By Tiffaney Threatt, Columbia, SC USAThis is our story....but first you must know some history. My first pregnancy was a normal pregnancy until 27 weeks at which point I was found to have an incompetent cervix. I spent 10 weeks on bedrest but managed to carry my baby to term and delivered a beautiful, healthy boy. He is now three. As a result of my history, it was decided that I would need a cerclage in my second pregnancy.
PROM at 17 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 38 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2002-05-04
We were delighted with a positive pregnancy test at the end of August. A cerclage was set up for 13 weeks. So, I had the cerclage and was told to take it easy for the remainder of the pregnancy. I was allowed to return to work but with instructions to sit as much as possible. That is a very hard task in my profession of pharmacy. I regularly stand 10 to 12 hours per day. Nonetheless, I followed orders and did exactly as I was told. But just after thanksgiving, at 17 weeks, I noticed something wasn't quite right. I felt these "squirts" if you will. I thought that maybe I had developed an incontinence problem but in the back of my mind I knew that something more was wrong. I started wearing a panty liner but couldn't shake the bad feeling. Two days later and at the insistence of a wonderful friend, I went to the doctor to be checked. My doctor examined me and said she saw no pooling of fluid but swabbed my cervix and examined it under a microscope. After what seemed like an eternity, she re-entered the room with a distraught look and informed me that my membranes had ruptured and we would lose the baby. She gave us no hope and recommended for us to induce labor that day. She said no matter what our decision she would have to take the cerclage out because of risk of infection. I insisted that I knew the baby was ok because that day was the first day I had really felt her moving. But at the same time I felt numb inside and incapable of making a decision. Then my darling husband came in. He was in shock too. My call to him had been one of panic but leave it to him to always be calm and collected. He listened to what the doctor said...our options or lack there of. He asked the doctor to give us a few minutes alone. He put his hand on my tummy and our baby gave him a strong, firm kick. We looked at each other with tears in our eyes but knew our decision was made. We would pray to God for hope and leave it in His hands. There would be no termination. We were admitted to the hospital and introduced to our grim reality through a specialist and a neonatologist. We knew the risks but had to try. Statistics said that we might make it 48 hours but probably no longer than two weeks. We then dealt with the possibility of making it to viability but being left with severe complications including brain damage.
The next day we had an ultrasound and the fluid level didn't look so bad. I kept being hydrated with IV fluids and drinking all I could. The tears flowed but God gave us a peace about the situation. After 5 days, we left the hospital because we were told that nothing could be done in or out of the hospital at that point. I was placed on complete bedrest ( I was allowed to go to the restroom).For the next 3 weeks I continued to leak but never gushed and then the leaking appeared to stop.I prayed that I had resealed although the specialist said that would not happen. At 20 weeks I ended up in the ER with a possible blood clot in my lung. I was having trouble breathing but after arriving at the hospital I seemed to be doing better. I had an ultrasound to check for gallstones and a CT scan to check for a blood clot. Nothing striking was revealed and I was released with instructions to walk to the dinner table and keep wearing TED hoses. At 24 weeks, things seemed to be holding. I still experienced times when I though I was leaking but no gushes. I had fluid around the baby and she seemed to be thriving. We decided at 26 weeks to give her steroid shots to mature her lungs. After the shots, I developed a fever, an increase in white blood cell count, and strong contractions. My doctor said that I may have an infection and that we needed to talk about delivery. I asked her if it could all be related to the steroid shots. She said that was a possibility. We decided to wait another day and see how things progressed. By the next day the fever and white blood cell count were down and the contractions slowed. We continued on. We dealt with a rollercoaster ride of emotions and 19&1/2 weeks of bedrest but made it to 38&1/2 weeks. Our precious little girl was then born healthy and strong. She is a true miracle...an answer to prayer. May this story give you hope and encouragement.