By Sandra, Calgary, Alberta Canada
PROM at 17 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 27 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2015-02-21

When we found out we were expecting our second child we were so happy! I was a little nervous because I had experienced an early loss before. At our 12 week ultrasound we were given some scary news. We have a positive first trimester screen and were told we had an increased risk of having a child with trisomy 18. We were offered either an amniocentesis or CVS for confirmation. After the shock wore off, we chose the CVS. We got the results within a week that the baby was normal and we were so relieved. I had a bit of spotting after but was told that was normal. Everything seemed to be going well until I woke up suddenly in the middle of the night on Dec 9. I sneezed and felt fluid rush out. I tried to convince myself I has just peed a little but I new deep down it was not true. I saw my OB the next day and my story was brushed off. That evening, I felt fluid rush out again and this time I went to the ER. I had to return the next morning for an ultrasound and the results confirmed the worst. I had PPROMed. The OB on call came to talk to us and offered us immediate termination. We were told the baby would never develop his lungs properly since I had ruptured at 17 weeks 3 days. I was devastated and felt I could not make a decision right away. Against medical advice, we left the ER. I have a good friend who is also an OB. I phoned her and she told me that conservative management might be an option for me as long as I didn't have a fever. She referred me to a different OB who deals with high risk pregnancies. I did not think the baby would survive. But I also felt like I could not intervene anymore. The CVS likely caused me to PPROM and I still feel guilty about it. I just could not bring myself to do anything other than wait and see. I did a lot of reading about PPROM and found out my baby only had a very small chance of survival. I set a mental goal to make it 10 more weeks and even told my sister that I could make it. Every doctor we saw except our new OB and my friend who referred me to her advised us to terminate. It was hard to hear. I was desperately looking for some sort of guidance or sign to tell me what to do. A few weeks after I PPROMed my older son made me read Horton Hears a Who to him every day for about 2 weeks. Every time I read the line "a person's a person no matter how small" I almost lost it. I think that may have been the sign I was looking for. I leaked large volumes of fluid the whole time. Sometimes there was also a lot of blood. It was scary. I had some contractions during week 23 but every time they came I told my body to stop it! Fortunately, my body seemed to listen. I was offered hospital admission but refused. I felt like trying to maintain some normalcy was better for my mental health. I even continued to work with modified duties. I work at a hospital so I figured if something bad happened I could just run downstairs to the delivery ward. On Feb 16, my husband and I went out to celebrate Valentine's Day. That night, I woke up with cramps and this time, they did not stop. We headed out the hospital in the middle of the night and the contractions got more and more intense. I could not walk when we got there. There was a wheel chair right outside the door and we went as fast as possible to the elevators. Just as the doors opened on the delivery floor, I felt him coming. I was so scared. All I remember was my husband rushing me past the triage desk, me screaming "he's coming right now," quickly followed by "I'm only 27 weeks!" We went straight into a room within seconds Benjamin was born. We made it exactly 10 weeks, almost to the minute since I PPROMed. I didn't even have time to get my coat off! When I heard him cry, it was the most beautiful sound. He went straight to the NICU. He was only intubated for 3 days and only briefly required oxygen. He stayed in the NICU for 81 days and had a mostly uneventful stay. Benjamin just turned 2. He has asthma but we have a family history. He has never been admitted to the hospital since he left the NICU and his development has been completely normal. He is an energetic and happy boy who is so full of life. He completes out family. Words cannot express how lucky I am to have him in my life and to all of the people who supported our journey. I realize the decision I made may not be the right choice for every one out there. For me, I could not bring myself to actively interfere, and fortunately, we have a beautiful second boy. If was a long hard road.