PDA

View Full Version : Has anyone had an amnio around 36 wks to check lungs?(warning:loss mentioned)



lovebebes
09-15-2010, 11:30 AM
If you or someone you know has had an amnio late in the game, could you please post about the experience?

My anxiety is growing by the second as I am nearing certain dates and my doctor has agreed to induce me at 38 weeks and not before. I was hoping for 37.2 (i know not a big difference to most-but it is to me). I am very aware of everything that comes with induction. I have birthed three babies, my last two labors were induced.

My doctor and I go way back and he is the one who delivered the baby that I lost at 36 wks, so I really was hoping he would be more willing about me wanting to induce earlier-but I understand there are rules. He says that if we do an amnio to check for lung maturity and it comes back that lungs are ready-then he can induce as early as 36. As much as Id love to have the baby already 36 seems scary early to me, I really don't want to take a chance with baby not being able to nurse well etc. But I feel prefectly fine with right past 37 wks. But he said that even for 37.2 he will want to do an amnio, and the thought of it scares the daylights out of me.

I am sorry if Im rambling, I seriously cant even express myself clearly these days anymore, as I am entirely preoccupied with thoughts on all of this.

swissair81
09-15-2010, 11:41 AM
Does amnio check that the dates are correct? My baby was born at 38 weeks & she went to the nursery with respiratory distress almost immediately. The ped on call told me that he thinks she was only 37 weeks (and that was with an early dating ultrasound). It turned out that her lungs were perfectly mature, but they were wet because it was a precipitous delivery (as in, someone yanked the emergency cord to have everyone on the floor come running in, because nothing was ready. )

shoxie
09-15-2010, 11:59 AM
FWIW, I had complete placenta previa and had a scheduled c-section at 37w1d. Our little guy came out screaming - screamed even before he was out, actually - and he's been nursing like a champ since his birth a week ago. My OB didn't think the amnio was necessary since we were pretty much forced to go early due to the PP. I know my situation differs, but I'd think you could make a strong case for going earlier without the amnio due to your previous birth experiences...

shoxie
09-15-2010, 12:01 PM
Oh, also, swissair makes a good point about dates. Have you had a few u/s during this pregnancy? I had a bunch so we were pretty sure about dates. The dating also matched up to my menstrual cycle, so there was really no question about age.

swissair81
09-15-2010, 12:03 PM
Oh, also, swissair makes a good point about dates. Have you had a few u/s during this pregnancy? I had a bunch so we were pretty sure about dates. The dating also matched up to my menstrual cycle, so there was really no question about age.

I had multiple u/s this time, because I was high risk. They all agreed with each other. My OB was in shock. OTOH, I had a baby that was 36 weeks 5 days & she was absolutely perfect. No distress or anything & she was also a precipitous birth, so go know.

chottumommy
09-15-2010, 12:38 PM
Never had an amnio. My DS was born at 37 weeks (all USs confirmed he was on track) and came out screaming and peeing at the same time. Perfect lungs, nursed like a champ. He was small but caught on in no time. I had a natural birth, no distress on me or the baby.

egoldber
09-15-2010, 01:04 PM
My third child was born by planned c-section at 34 weeks because of the circumstances of my second child's birth. They did an amnio the day before to check for lung maturity. The amnio indicated mature, but she had mild RDS at birth and needed a dose of surfactant.

She was on a ventilator for a day, cPAP for a day, then a nasal cannula for a day and breathing on her own after that. She was in the NICU for about 2 weeks.

