We found out we were pregnant with our
first on November 15, 2007. We were
so excited! The pregnancy went along
very smoothly - no morning sickness,
and I felt great.
At 19 weeks 2 days I started feeling
what I now know were Braxton Hicks
contractions. They weren't often or
strong, but did concern me a little
bit. I didn't call the doctor, just
wrote it off. The next evening, I
decided to take a bath. When I got
out I some watery discharge came out.
I thought it was weird, but it wasn't
much, just a strange consistency.
Shortly after getting dressed more of
the same happened, and it went
straight through my underwear - still
a small amount, but definitely more
watery than anything I'd
experienced.
I called the doctor. He said to go to
the hospital just to be on the safe
side. We did, expecting to maybe get
an ultrasound then go home. They did
a test, and determined that it was
fluid. An ultrasound showed a normal
amount of fluid, and the baby was
fine. I started having contractions,
so they hooked me up to an IV. I
suppose they were strong because the
resident came in and basically told us
we were going to have the baby that
night, and there was no chance for
survival. All of my tests came back
negative - no infections,
nothing.
Of course we were extremely upset.
The next morning the contractions had
tapered off, and there wasn't any more
leaking. Another ultrasound showed
normal amounts of fluid. Still we
were prepared for the worst - 5%
chance of survival to 24 weeks, etc.
We even had another resident come in
and advise us to terminate.
Thank goodness we didn't! After 5
days in the hospital and 3 months of
moderate bedrest, I was allowed to
resume normal activity and delivered a
perfectly healthy little girl - 7 lbs
5 oz at 39 weeks and 2 days.
I did have frequent Braxton Hicks
contractions throughout the pregnancy,
but other than that, it was completely
normal. My fluid levels were never
low.
I have since read up on the tests
given to determine if it's amniotic
fluid, and that there can be false
positives. I don't know if mine was
false, or if I had a high leak that
healed over. We won't ever know.
I know doctors have to be extra
cautious, but to advise us to
terminate when our fluid levels are
normal was ridiculous. What if we had
listened? That's why I wanted to
share my story - always go with your
gut, and definitely always get a
second opinion. To think we might
have ended our daughter's life is
horrifying.
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