Good luck John and family. Thoughts and prayers.
Our Daughter Is Making an Early Arrival!
- Thread starter john_pifer
- Start date
Here’s the update I shared earlier to family and friends:
Update on Britta and Emma Layne:
Labor is being delayed via magnesium administered intravenously, in order to allow the steroid injections Britta has received to have maximum benefit for Emma Layne’s lungs (lung development is a concern with a baby of her gestational development; Britta reached 32 weeks today). That goal will be reached tomorrow at around 3:30.
Magnesium will only continue for 24 hrs from initial dose, which was around noon today.
Dr. Norman came by and explained that the goal is to get her as close to 34 weeks as possible, because, at that point, the baby’s survivability is essentially identical to a full-term baby (her survivability right now is still excellent - it just improves, the longer she goes before being born).
If Britta were to reach the 34 week mark (unlikely), labor would be induced, because there’s no benefit to the baby to stay in longer than that.
She’ll be on 2 different IV antibiotics for 48 hrs to keep any potential infection at bay, at which point she’ll switch to oral antibiotics for 7 days only.
So, we wait.
Britta will be in the hospital for at least another couple of days for observation. She may get the green light to go home, if nothing happens. Or, she could be in here for a couple of weeks. We will consult with the high-risk OB docs tomorrow on that point.
We did get some great news earlier when an ultrasound was performed - Emma Layne’s estimated weight is now 5 lbs, 1 oz, which is 96th percentile! So, for a 32-week preemie, that’s excellent!
Please continue your prayers and positive thoughts - it’s working!
Update on Britta and Emma Layne:
Labor is being delayed via magnesium administered intravenously, in order to allow the steroid injections Britta has received to have maximum benefit for Emma Layne’s lungs (lung development is a concern with a baby of her gestational development; Britta reached 32 weeks today). That goal will be reached tomorrow at around 3:30.
Magnesium will only continue for 24 hrs from initial dose, which was around noon today.
Dr. Norman came by and explained that the goal is to get her as close to 34 weeks as possible, because, at that point, the baby’s survivability is essentially identical to a full-term baby (her survivability right now is still excellent - it just improves, the longer she goes before being born).
If Britta were to reach the 34 week mark (unlikely), labor would be induced, because there’s no benefit to the baby to stay in longer than that.
She’ll be on 2 different IV antibiotics for 48 hrs to keep any potential infection at bay, at which point she’ll switch to oral antibiotics for 7 days only.
So, we wait.
Britta will be in the hospital for at least another couple of days for observation. She may get the green light to go home, if nothing happens. Or, she could be in here for a couple of weeks. We will consult with the high-risk OB docs tomorrow on that point.
We did get some great news earlier when an ultrasound was performed - Emma Layne’s estimated weight is now 5 lbs, 1 oz, which is 96th percentile! So, for a 32-week preemie, that’s excellent!
Please continue your prayers and positive thoughts - it’s working!
So this is baby 4? I’m behind! Though my wife has told me to stay away from her since our youngest of 3 boys is only 5 months old… 
Best wishes and congrats! 
#2.So this is baby 4? I’m behind! Though my wife has told me to stay away from her since our youngest of 3 boys is only 5 months old…
Our son was born January 3.
Here he was this past weekend with my sister and brother-in-law’s 4-month-old miniature dachshund, Bear.
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Congrats, John. Best wishes that everything goes great.