I really, really understand the fear that comes from having lost a child full term, but I would try to trust your body and your OB and wait as long as they feel is safe.

lilycat88
09-15-2010, 01:44 PM
Yes, with both of my pregnancies. The first was done the morning of my c-section and the second was done about 4 days before my scheduled c-section. Both of my deliveries were at 37w1day and I know the dates for sure due to fertility treatments. DD spent about 4 hours in the NICU being monitored but DS did not.

beckyr88
09-15-2010, 03:13 PM
I had an amnio with my second baby because of iugr. My ob was anxiois to get the baby out because my belly wasn't growing at all. We had the amnio at about 37.5 weeks and the lungs weren't mature, so we waited another week and induced. She was born healthy, peeing, but just 5 lbs. 6 oz! Good luck. I was a wreck about the amnio, but I was glad we did it, because she just wasn't ready yet. HTH.

candaceb
09-15-2010, 05:41 PM
I had a classical c-section (vertical incision instead of horizontal = high risk of rupture) with my first baby that we lost at 25 weeks. Because of that, they did not want me to go into labor this time, and I had an amnio at 36 weeks 2 days to check for lung maturity - like a PP we knew the dates were exact because it was an ivf pregnancy. I thought it was pretty much a sure thing that I'd be delivering the next day and had talked about it for months. My mom flew in, planning to go home about 2 weeks later and thinking she'd be there for my recovery post c-section. My OB rearranged her schedule so that she'd be available for my surgery so she seemed to think it was a good bet. No go. His lungs were not mature. So they scheduled me for another one a week later, with surgery scheduled the next day. No go again. At that point, they said they would not do a third amnio and would just go ahead the following week. Because of scheduling, I ended up delivering at 37 weeks 6 days. Everything seemed OK immediately after delivery, but while I was still in surgery, he ended up having breathing problems and going to the NICU. He was on CPAP for a day and in the NICU for a total of 3 days and is perfectly fine now a month later.

Several people told me that there is a greater likelihood of the lungs not being ready with a white boy (our case) than with girls and boys of other races.

I do not regret having the surgery when I did because we had to balance the risk to my health against the risk with his lungs, and I am a firm believer that a baby needs a mommy and that has to figure into the equation.

eta: I just re-read the original question and I think one of the concerns is about the procedure itself - it was not a big deal. Less than a minute of being uncomfortable and it's over. As long as it's done by someone with experience who won't hit the baby, there isn't much risk at that point in the pregnancy because if you rupture, you'll just deliver immediately and the baby will most likely be just fine.

jaxs135
09-15-2010, 07:23 PM
I had an amnio with my second baby because of iugr. My ob was anxiois to get the baby out because my belly wasn't growing at all. We had the amnio at about 37.5 weeks and the lungs weren't mature, so we waited another week and induced. She was born healthy, peeing, but just 5 lbs. 6 oz! Good luck. I was a wreck about the amnio, but I was glad we did it, because she just wasn't ready yet. HTH.

I had a similar situation. I was high risk b/c of a minor heart problem, and had u/s throughout my entire pregnancy. Around 35 wks, I/DD officially became IUGR. Doc waited until 36 to do the amnio... which I was a MAJOR mess about (DH deployed in the Mid East didn't help!), but tests came back that lungs were strong, and so I had a c-section that very day. DD was 4 lbs 9 oz, but very healthy, overall. I had much confidence in doctors; especially my high risk group, as they exist for a reason. :)

lovebebes
09-15-2010, 10:11 PM
thanks a lot for posting your experiences everyone:)

Yes, part of my question was about the procedure itself-if it hurt etc.
We are absolutely 100% sure of my dates, so I am not very worried about them being off..but def. worried about "forcing" baby out too soon...and trying to balance it against "but at least i get to take the baby home" is more difficult that words can express.

Like, am I really going to go for an amnio in hopes of getting the baby out at 37.2 vs 38? Sounds crazy...and I just dont know. He said we can also start stripping membranes at 37 if Im dilated. Last time I was 4cm 50%effaced at 37 so who knows...maybe I get lucky and my body goes into labor! (i dont believe that haha)

resipsaloquitur
09-15-2010, 10:18 PM
Wow, sounds like you have a lot to balence. I, too, had high risk issues with my pregnancies. With my DD we had a C section scheduled at 38 weeks, then A LOT of new research came out about how much riskier it was to deliver at 38 v. 39 or 40 weeks. My family had their plane tickets to come, my husband had his time off work scheduled, everything. After reading all this research I made them push my C section back to 39 weeks. Now, I know you are having to balence your underlying medical issues with an early delivery, but amnios aren't without risks either. I suggest you read the medical journal articles from early last year and make your own decisions. You can get the journal articles at your hospital libaray or on line with services like pubmed.com. When I was trying to make these types of decisions I, too, was totally preoccupied with it and the ony way I really put my mind at ease was to read the articles for myself.

