HB05. Born into a Plastic Bag: what it's like when your baby is born prematurely, 12 weeks before his due date.

In this episode I talk to Hannah. She and Sam had their baby Max in November 2020. Max was one of the 8% of babies who are born before 37 weeks each year in the UK; in fact he was one of the very small number of these (5%) who is classified as "extremely preterm" (born before 28weeks). Max came home with his parents in February this year, a few weeks after his due date, and he is in excellent health! I spoke to Hannah about the shock of going into labour before you've even done your antenatal classes, what you can expect from premature birth, that first glimpse of baby (in his plastic bag!), navigating the neonatal unit, exclusively breastfeeding when you've not even been able to hold baby for the first few weeks, and how the sleepless nights are a small price to pay for finally getting your baby home. Things you might find useful to read this time:First off, Hannah is more than happy to chat to anyone going through something similar. If you'd like to get in touch with her please send me a message ([email protected]) and I'll introduce you. For your info... a preterm baby is any baby born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy. The majority of these (85%) are born between 32 and 37 weeks. A baby's chance of survival increases with each week of pregnancy, although by 34 weeks this is equivalent to a baby born at full term (from 37 weeks). Likewise the risk of prolonged stay in hospital and long term health complications or disabilities reduces over time, although of course this depends greatly on individual circumstances. There is very little you can do to prevent pre-term birth and it is very unpredictable. My advice would be to attend your routine appointments and scans and raise any concerns that you might have. You should definitely contact / attend your labour ward if you have any signs of labour before 37 weeks: bleeding, your waters break, abdominal pain / contractions, mucous show.  If you've had a pre-term labour in the past you can expect to be observed more closely in future pregnancies. For extensive information on premature birth take a look at the Tommy's website or Bliss. Both can offer support and advice on a range of topics, so do get in touch with them if you have any questions about your sick or premature baby. As ever, find me on the web, on Instagram, on Facebook or contact me at [email protected]. Special thanks to Tom Herbert aka electrobeard for the music.