an ultrasound that my baby was measuring about two weeks smaller than he should've been. A few days later, I went to a specialist who discovered that the blood flow in the umbilical cord was not what is should've been. I was put on bed rest and went in twice a week for an NST, and had the amniotic fluid checked once a week and had (at least) a dozen blood test to see why (never found out why, BTW) Towards the end of week 35, and NST showed my sons heart rate dropping dramatically. I was put in the hospital overnight with the NST monitor strapped to my tummy. A sonographer did a Bio-Physical profile, and discovered my little rascal squeezing his umbilical cord (which was suspected as contributing to the drop in heart rate). The next day, my OB/GYN came in an announced that he and the perinatalogist I had been going to determined that it was time for my baby to come out.

I was wheeled in for a c-section and my son was born 3 lbs 6 oz. I had 2 steriod shots at 31 weeks, which I believe helped his lungs develop because was breathing on his own from the off. The NICU nurses kept remarking how relatively healthy he was! A little over three weeks later, we got to bring our baby home.

He's now 7 months old --adjusted age 6 months-- and getting ready to crawl (we're in trouble ), and we suspect teething isn't too far off either.