By Fran, Portsmouth, VA USAI found out that I was pregnant on October 17, 2001. My husband and I were so excited as this was our first pregnancy and we conceived very quickly. Our due date was June 24, 2002, which is also our 7th anniversary--we were thrilled! The first 12 weeks were great. I had very few pregnancy symtpoms. We first heard the heartbeat and had our first ultrasound at 10 weeks. Since I had very few pregnancy symptoms, I was thrilled to be able to hear the heartbeat and to see the baby for the first time. The doctor said that once you hear the heartbeat you have a less than 5% chance of a miscarriage so I thought that everything would continue to be perfect.
PROM at 19 weeks + 2 days. Delivery at 19 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2002-03-26
At 12.5 weeks I began to bleed. An ultrasound revealed that the baby was fine and an exam revealed that I was not dilated and the bleeding was not coming from my cervix. I was put on bedrest for a threatened miscarriage and I was scheduled for weekly appointments with my doctor. I continued to bleed, but the weekly ultrasounds and dopplers indicated that the baby was fine.
At 15 weeks, I woke up in the middle of the night soaked in blood. I had been bleeding everyday since the bleeding started, but this was by far the worst. A trip to the ER again confirmed that the baby was fine and that I was not miscarrying at that time, but was told that a miscarriage could be imminent. It was then that my doctor referred me to a high risk specialist since I was still bleeding and my doctor could not detect anything on his U/S. The U/S at the Maternal Fetal Medicine center did reveal a fairly large blood clot at the top of the placenta, and so I was diagnosed with a placental abruption. Strict bedrest was the order. Even though some abruptions do respond very well to bedrest, they could not tell me if mine would. It was at this appointment that we found out we were having and a girl, and we were thrilled!
At 17 weeks, I began to hemorrhage. Again, I was bleeding heavily all along, but this was another very bad episode. It was a Saturday afternoon and this time the blood was gushing. We called the doctor, but also called 911 because the bleeding was so bad. Another trip to the ER once again confirmed that the baby was fine, that I was not dilated and that the bleeding was not coming from my cervix. The bleeding was very bad, but the doctor said that it was consistent with a placental abruption. I was again sent on my way but was told to remain on strict bedrest which I did.
The bleeding continued for the next two weeks. At the end of my 19th week, the bleeding miraculously stopped, so I thought. For two days, I did not have any bleeding. For the first time in seven weeks I was beginning to become hopeful. Even though I did not have any bleeding for those two days, with the absence of blood I noticed a vaginal discharge that I wasn't sure was normal and I had external vaginal swelling. I suspected an infection and I reported these syptoms to my doctor at my weekly appointment, but he did not examine me. I was told not to worry about it, but if the symptoms did not clear up in a few days I should come back in. He also neglected to do an U/S, and opted for the doppler device instead. The baby's heartbeat was very strong, and I was told that as long as we heard the heartbeat that is all that mattered.
I woke up two days later to discover that the bleeding returned. I was devastated because I was hoping that things would be getting better. This time the bleeding was very bad again and I was sick! I was also having contractions. We called the doctor and they told us to come in right away. My regular doctor was off that day, so I was seen by the other doctor in the practice. This time the U/S was not good. I was told that there was no amniotic fluid and an exam further revealed that my membranes had ruptured. I did not even notice because I was bleeding so badly, and because I was sick things were worse.
I was referred back to the high risk specialist who also confirmed that there was no amniotic fluid and because of my symptoms infection was very likely and there were no options except to deliver the baby. I was immediately
admitted to L&D and my daughter, Madison Leigh, was born still on January 31, 2002 at 1:38AM. She was absolutely beautiful and so very perfect! We were devastated.
Examination of the placenta revealed chorioamnionitis and a placental abruption. I was told that blood clots had developed between the placenta and the uterus causing the placenta to separate prematurely and that the prolonged bleeding most likely weakened the membranes causing them to rupture. They are not sure whether the chorioamnionitis occurred after my membranes ruptured or if a had an infection beforehand (which I suspected but my doctor ingored) that could have also contributed to my PPROM.
I am still in the early stages of my grief, and I am finding all of this so hard to believe. We were already so in love with our daughter. She has impacted our lives in a way that no one else could have. She has brought me and my husband so much closer together, and she has shown us a love that we never knew existed! To think that God loves her even more is unimaginable, but we know that He does and we know that she is with Him now. I know that I will see my daughter again one day, and oh how I look forward to that day! If anyone would like to talk or share their story, please feel free to email me.
Fran
Mommy to ^i^ Madison Leigh 1-31-02