By Jeanne Goda, Enfield, CT USAI had been getting some really painful cramps for about two weeks prior to my water breaking. My doctors said that they could find nothing wrong, and not to worry about it. Two weeks later, I stood up to go to the bathroom and my water broke. It wasn't clear at all, it was almost brown. I called 911 and was taken to the hospital. At the hospital the doctor told me that my water had broken, and that I had lost all of my fluid. I stayed in the hospital for two days and was sent home on total bedrest.
PROM at 22 weeks + 4 days. Delivery at 27 weeks + 2 days.
Story added: 2002-12-29
Two weeks after that, I started to have some very heavy bleeding, and again went to hospital. They checked the baby and were surprised to find that he was doing great. I was sent home again on bedrest. At this point I was 24 weeks so I started to go to my doctors every day for NST's, blood pressure checks as well as taking my temperature.
On the 23 of December, I started to bleed very heavy again. I went to my doctors office and they sent me to the hospital. At the hospital I started to contract about every two to four minutes. Fortunatly my contracts stopped with IV fluids, but my hospital didn't have any NICU beds available, so they transported me 70 miles north to another level three hospital. I was at that hospital for one night and was moved again to a hospital closer to home.
The baby was still doing great, he was amazing the nurses and the doctors. On the 27 of December I woke up at 4 am to get my IV antibiotics, and started to get severe abdominal cramps. The doctor checked me and said that I wasn't dialated at all. The contractions continued all day, but they wouldn't check me because of the risk of infection. At about 9:15 pm, I felt this tremendous about of pressure. Anthony was born at 9:21 pm, and he weighed 2 pounds 6 ounces. The NICU team put a tube down his throat and began to breathe for him.
Right now he is doing okay, his blood pressures have been good, and his lungs are starting to get better. It is going to be a rough road, and we still don't know if he will survive. We do know one thing thats for sure, he was brought into our lives for a reason and no matter what he will a hold a special place in our hearts.