Good luck.

Melbel
09-15-2010, 11:20 PM
I had an amnio before DD1 was delivered at 38 weeks due to medical issues. The procedure itself was uncomfortable, but not painful. I did not have amnios at any other point during my pregnancies, so I am unable to compare. DD1's lungs were mature, and she was nearly 8 pounds. I was advised that the risks of amnio are lower at full term, because the doctors can deliver the baby if there are any signs of distress.

Sending heartfelt prayers and positive thoughts your way. :grouphug:

AshleyAnn
09-15-2010, 11:23 PM
I was induced at 35 weeks (almost 36) because my blood pressure shot so high the doc was shocked I was able to walk and talk normally. I did not have an amnio because not delivering her would have been more risky than waiting. DD was born small (5.5lbs) but strong and healthy. Her breathing was fine. She did struggle with BFing but I think that was only partially her fault, my breasts just weren't big producers and the fat content of my milk was very low but she FF great and grew like a weed.

swissair81
09-16-2010, 05:08 AM
Yes, part of my question was about the procedure itself-if it hurt etc.
We are absolutely 100% sure of my dates, so I am not very worried about them being off.

The only reason I mentioned it, is because we were also 100% sure of our dates. I had an early dating ultrasound & multiple other ultrasounds during pregnancy. But ultrasounds are only accurate to within 4-5 days & that can make a huge difference with a 36 or 37 weeker.

egoldber
09-16-2010, 06:53 AM
Yes, part of my question was about the procedure itself-if it hurt etc. We are absolutely 100% sure of my dates, so I am not very worried about them being off.

I don't know if my experience was abnormal, but honestly mine did hurt quite a bit and I was sore for several hours afterwards.

And even though you are sure of your dates, as a PP alluded to, there is more and more research coming out about "near term" babies, born at 36-38 weeks vs those born at 39+. I don't know that I would have done anything specifically differently in our case, but would have definitely thought about it long and hard for a decision about 37/38/39 weeks.

lovebebes
09-16-2010, 11:30 AM
I don't know if my experience was abnormal, but honestly mine did hurt quite a bit and I was sore for several hours afterwards.

And even though you are sure of your dates, as a PP alluded to, there is more and more research coming out about "near term" babies, born at 36-38 weeks vs those born at 39+. I don't know that I would have done anything specifically differently in our case, but would have definitely thought about it long and hard for a decision about 37/38/39 weeks.

yes, i know in my heart that there is a lot of truth to what you said. which is what is making this decision so hard. So I guess I have to continue the same way Ive been for now, which is -let me get there first and then I will see. I will keep an eye on my anxiety levels and also my body's signs of readiness. I know Im being whiny and should count my blessings (and I do, I swear) but I so wish that I could do all this the more fun way (well to me it is anyway)- wait at home, get contractions, labor some at home, walking around with DH...that would be so romantic and beautiful. But i am just too paranoid, and I cant.

egoldber
09-16-2010, 01:21 PM
:hug:

The anxiety that comes at the end of pregnancy when you've had a full term loss is terrible. I was a wreck at 34 weeks, so I can only imagine what it's like as it gets later and later.

PHBrow
09-16-2010, 02:28 PM
Hi LoveBebes,

I had an amnio in my 2nd tri (due to high risk of being older than 35) and it wasn't difficult at all. I am just one step shy of having full blown white coat syndrome, LOL...very anxious about any medical procedures...so if I can say it wasn't bad, it truly wasn't. Just have someone there to hold your hand...you'll do great.

Best of luck to you and for a safe and healthy delivery.