By Lisa, Phoenix, AZ USA
PROM at 22 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 33 weeks + 2 days.
Story added: 2002-03-22

Here is our story:
My husband and I had been trying to conceive for nearly three years. After being diagnosed with unexplained infertility and deciding to use IVF, we were finally pregnant. We were so happy. I was about 10 weeks pregnant when I began spotting. My doctor put me on bedrest and finally after about two weeks the spotting stopped. I thought that I was in the clear. My doctor said that I could resume "normal activities". I went back to work thinking everything was fine. Things were great for a while. I had stopped spotting and I felt good. My husband and I decided that we would take a trip over the upcoming Easter weekend. We drove 5 hours to California. We arrived late in the evening and proceeded to our hotel room. At about 2 am I awoke in a pool of water. I was confused and rushed to the bathroom thinking that I had wet the bed. I realized that something was wrong but I thought perhaps the baby was on my bladder. I never imagined it was possible for my water to break at 22 weeks.

The next morning I told my husband that I needed to call my doctor in Arizona. I called and was advised to go to the nearest emergency room. We rushed to a hospital and I was immediately taken to a room where they explained what was going. I was floored. How could this happen? The nurse advised me that she was going to do a sterile spec exam to determine if I was actually leaking amniotic fluid. The test came back positive. We were advised that the baby was not considered "viable" at this age of gestation. My husband and I were devastated. The doctors and nurses were all very positive and reassured us. They stated that not all pPROM patients go into labor immediately. They advised us that we could be in for a long ordeal and helped us to arrange transport back to Phoenix. That evening I was air evac'd back to Phoeinx to Good Samaritan Hospital. Once at Good Sam, the doctors performed my second sterile spec exam of the day to confirm the findings of the CA doctors. (I later learned that you do not have to submit to a sterile spec exam...The speculum can push bacteria up into the vagina. Had I known better I would have declined this. It is YOUR body/baby and YOUR decision!)

We spent a very unrestful evening in the hospital wondering what was going to happen next. Finally the next morning, Easter Sunday, we conferred with the Specialist. He explained the ramifications of pPROM to us and gave us the grim statistics. He was very blunt. He laid out the possible courses of action and told us that we must decide what to do. He told us that we could terminate the pregnancy or we could wait and let nature take its course. Then he left the room. My husband and I sat in stunned silence not really knowing what to say or how to react. Finally, one of the nurses came in and told us that we should think positively. She knew of several pPROM cases that had gone on to have successful births and healthy children. A short while later, we made the decision to let nature take its course.

I spent 11 weeks in the hospital; surrounded by wonderful doctors and nurses who took excellent care of me. Our son Zach was born at 33 wks. His lungs were still a bit immature but after a single shot of surfacta(sp?) he did fine. He stayed in Phoenix Children's Hospital for a month and then came home with us. He is doing great! He weighed 4.8lbs at birth and now he is a whopping 15.5lbs at 8 months.

DON'T LOSE HOPE!! STAY POSITIVE!!!