By Sabrina, Ridge Crest US
PROM at 16 weeksDelivery at 29 weeks.
Story added: 2002-02-07

This is the story of our second child's PROM and his birth 13 weeks later.

"Thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
Psalm 139:13-16 KJV

Our son, Josiah Ian Lowell, was due to be born in February of the year 2000. His membranes ruptured at sixteen weeks gestation. The amnionic sack never healed, so he continually lost water. On the advice of our doctor, we saw a perinatologist who advised us to "terminate the pregnancy" because our child would have severe lung problems, brain problems, and his limbs would not form correctly. We informed him that abortion was not an option for us.

A couple weeks later, there was a partial abruption of the placenta. We decided to drive down to Loma Linda University Medical Center for help. After putting me on the monitors, they determined that the baby was in distress and wanted to give me Pitocin, which would have ended his life because he was to young to survive. I told the doctors to just leave me alone and let me sleep. In the morning, things settled down, and after a few days, the doctors released me to go home.

Through the rest of the pregnancy, we made several visits to Loma Linda because we didn't know when the baby
would be born, and we knew that they had the best neonatal unit around. At one point, I had a fever, and they suspected infection. At that time, they wanted to give me Pitocin again. I said no, and instead asked for some antibiotics. I got intraveneous Gentmycin, Clintmycin, and Penicillin G. The next day, the fever was gone, and a few days later, I again returned home. I also received Betamethizone steroid shots for the baby's lungs.

Throughout this time, we had many faithful prayer arriors entreating the Lord on Josiah's behalf. We asked them to pray that he would be born breathing, and that I would not have to have a cesarean section because of him being breech. We were all asking the Lord to spare Josiah's life.

Josiah was born at twenty-nine weeks, on Thanksgiving day, 1999. He was three pounds, twelve inches long, born frank breech, and breathing! His eyes were open, and he cried out! They rushed him off to the nursery to put him on a ventilator. They blew a hole in his lungs, placed a chest tube for draining, and then told us he wasn't going to make it.

This was the beginning of the long haul. He had pneumonia twice (60 days i think). At one point he had to be parylized so that he could rest. Another time they had to turn the ventilator up so high that they said they didn't know how much damage he would experience later in life because of it. When Josiah was about four months, they offered us tracheostomy.

The offer was hard to swallow, but with the encouragement of some nurses who really cared about Josiah, we decided to give it a try. The tracheostomy allowed him to nurse, take a bottle, and chew toys. After a month, he was off the ventilator and onto just oxygen. He also had a central line placed because his veins were all shot.

About six weeks later, he graduated into the cannula for oxygen, and they let the trach close up. He was still on one to two liters of oxygen. Once they had him stabilized on his medications, they let him come home, after eight long months!

For a long year, we administered several medications, breathing treatments, and carried about our third child, the oxygen tank. One day, we went to visit a friend's church where they were having a special speaker. There we met a fellow who took an interest in Josiah, and happened to know something about nutrition. He advised us to put him on inositol powder, because preemie formulas are deficient in inositol compared to mothers' milk. Research shows the relationship between bronchial pulmonary dysplasia and retinopathy of prematurity with the lack of inositol. HE also suggested vitamin C powder, vitamin E, and flax seed. Since we have been on this nutritional regimen, Josiah has no longer needed diuritics and other medications. He very seldom needs breathing treatments, and he has been off of oxygen for five months. His development has blossomed during this time. We strongly urge parents of preemies to give it a try.

We thank the Lord Jesus Christ for allowing our son Josiah to live and to grow up in our family. We are grateful for the faithful friends who helped us and prayed for us, and for all those who have had a part in helping Josiah.

Thanks for reading our story.

Sabrina and family