By Sheryl, Mount Gilead, Ohio USAMy husband and I had been trying to conceive for the 7 years that we were married. Finally, after many treatments we were blessed with our first child, Brianna who was born on November 8, 2001. I experienced PTL with her beginning at 28 weeks, but I had to end up being induced at 39.4 weeks due to PIH. She is a happy, healthy 16 month old running all over the place.
PROM at 21 weeks + 6 days. Delivery at 28 weeks + 2 days.
Story added: 2003-03-18
Since it took so long to conceive our first child, we decided that we didn't want to wait long to try for the second. When Brianna was 7 months old, we did another IUI and to our delight, it worked the first time!!
Beginning at 8 weeks exactly I started to bleed very heavily. We went to the ER and was told that I was miscarrying. They wouldn't do an u/s at that early gestational age. We went across town to our RE and he happily did an u/s for us and we got to see our little miracle with heart beating away!! I continued to bleed continously and very heavy at times for 13 weeks. I ended up in the ER a total of 5 times, and I was hospitalized once at 12 weeks.
On Halloween night my husband, daughter and I were shopping for her birthday party stuff when I felt some leaking. I chalked it up to bleeding and didn't think anything of it. When we got home, I got out of the van and felt a gush. I looked down and I was totally wet. I freaked out.
We got to the L and D unit and they hooked me up and checked to see if I had ruptured. Indeed I had. I was also contracting every three minutes. Luckily I hadn't dialated yet. They took me to a birthing room, gave us the speech that we should induce and let nature take it's course. I was started on antibiotics and IV fluids and slowly but surely the contractions stopped completely.
The next morning I was taken to a room in the antepartum/high-risk unit where I would be until the baby was born. I was put in Trendelenburg position with my feet higher than my head. I was unable to sit up, much less walk. I never developed an infection. I did, however develop kidney stones and a recurring UTI. I was on heavy duty pain medication because of the kidney stones.
At 28w1 day Noah's heartrate began decelerating and they wanted to monitor me closely. He had three spells throughout the day and my OB said that if he had one more than we would deliver. Well, at midnight he had another. So, I was prepped and off to the OR we went for an emergency c-section.
Noah came out with a little cry. He weighed 3 pounds 1 1/2 ounces and was 15 3/4 inches long. All of the doctors were pleased with his weight. He required O2 for his lung immaturity. He was taken directly to the NICU. He spent 2 weeks on the high frequency ventilator, 2 weeks on the cpap and then until present on nasal cannula. He came home on January 28,2003 just 44 days after his birth date of December 15, 2002. His original due date was March 7, 2003.
Today he's 9 pounds and 3 months old. He's on oxygen and an apnea monitor here at home, but he's doing well. I was told that my bleeding caused the PROM. My bleeding went unexplained until my OB was taking the placenta out after Noah was born. It turns out the placenta was in shreds, a condition called placenta accreta. We were very fortunate and blessed that Noah made it as long as he did.