By Ellen, Monroe Wisconsin USA
PROM at 36 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 36 weeks + 4 days.
Story added: 2002-01-29

I had an uneventful pregnancy throughout my pregnancy. I went to work as usual as an assistant teller supervisor at the bank I worked at. Funny my supervisor joked with me and said I had to at least make it thru March 12 because she needed me around till at least then. I didn't think that would be a problem Cole wasn't due until April 6th. Well I went into work on March 11th my the last day my boss needed me and while I was helping co-worker in the vault I felt a little trickle, this was about 10:00 AM. I though humm what was that. As it continued to happen I went to the bathroom and than went back to the teller line. Still leaking. I than told another co-worker that I thought my water had broke. She just told me to call my husband and doctor and to go. I was to lock up that day too. I left anyway. We got to the hospital and my doctor just happened to be right there. When he checked me he confirmed that I had ruptured. I was not dialated or effaced at all nor did I have any contractions. So they started me on Cervidal and we waited. It seemed like forever. I than finally dialated to a 2 and stayed there that was about 3:00 pm. At 5:00 the nurse came in and said they were going to start me on Pitocin, I said NO...She looked at me a little funny. I had heard bad things about that stuff. So they started me on it and also some antibiotics becauese of my water being broken for so long. They also gave me something for nausea. Soon the contractions got worse and I had to have something for the pain. They gave me Stadahl around 8:00 pm. That put me to sleep for a while. I woke up about 11:30 pm I needed more Stadahl well it took the nurses until 12:00 to get it to me and they only gave me a half a dose since I had finally fully dialated. Cole was than born at 12:21 am. He was not breathing due to the drugs I think it was given to me too late. It didn't take them long to get him to breath when he cried I was sooo happy. I'll never forget the way he looked when he wasn't breathing.He was born a healthy 7 lb 12 oz boy. He was a big boy for being early. I've had a lot of people tell me my dates must have been off but I know they wern't and the nurses told me there were signs that he was early. Cole came home with us 2 days later and a little jaundice.
I am now in my 33rd week of pregnancy with our second child, and worried that PROM could happen again. I asked the doctor and he said we just have to wait and see. But I can't help but worry I see in a lot of these stories that it happens a second time often.