Dexa – TRIPLETS plus ONE
Parenthood

Dexa

February 19, 2010

Couple of hours back i saw on facebook a friend mentioned that doctor gave her dexa jab. She’s 27 weeks pregnant if im not mistaken. the moment i saw the word dexa…i had goosebump coz it brings me back to the experience i had with my pregnancy.

A lil history, i had prob conceiving my 1st pregnancy due to PCOS, i was given dexa tablets to help matured my eggs. I hope im correct coz from the handwriting written on my medication, it spells dexa to me. Anyway, i was allergic to it..which was kind of weird coz it was meant to be antihistamine (again, doctors..correct me if im wrong). So when i reached the labour room at 26 weeks of gestation and already 9cm dilated i heard doctors talking among themselves to give me dexa. i immediately told them…nope! i’m allergic to it…my face became red and  bloated! thus they didnt proceed with it. I was told that the dexa jab they wanted to give me was to help matured my babies lung. but there were lil confusion there coz i told them i had the dexa tablets, then doctor said dexa only comes in form of jab, no tablet. but argument cut short coz im 9cm dilated and there wasnt enough ventilator for my triplets, so no time for arguments..sume tgh kabut calling other hospital with extra ventilator!

So we made do without the dexa n proceed with my labour the minuted they said “we have 3 incubators ready!!!” So that was what happen for my 1st pregnancy.

As for my 2nd pregnancy, since im already aware wat was contraction like, i tend to be more alert. It was my 32nd week of gestation n i felt exactly how i felt during my first pregnancy (in which i ignored previously). This time around I clearly remembered telling syauQi “u, rase sakit mcm dulu triplets”. It was early morning, 5-ish AM and we straight rush to hospital. Yup,I  had contraction but not yet dilated. ayat doctor “tip of my finger” Then, heard doctors saying nak kasi dexa. Again i told them “nope, i’m allergic!” and they asked me how do i know im allergic to it coz what are the chances org dh penah try dexa. Told them the history of my 1st pregnancy and again doctor kind of dispute…tablet dexa? mane ade..dexa jab. after much telling all the info history of my 1st pregnancy and since im only dilated “tip of the finger” doctor suggested to give trial jab just below my skin to see any reaction. And after certain period of time..no sign of allergies, they decided to give me the dosage of dexa needed to help matured baby’s (uZAir’s) lung, just in case baby pops out at 32nd week. Alhamdulillah, it was just false alarm, uZAir managed to stay in the ‘oven’ up till 38th week, so he was a fullterm baby. Was so happy i need not go tru the experience of giving birth to premature baby again.

Fuh…that was a long mukadimah. Back to the fb shout out my friend did on dexa. I became so worried of her, fearing that she have to go tru early labour, she’s only 27 weeks pregnant. My mind started to recall back all the memories i had with the triplets. the daily trips i made to the hospital reading the machine and all. looking at their fragiler 760gram and 600gram bodies. That wasn’t easy for us. Each minute was crucial. If they are breathing well now, another minute they could suddenly stop breathing. Ni bukan case cam lets deal it day by day…it was like minute after minute. I could leave the ward seeing them nicely asleep, but the minute i step out of the ward, they might be having problem breathing. It wasnt easy for us to see our lil ones kena cucuk sini sana…but soon we got used to it, smpai kt kepala pun kena cucuk.

I remembered asking the doctor, what were the contributing factors i gave birth early. Of coz the number one answer was due to multiple pregnancy. The chances of my 760grm baby is not the same as chances of another 760gram single pregnancy. Through out the 4 months of daily visit to the ward (SCN -Special Care Nursery) we saw other parents who had the same fear and anxiety like us. It wasn’t easy. We even saw few babies who pass away.

Err..sungguh lari topic actually. The main intention i’m writing this is to share with other pregnant moms. Try not to exert urself too much. Some might say, but im feeling okay…that was exactly what i felt before going to sleep that night, little did i expect at 6am the next morning i was already 9cm. So ibu2 mengadung, jgn lah meloncah sgt… try minimize ur activity…takyah lah gi jalan2 holiday bagai. Its a different story if ur job demands u to travel…tu dah takde choice kan. Would u want to go tru such stress and anxiety, every minute pikir, will my baby go tru another minute of his / her life?

To all pregnant mothers, take good care of urself! if tetiba rase sakit tu trus lah gi hospital. biar lah false alarm pun, dpd pegi2 dh 9cm! (wah entry ni byk  kali tulis repeat the word 9cm..hihi) Ye mmg boring if doctor suruh bedrest kt umah. TAPI lagi teruk if berbulan kena ulang alik hospital to see your small fragile baby / babies!

However it was indeed the most valuable experience we had, giving birth to miracles babies and seeing them now. Alhamdulillah

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  1. munirah, baca ur entry, tringat kisah lahirkan my prem baby abt 2 yr ago. Doc gave me 2 dexa jab, i kena bedrest kat wad 3 hari tp dah rezeki baby nak keluar juga. Born at 28wks wth 940gm only. Baby warded at NICU for 71days.

