By Theresa, Waipahu, HI USA
PROM at 15 weeks + 4 days. Delivery at 34 weeks + 5 days.
Story added: 2004-01-01

I had spotting for two weeks early in the first trimester. All seemed to be well at week 15 when my membranes ruptured while I was just hanging out at the beach with our children one Saturday morning. We rushed home and then on to the hospital. An ultrasound showed the baby was just fine, but the fluid level was low due to the rupture. We were advised to terminate the pregnancy right away to prevent a life-threatening uterine infection. They insisted our daughter's chance of survival was less than 1%. Resealing of the membranes just doesn't happen. However, we are dedicated Christians and just couldn't be the instruments of our child's death. If she miscarried on her own, then that was one thing, but we had just seen her alive and well on the ultrasound. The ER doc sent us home to await the start of the miscarriage. However, by that evening, it was clear my membranes had resealed! Monday morning my regular OB saw me first thing and was amazed everything seemed to be fine. She recommended full bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy (with bathroom breaks). With 7 homeschooled kids, this seemed like an impossibility, but the whole family pulled together knowing that every time they helped do laundry or changed a diaper, they were helping to save their baby sister's life. At 27 weeks, I was allowed up and about more, and at 32 weeks, I started riding in the car and sometimes going into stores for a few minutes. At 34 weeks 3 days, my water broke again at 5:30 a.m. When labor stopped later that afternoon, they admitted me to the hospital in hopes of delaying delivery for another week. Thirty-six hours later, Alana Miracle was born, and the ER doc who had recommended aborting her ending up being the doc to deliver her! She was 6 lbs 12 oz and only spent 3 days in the intermediate care nursery. We are very grateful to have her in our family. God was very gracious to us!