By Mandy, Whitefish, MT USA
PROM at 36 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 36 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2002-02-01

I went to my routine checkup (35w 5d) and had an internal, where I was told that I had effaced 80% and was 1 cm dialated.

3 days later, I lost my mucus plug. 2 days after that, I woke in the middle of the night to urinate, and when I climbed back into bed, my water broke. I wasn't sure what had happened. I thought I lost my bladder, even though I had just emptied it. I went back to the bathroom, and stood there leaking for a minute or two before I realized that it was amniotic fluid.

I called my midwife, who advised me to get some sleep and to call her at the office around 9am with an update. It was 2:30am. I rested, but didn't sleep, until around 6 am when I began to notice some mild cramping. At 6:30 am, I got up and started tracking each contraction. By 8am, I was having to really concentrate and could not speak during contractions. At 8:30, we called the answering service and left a message for my midwife that we were heading to the hospital. We arrived at the hospital about 30 minutes later. At 9:30 am, I was fully effaced and 3 cm dialated. I got into the hottub, to manage the pain and at 11 am I was 10 cm and ready to push.

2 hours later, Payton Marie entered the world. At just over 36 weeks, she weighed 5 pounds 2 oz, and was 17 inches in length. Here lungs were fully formed, and she had no complications due to her early arrival.