By Heather Thompson, Martville, TN USA
PROM at 16 weeksDelivery at 18 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2003-01-26

Emmanuel was my second baby, and I had gotten pregnant 3 months after my first son was born. I was having a very uneventful pregnancy when I started cramping at 15 weeks. I went into the doctor because I thought it might be a bladder infection...the doctors ran tests and said that they would call me if there were any signs of infection. I never got a call so I assumed that everything was fine until I started spotting blood. I called my doctor again, and they told me to lay around with my feet up. The next day the cramps had gotten worse, and while I was breastfeeding my son I felt a large amount of pressure in my uterus followed by a disturbing pop. When I stood up my water just gushed out. I went into the emergency room and I had started to bleed. They found my babies heartbeat, and said that he was developing fine. It gave me hope that he would survive. I was told to go home and be on bed rest, and to come in for checkups every friday until delivery. My first visit, they did an ultrasound and determined that there was still a little bit of fluid still surrounding the baby. They said that there was a chance that the tear could heal up. My second visit was December 27, 2002, and all the fluid had leaked out. They did a transvaginal ultrasound, which I really did not want to do. I didn't think that it was safe, but they insisted on proceeding...my cervex was closed. More hope. Then I visited with the doctor and he ripped my world out from under me when he said that my baby was probably not going to make it. He advised that I should just terminate my pregnancy. That was out of the question, I wanted to try really hard to keep my precious angel. On new years I woke up at 4 am and my babies umbilical cord was in the birth canal, and had already passed away. The cord cut off his circulation. I went to the hospital, and had 11 hours of natural labor. He was stillborn at 3:06 PM. I held him in my arms and looked at all his little perfect fingers, toes, ears, and pouty lips. He had daddys nose and chin, and very full lips..too bad I will never get to see them smile, or hold him and play..or hear him giggle..but I know that he is in heaven with the lord and watching over me and my family...life fades away, but love lasts forever.