By Destiny Wetzel, Apple Valley, Ca USA
PROM at 21 weeks + 1 days. Delivery at 27 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2013-02-20

I am not certain exactly when I pprom'd but it was somewhere between 18-21 weeks but my first huge gush was at 21weeks, 1 day. It was blood so it took 2 1/2 weeks of being in and out of the hospital with these huge gushing episodes for the doctors to finally realize that it was actually my fluids with a little blood mixed in. When I was 21w, 1d, I woke up that morning gushing blood. We rushed to labor/delivery (an hour away) and without ever performing an ultrasound, they sent me home because the bleeding had slowed. They put me on moderate bed rest until I could see my doctor a week later. When I saw my doctor, he did an ultrasound and everything looked great with the baby except my fluids were really low. He referred me to a perinatologist. The next week when I met with the peri, my fluids were still low but appeared a bit higher than before. They were at that time 3.4cm. HE could find no tear or anything else that look wrong so he diagnosed me with oligohydramnios but did not determine it was the result of pprom. I had continued bleeding through all of this time and a week later, I woke up and the bleeding had dramatically increased and was gushing through my clothes and everywhere! We rushed back to L&D but I thought they were only going to send me right back home, but my husband insisted we go anyways. When we got there, they rushed me back for an immediate ultrasound (and as I was 23w, 6d at this time, they took it much more seriously than before when I was not close to viability). I had no measurable fluids at this point so they admitted me and determined I was pprom. Labor sarted that same day but within 3 days they managed to stop it and moved me to antepardum. I was on hospital bedrest for a total of 3 1/2 weeks. I had a total of 3 steroid shots and several antibiotics. Week 2 I tested positive for gestational diabetes and the end of week 2 my placenta began to rupture. I had a concealed rupture so it was never spotted on the ultrasound but at 27weeks exactly, my bleeding increased dramatically and labor began. By the next day, contractions had slowed so I was moved back to antepardum but at 27w, 3d, it started back up. They gave me IV hoping to stop it and then started me on MAG bc they wouldn't stop. That morning I was still completely closed and about 25% effaced but within less than 2 hours, I was 2 1/2 cm and 75% effaced. They took me in for emergency csection. The spinal did not work so they ended up putting me under general anesthesia so me nor my husband were able to watch my son be born. :( Once I came to I learned that he cried when they delivered him and also that he was HUGE! He was 3lb 0oz. (we knew he would be big because my other 3 kids were all huge too) He was intubated for 4 weeks then on bipap for 3 weeks for a total of 7 weeks on the ventilator. He had severe BPD and also had a PDA which closed after the second course of endocine. He has a cyst on his brain which they are still watching and had a few unconfirmed seizures (nurses and doctors witnessed them but the EEG did not pick any up- MRI will be done in a couple of months) but no brain bleeds. His eyes are fully matured so never dealt with ROP and his hearing is perfect! He had mild Right Ventricular Hypertrophy but it was nearly back to perfect by the time he was discharged. He spent 11 weeks and 1 day in the NICU and came home on oxygen and has now been home for 3 days. -beating his due date by 10 days!!!!!! (that was our goal-o beat his due date) My husband and I also have 4 year old b/g twins and a 2 year old daugher so he is our fourth and last.