By Gina, New Haven USA
PROM at 18 weeks + 4 days. Delivery at 19 weeks.
Story added: 2001-01-31

This was my second pregancy with no living children. My first pregnancy ended at 11 weeks with a d&c (the baby had died at 8 weeks). At 18 weeks, 3 days, I had been feeling "gas like" pains all day long. I didn't think much of it because that had been one of my biggest pregnancy symptoms. Yet I thought it was strange because the gas pains were a lot lower. The next day (18 weeks, 4 days), I was still feeling the same "gas like" pains. I decided that if they didn't get better, I would call the doctor the next day. The pains didn't get better, but they didn't get worse either. I had noticed a little bit more of a discharge that day, but I was told that it was normal to have a discharge during pregnancy and that it would increase the farther along that you got, so I didn't think much about that either. That evening I decided to play bingo with my grandmother. Right before I left, I went to the bathroom. I had to wipe 4-5 times due to the increased discharge, yet it still didn't occur to me that the discharge could of been amniotic fluid (I guess I thought I was being paranoid because of my prior miscarriage). As soon as I stepped outside of the building I had PROM. It was raining and dark, so nobody noticed. I drove myself home (about 3 minutes) and told my husband we had to go to the ER. His look was the saddest thing I have ever seen in my life. It breaks my heart everytime I think of him that night. I didn't realize at the time just how bad I looked. I was drenched and bloody (which I didn't know that I was bleeding at the time). I have never been so scared in my entire life.

The doctor was pretty negative and didn't give us much hope. He told us everything the baby would have wrong if we decided to continue the pregnancy. We had the most wonderful nurse who was much more positive and continued to remind us to believe in miracles. After 2 days in the hospital we were told that we could induce labor or that we could go home and wait it out. After alot of thinking we decided to go home. We tried to gather as much information as possible, but I really didn't find much. We were scheduled to go back to the peri doctor on Friday (this was Wed) to do a follow ultrasound to check the fluid level. When we went back on Friday, the doctor did the ultrasound. I could tell immediately that there was something wrong. He told me to undress so that he could do a pelvic. When he did the baby was already in the birth canal, he said he could feel her feet as she was breech. The doctor pretty much freaked out and had me scared to death. I was sent immediately to the hospital.

About 2 hours later at 12:27 pm on October 27, 2000, I delivered our baby girl (Brenna Marie) weighing in at 7 oz and 8 1/2 inches long. We got to hold her and say good-bye. She was absolutely perfect. At least I know there was nothing wrong with her, yet sometimes that make it worse.

We are starting to ttc again, but I am terrified. What if this happens again? My peri doctor says he thinks I could have an incompetent cervix, but he won't say for sure. Probably because I had a d&c with my first pregnancy with his group. I would love to hear encouraging words from anyone about a subsequent pregnancy. Any suggestions on what to ask my doctor or what to do to prevent this would be appreciated. I just wanted to become more educated in case this happens again.