What is it about 24 weeks?

[jamilyn]

My 1st son stopped growing at 24 weeks and that is when I started to have the signs (i didnt know that at the time though) at 26 weeks I was hospitalized and 27 weeks an Eclamptic Seizure made me deliver my son who was the size of a 24 week gestation baby. I'm about 24 weeks now on my 3rd pregnancy and already getting high BP and am so nervous about it even on Bedrest it wont stay down as low as I'd like...

[leeann34]

Lisain, I have so been where you are and sometimes I still get angry too. I think if she could have only made it a few more days or even another week her chances would have been so much greater.

[lisainnj]

I'm still angry at God that He didn't give us 24 weeks and a chance. At least I would have delivered Francesca into a chance of life instead of certain death and not have to live with that the rest of my life. Why couldn't we have had 24 weeks?

After 24 weeks the baby has an increasing chance of survival. Before 24 weeks preeclampsia is increasingly rare. Maybe those two curves cross right at 24 weeks.

[leeann34]

I developed it at 23 weeks also and was almost 24 wks when I was delivered by c-section. My doctor explained to me that at about 20 weeks the mothers blood supply starts to increase and because of this you start to see an increase in the blood pressure. Some women can tolerate this increase in blood volume well where other women don't and those who don't are usually those of us who develop preeclampsia very early in pregnancy. Of course there is alot more going on in the body than just an increase in blood volume but the more blood volume a woman has the higher her blood pressure can become.

[rj&abbysmom]

I developed severe preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome at 23 weeks exactly. Paz measured 1-2 weeks behind.

When I was in the hospital everyone kept telling me that it was rare to develope either one so early in pregnancy, but after reading all of these responses it seems that it happens more than people thought.

[jules2]

My daughter died at 25+6 / or 26 in utero. She was only midly growth restricted, I think my PE onset was around 25 weeks. At 23+5 I still had low BP and no protein.

I agree with Brianne about frequency of visits in a first pregnancy, but I am not sure that would have helped my baby because my PE was so rapid and severe. However, I felt that infrequent visits risked my life because I was already so so sick before diagnosis. I can't help but feel that a few women die of early onset PE every year, whose lives could have been saved with more frequent checks.

[brianned5]

To Eleni, I believe some of it does have to do with the infrequency of the visits. My husband and I have talked so much about how the standard care needs to be better, especially in a first pregnancy. Had I known then what I do now I honestly feel Kylie would still be here. I could go on and on.

[angieb]

I was 23+2, but our daughter was measuring closer to 21 weeks (10.5 ounces/10 inches). (I haven't been told IUGR officially yet but I guess that is what this would be considered?) The lab tests haven't been done/come back yet.

I started having the pains around 20 weeks and she started falling significantly behind between 19-22 weeks. They were watching her growth closely because of my high AFP levels, but unfortunately I developed HELLP too quickly for it to make a difference.

[mimi75]

quote:Originally posted by sandyr

Me too :( It was detected at 24 weeks that my little girl was measuring size of 21 weeks, I delivered her at 26 weeks weighing only a pound (466 grams) I had lots of tests done on me and placenta, nothing was found, and my next baby did not have IUGR.

Sandy (Australia)
Chronic Hypertension.
Mum to
Piper Born at 26 weeks. 7th Jan 04. Passed on 22nd Jan 04. (PE, Severe IUGR).

And now... Mum to Laci who arrived safely at 31.5 weeks on 4th Feb 2005. (PE)

[frumiousb]

I was 24 weeks at diagnosis, 25 when she died in utero. She measured less than 22 weeks.

My MFM said something about in severe early pree, the pregnancy starts to fail at 20 weeks-- the point where blood flow really increases. I guess in that situation, the pregnancy will limp along a few more weeks, but not many more.

Robin, they did pathology tests on my placenta. There was not excessive clotting, but it was too small and malformed.

Cheryl