My membranes ruptured on Sept. 14th at
26w6d. I didn't realize that that's what
had happened because it was a 'slow
leak'. I called the next morning after
having woken up wet, and they said to
come on in and get checked. They tested
the fluid and found that it was in fact
amniotic fluid. However, the test was
done by a midwife and the docs did not
seem to believe the results. I got the
impression that they looked down upon my
midwife. They also did another test
that supposedly gives you some kind of
indication of whether or not your uterus
is preparing to go into labor (fetal
fibronektin or something like
that...jeez my memory is slipping!) That
was positive. They measured my cervix
and it was slightly thinned and slightly
dilated, but not much. They decided to
admit me and put me on antibiotics until
they got the results back telling them
whether or not I had an infection. They
also gave me the round of steroid
injections at that time, to help mature
the baby's lungs. After two days, the
results came back negative for
infection, so I was taken off the
antibiotics. It was also decided, after
much deliberation on my part, that they
wanted to do an amniocentesis to inject
blue dye into my uterus. That way, if I
leaked blue they would be certain that I
had ruptured. That was probably the
hardest part of my stay. Of course, two
hours later when we checked, the tampon
was blue and that pretty much sealed my
fate!
Because the hospital I was at is a
'teaching hospital', there were
different doctors and residents and Lord
knows who else coming in all the time to
check on me. Each of them had their own
opinion as to how to treat me and I was
getting very frustrated with all the
different opinions. It went from one
doctor telling me I would be going home,
to another saying I would be in the
hospital until I delivered. One doctor
told me that most women who rupture
deliver within 72 hours. Another told
me she'd seen women stay pregnant
another 5 weeks. Eventually the
decision was made to keep me until the
baby was ready to be delivered. I, too,
gained a new appreciation for women on
bed rest. I went in thinking, "woo hoo,
bed rest!". That lasted about a day and
a half, and I was wanting to go home!
At 28 weeks, I developed GD and was put
on a regimen of insulin injections. At
32 weeks I developed a fever, which was
the fear all along (fever being a sign
of infection). They monitored it for 24
hours and said that if it didn't come
down by the next morning, they would
have to deliver me. The doctor told me
that she prefers a premature baby to a
baby born with an infection. The next
morning I woke up with the same fever
and the doc said it was time! Jeremiah
was born via c-section on October 22,
2002 at 9:21 a.m. weighing 3 lbs. 12 oz.
He didn't cry when he came out, but his
eyes were wide open. I felt so helpless
laying there straining to hear a cry.
They assured me that he was doing well -
apgars were 7 and 8. He was on oxygen
for 4 hours, then a cpap for a few more
hours. Other than that, he was doing
very well. He lost 4 oz. over the next
few days, then started to gain. In
their attempts to get him to gain
weight, they gave him formula mixed with
my breast milk via NG tube. He was not
digesting the formula, but was able to
digest all of the breast milk. I wanted
them to discontinue the formula and give
him straight breast milk, but they
insisted on trying different kinds of
formula until they found one he could
digest. Finally they did find one - a
liquid 'naturals' formula. He was able
to keep it all down and started gaining
weight like a champ! He eventually
moved into an open crib after a week,
and spent another week there gaining
weight and learning how to take all his
feedings from bottles (or breast). He
came home with us on November 7th
weighing 4 lbs. 2 oz. As much as I
wanted to bring him home, I was scared
to death of leaving the nurses and
monitors behind! The first couple
weeks, we just kind of sat there looking
at him, waiting for him to need
something. He was, and still is, and
very easygoing baby. He is now almost 5
months old and weighs 13 lbs and some
change. I have tons of pictures if
anyone is interested, and have also set
up a website for him. Please email me
if you are interested :) My email
address is cdalen@umn.edu.
Despite everything we went through, we
are eager to start TTC again. I know
the chances of having to go through it
all again are high, but I do feel that
we are armed with a little more
knowledge this time. I pray for another
positive outcome and do struggle with
the idea that I may be selfish for
wanting to try again, knowing that the
results may not be as positive.
However, I believe that what is meant to
happen will. I absolutely love being a
mother, as does my partner, and am
grateful that we were blessed with such
a beautiful little boy.
|
|
