By Carla, Tacoma, Washington USAMy water broke at 21 weeks, but I didn't know it had happened. I had a small gush of what looked like just bleeding that I noticed in the toiled so I called the doc's office. The nurse advised me it was probably from intercourse and not to worry. I had another gush, clearer that the first, so I went to the emergency room.
PROM at 21 weeksDelivery at 28 weeks + 3 days.
Story added: 2003-07-29
After waiting 2 hours to see the doctor, he did some test and told me I was ok and to follow up with my doc. I had an OB appt three days later and I told the nurse practicioner about the incident. She also told me that I was ok.
A week later my husband and I were at a friend's house out of town. I woke up at 430am and my underwear and pants were completely soaked with blood. We went to the emergency room and they sent me to the maternity section.
They did an ultrasound there that revealed that my baby was a boy, but also that my AFI was around 3. This was very bittersweet. I loved my boy already but they said the outlook was dim.
I was transported by ambulance to the Army hospital and they monitored me and my baby overnight. Since I wasn't in labor and my baby was so young, they sent me home on bedrest with several follow-ups scheduled weekly.
For the next few weeks we watched the AFI fluxuate between 3 and 5. At 24 weeks I was advised to be admitted into the hospital and I agreed. One of the "big" doctors told me that boys fair more poorly that girls. That he had high chances of cerebral palsy, physical malforations, among other things. And that was "if" he survived. I was again devastated.
We all prayed, us, our family, our church, our siblings' churches, our friends and their churches as well. I went into the hospital waiting for a miracle.
I was hooked up to the NST machine for several days but my baby seemed to be ok (as far as stress goes) so then I "graduated" to only twice a day. At 28 weeks I began getting ultrasounds every morning to see the AFI and check for breathing movements, body movements, and fine motor movements.
My baby was only surrounded by an AFI of 3-6 at any given time, but he still made breathing, body, and fine motor (fingers, usually) movements. We eventually decided on a name that means Strength and Boldness
At 28 weeks, at night, I began having labor pains. Terrible ones. But I wasn't dialating. They gave me demurol and that helped until it wore off, but they wouldn't give me more. By day the contractions were not as strong or frequent. That night again they were terrible, but I was still not dialating. They wouldn't give me any medication that time. I didn't sleep. The next day again the contractions weren't as bad. I had a few naps.
That night, like clockwork, the contractions were again killing me. My back felt like it was in a vice. But in the morning they didn't let up. I was still not dialating, but they put me in a room in the Labor & Delivery section.
Times, I am not sure of, but the anestheisologist came to talk to me about my pain control options. I decided I wanted an epidural when the time came. THe doc came in and checked me some time later and I was already 4cm dialated. They began the epidural and in the 20 min or so that it took, I had dialated to 9.5 cm. They wheeled me into the delivery room and 10 minutes later, at 3:44, my baby was born.
I heard him cry, which I had been told probably wouldn't happen because of his severely immature lungs. But I didn't hold my 2lb 12oz bundle of joy. After going to the recovery room and back to my regular room, I told my nurse I wanted to see him as soon as I could. I fell asleep and at 11pm a doctor came and told me I better come see him now because he will probably not make it.
He had a hole in his already poor lung, a hole in his heart called an atrial septal defect, and they were "bagging" (ventilating) him by hand. For hours. They had triend to put him on the respirator but he wouldn't stay oxygenated on it. By 6 that morning they had a chest tube in him and he was hooked up to a ventilator with additional nitric oxide.
To make this 3 month story short (as short as I can), he made it off the ventilator in just over a month. He was placed on a nasal cannula and was weaned off that in another month and a half.
He takes more energy to breathe, so he's in the 5th percentile for weight, but he's finally home with us, 3 months later, and with the problems he's got left. But nothing could be as bad as a doctor telling you your baby won't make it.