    Huh sungguh lama dan kalau boleh, tak nak ulang dah. Sampai skrg i still wonder wht factors lead to my early delivery, tp doc pun tak ckp apa. Dia ckp dah baby nak keluar…

    Dan mmg pun, stp kali dgr my frens lahirkan baby tak cukup bulan/ tgh preggy pastu belum fullterm dah sakit2, i pula rasa risau lebih, bukan apa, i taknak diaorg experience apa yg saya pernah rasa dulu. Tp, percayalah rezeki kita masing2 juga anak-anak kita itu..

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    tu lah kn mmg seriau bile dgr org preggie blum full term tp dh ade leak bagai. mmg if i dgr i akn suruh zasss pegi ke hospital regardless sakit ke tak. if bleh taknk diorang experience wat we went tru kan. hArith dulu kt hops 99 hari and athirAh 124 days.
    specific contributing factors y baby kuar awal mmg tak tau tp doctor kate basically lifestyle..some pressure kt work, under stress, fast pace lifestyle and also die kate food play major role. our food now cam byk chemical bagai kn

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  2. Hi! im not pregnant but im curious. What is PCOS?

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    alamak i pun tak sure how to explain ,full name is polycystic ovary syndrome.. basically die cam hormone inmbalance where the testesterone (male hormone) is more than what is suppose to be, it causes irregular period and no ovulation. explanantion pasar die is cam they eggs tu tak fully matured so instead of die jadi egg and ovulate die jadi eggs separuh jalan which what ended up being called as cycts and since die tak ovulate all those egg separuh jalan (which they call the cycts) gumpal2 kt the ovary . tu yg panggil polycysts coz byk2 (poly). and dlm kata lain mmg period irregular = no ovulation

    ** A cyst
    A cyst is a fluid-filled sac. Before ovulation, the egg develops in a small swelling on the ovary called a follicle. Cysts form when follicles stop growing too early. Instead of bursting to release the egg, they gradually build up on the ovaries to form lots of small cysts. These cysts are swollen egg chambers. They are benign which means they are not cancerous.

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  3. oh.. gitu. my dad pun diberi Dexa, tak silap dexa ni Steroid, so kalau bole mmg doc x mo beri… tapi diberi juga under certain circumstances.
    takutnya bersalin! 🙁

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  4. Dear,
    I’m also diagnosed with PCOS. Normally ada weight gain plus no period lama so susah nak concieve. Do u have the same symptoms and how do you cope with it?

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    period lame tu mmg lah, setahun tu i dpt cam 4 5 kali je period. but alhamdulillah so far no prob with weight gain. doctor pun pelik gak how come i underweight instead. how about giving USANA a try, dh few ppl with pcos came back with good testi. ade yg 9 bulan tak dpt period, after taking usana, alhamdulillah dpt period 2 months in a row
    will email u for further details kay =)

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  5. esok i nak pi scan my cyst yang dok dendiam dalam my right ovary… actually dulu masa belum kawen mmg my period irregular… kadang ada kadang takde… then bile kawen it started to get regular back la… then i got pregnant with faiq… ok ok ok… after that period pun still regular…then bile preggy Faheem pulak…masa 1st time ultrasound tetibe my dr terperanjat coz terjumpe plak cyst yang agak besar tu .. it is 5cm.. kalau tak preggy mmg i tak tau pon kt ovary i ade cyst… but my gynae kata maybe it will shrink as the baby grows… mmg towards the end tu bile scan tak nampak so i thot dah kecut lah… but rupe2 nye bile dah deliver i pi scan balik cyst tu ada je dok comel2 lagi… cesss… but yang agak pelik is bcoz i takde tanda pon cam irregular period, period terlebih2 or sakit2 ke apa…only some cramps kat perut sampai tak leh nak berdiri tu ada la… other than that everything is normal…

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  6. Dexa=steroid.

    PCOS? Hm metformin, clomid, provera comes to mind, but not Dexa. Dexamethasone selalu IV, tablets for steroid eg prednisolone, hydrocortisone. But I’d advise u to find out what’s the real culprit ie suh doc baca balik ur old records. Honestly I wouldn’t want to read another doc’s writing too :p

    My 26 weeks old baby passed away, I guess there were no question about Dexa, incubator.

