Here is our story:
My husband and I had been trying to
conceive for nearly three years. After
being diagnosed with unexplained
infertility and deciding to use IVF,
we were finally pregnant. We were so
happy. I was about 10 weeks pregnant
when I began spotting. My doctor put
me on bedrest and finally after about
two weeks the spotting stopped. I
thought that I was in the clear. My
doctor said that I could
resume "normal activities". I went
back to work thinking everything was
fine. Things were great for a while. I
had stopped spotting and I felt good.
My husband and I decided that we would
take a trip over the upcoming Easter
weekend. We drove 5 hours to
California. We arrived late in the
evening and proceeded to our hotel
room. At about 2 am I awoke in a pool
of water. I was confused and rushed to
the bathroom thinking that I had wet
the bed. I realized that something was
wrong but I thought perhaps the baby
was on my bladder. I never imagined it
was possible for my water to break at
22 weeks.
The next morning I told my husband
that I needed to call my doctor in
Arizona. I called and was advised to
go to the nearest emergency room. We
rushed to a hospital and I was
immediately taken to a room where they
explained what was going. I was
floored. How could this happen? The
nurse advised me that she was going to
do a sterile spec exam to determine if
I was actually leaking amniotic fluid.
The test came back positive. We were
advised that the baby was not
considered "viable" at this age of
gestation. My husband and I were
devastated. The doctors and nurses
were all very positive and reassured
us. They stated that not all pPROM
patients go into labor immediately.
They advised us that we could be in
for a long ordeal and helped us to
arrange transport back to Phoenix.
That evening I was air evac'd back to
Phoeinx to Good Samaritan Hospital.
Once at Good Sam, the doctors
performed my second sterile spec exam
of the day to confirm the findings of
the CA doctors. (I later learned that
you do not have to submit to a sterile
spec exam...The speculum can push
bacteria up into the vagina. Had I
known better I would have declined
this. It is YOUR body/baby and YOUR
decision!)
We spent a very unrestful evening in
the hospital wondering what was going
to happen next. Finally the next
morning, Easter Sunday, we conferred
with the Specialist. He explained the
ramifications of pPROM to us and gave
us the grim statistics. He was very
blunt. He laid out the possible
courses of action and told us that we
must decide what to do. He told us
that we could terminate the pregnancy
or we could wait and let nature take
its course. Then he left the room. My
husband and I sat in stunned silence
not really knowing what to say or how
to react. Finally, one of the nurses
came in and told us that we should
think positively. She knew of several
pPROM cases that had gone on to have
successful births and healthy
children. A short while later, we made
the decision to let nature take its
course.
I spent 11 weeks in the hospital;
surrounded by wonderful doctors and
nurses who took excellent care of me.
Our son Zach was born at 33 wks. His
lungs were still a bit immature but
after a single shot of surfacta(sp?)
he did fine. He stayed in Phoenix
Children's Hospital for a month and
then came home with us. He is doing
great! He weighed 4.8lbs at birth and
now he is a whopping 15.5lbs at 8
months.
DON'T LOSE HOPE!! STAY POSITIVE!!!
|
|