By Julie Adams, USA
PROM at 14 weeksDelivery at 30 weeks.
Story added: 1997-03-21

At 14 weeks they determined that I was leaking fluid and I was put on bedrest. At 21 weeks (I think due to the stress of my husbands office wanting to send him to Germany the next day), my amniotic sac ruptured. I was sent home to miscarry, but I didn't. 9 weeks later I went back in the hospital with bleeding and when Jon showed signs of stress and the bleeding continued, Jon was delivered via classical C-section and literally had to be pried out as there was no space around him for fluid.

It turned out I was having an abruption. There was a very high risk he would not survive due to lack of lung development and also a risk of slack muscle syndrome due, both due to lack of fluid. But he had an apgar of 8 and then 9 after 5 minutes! He cried right away and was on oxygen for less than 48 hours. He was a bit smaller than some of the other 30 weekers I saw there. He was 2lbs 11 oz. He had some jaundice and one infection, and had plenty of a's and b's. He came home 7 1/2 weeks later on a monitor and amelophylin to control the apnea. He had alarms where we moved him vigorously to wake him and get him breathing (but no CPR needed), so we were really glad we were sent home with the monitor. Jon seems to be healthy and fine, though he had a bout of RSV which hospitalized him for several days on O2 and caused infantile asthma for about 10 mos.

The doctors don't know why my fluid leaked or why I ruptured.

- -Julie (mom to Jonny 30 weeker 9/24/93)