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    yup i was given clomid 1 cycle, then upon check up doctor gave me dexa, supposedly to help matured the egg (no?)
    oh sorry to hear tat, didnt know the history of ur 26 weeks old baby

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  7. Salam, my third son was born at 30 weeks without dexa. Stayed in the hospital for 52 days. Ventilated, c-pap, ventilated again, incubator, upgraded to cot then incubator again…and he was hospitalized on and off for the first two years of his life. Dr kata sebab tak sempat bagi dexa. Mana nak sempat, tiba hospital dah 9cm! Ya, SEMBILAN CM lagi. Cepat2 tukar baju and puuussshhh sekali, terus keluar… Sebab keluar awal? I had incompetent cervix. So with my fourth child, my cervix kena jahit rapat2 dengan benang yang I thought was nipis tapi mak aiii tebal macam benang blinds (lepas bersalin baru tahu). Kena dexa 5 kali masa pregnant. Sakit giler ok dexa ni! Menjentat-jentat tahan sakit atas katil doctor tu. I was on bedrest for 6 months. Tak boleh buat apa2, duduk atas katil atau sofa SAHAJA. Kalau tak, contractions nak bersalin. AlhamduLillah, baby lahir at 36 weeks. Complications cuma prolonged jaundice. So lepas ni kalau pregnant lagi, kena jahit lagi and bedrest lagi… 🙁
    Sorry long comment Munirah, just thought I could share…Nanti I nak order USANA lagi ni. Since I makan USANA, tak rasa letih langsung! Heheh…

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    tu lah my elder two pun camtu, ventilated, c-pap…then tah brapa kali dok ulang alik between ventilated and c-pap. my kids sbb i takleh amiq they took another medication tuk help with their lung, not sure the name but it cause us rm1000 per dosage (or was it rm15000). kids had to take three times. ur 3rd son born brapa weight?

    wuish 6 months bedrest? that must hv made u really restless…sure cam boring xleh kuar mane kn. glad u made it to 36 weeks. yah ive heard kawan yg kena jait gak the cervix. but alhamdulillah u had no problem 1st n 2nd pregnancy.

    p/s: nk order usana nanti u inform i, will guide u how to do the online shopping =)

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  8. Nama ubat yang mahal tu Survanta. My son kena 2 kali. Sekali kat private, sekali kat GH. Nasib baik kat GH free. I terbersalin kat private. Tengok bill dia nak gugur semua rambut husband I. Heheh…
    My son’s weight was 1.5kg, turun sampai 1.2. Balik rumah 1.6. My mum kata macam botol kicap.
    Alamak dear, I takde kad cherry lagi ni. InsyaAllah this Wednesday baru nak pergi buat ok?

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    err, rase cam name die lain jer. but must be of the same purpose lah tu. my kids kt PPUM (formerly knos as universiti hosp) die cam semi gov so ubat mahal tu we hv to pay. not all ubat free. private mmg lg mahal. ade i kenal anak premie kena smpai rm150,000!
    haah mcm botol kicap, kepala size bola tenis!
    if xde kad cherry, can transfer to mine dulu, i make the order for u. no problem =)

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  9. salam sis munirah..dexa ni its a kind of steroids n yes it comes in injection forms..basically its given to enhances lung maturity in preterm delivery coz it preterm babies dier tak cukup surfactant which will help d babies lung to function normally… if preterm babies dunt have this surfactant normally surfactant dr sumber lain will be given…n yess memg mahal if not mistaken upto 1000 rm plus per bottle n one baby one bottle…

    glad u shared ur experience so that nt we can also watch out for the signs…anyway, watching them grow from preterm till now shows what a survivor they are…

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    hi dear, thanks for sharing the info. yg dexa to matured lung i did read up on it, yg i confused pasal dexa tat was given in tablets form mase i was at my early stage of pregnancy. sbb mase kt labour room, doctors pun confused what was i talking about tablet dexa…

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    farahliyana Reply:

    i have just read my textbook of o&g…it says memg ader bg dexamethasone 0.5mg to reduce the androgen (hormon) production…
    selalunyer yng i tau dier advice on weight loss, metformin, clomiphene n some surgery…
    tpi pelik jugak if u ader allergic to dexa coz steroid is suppose to reduce the inflammation…i think u better doble check coz kdg2 dier pkai brand name instead of name asal that drug.. brand name slalu lain2 based on which company yang supply..

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    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    thanks dear for going the extra mile of reading ur textbook of o&g. so yg 0.5mg tu mmg in tablet form lah yer? hmm since u said it is meant to reduce the androgen production, logic lah kot doctor kasi i since i pcos…so to help me get pregnant, he gave something to reduce my male hormone.
    and that was exactly wat the doctors said, camane i bleh allergic to it coz it is suppose to help reduce inflamation (its something like antihistamine kn)
    but then again my body ni mmg pelik dari dulu, i slalu malang get penyakit yg takde pathalogical cause like nodular scleritis. had prob with my eye which untiil now doctor kate kt back of my retina ade kind of “permanent” bengkak. and i also have my inflamation of bone: enthesopathy in which i was given arcoxia but became very dependent on it. smpai bile nk makan tu. if tak makan trus sakit balik n since i breastfeed i dont quite like the idea of taking drugs, hence the USANA and alhamdulillah leg improve. now baru tepiki nak makan USANA yg tuk mata pulak. baru start few days, hope it can help my retina too.
    wah ape lah nasib i sume mende nak bengkak…hihi

  10. kalau tengok ur twins tu skang macam tak percaya je dulu kluar dari perut tak sampai 1kg pon kan.

    [Reply]

    mOmmyofTRIPLETSplusONE Reply:

    tu lah, alhamdulillah. miracle betul kan

    [Reply]

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