By Hronn Hardardottir, Reykjavik Iceland
PROM at 36 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 36 weeks + 4 days.
Story added: 2004-08-24

My baby boy was in a hurry to come to this world. I started bleeding at 26 weeks. I thought i was loosing the baby, since i did not remember feeling movement that morning. I drove myself to the hospital with tears flowing so i could hardly see the road. The midwife found strong heartbeat and i was so reliefed. The doktor asked to see how much i was bleeding, and said this was not much. It looked a lot to me, but i was comparing to normal menstuation, this was a little bit more than normal period.

I stayed in the hospital for two days, and when i left the doctor told me this was an innocent bleeding, since all tissue get more rich with blood during pregnancy. I was allowed to go back to normal activity and told not to worry.

At 28 weeks bleeding started again with some pain coming and going. I thougth it was again innocent bleeding and just called the hospital and was told not to come in since it was not more than my normal period. I had maternity appointment 5 days later, and was still bleeding a little bit and with quite som pain in my right side. The midwife put her hand on my stomack while i told her what had happend. I am sure she understood by the regularity of the hardening of my belly, that something was wrong. She called in doctor, who after checking told me i was fully effaced and dialated 1 cm. He told me it looked like i was in active labor and they wanted to keep me in the hospital for observation. When the monitor showed regular contracts every 3 minutes, i was taken to laber department and told to prepare for early delivery. I was given iv fluids with some medicin to stop the contractions. Thank God, it worked immediately. I was on complete bedrest until i reached 34 weeks, then i was allowed to go home, and continue with bedrest there. Only go to toilet, shower, breakfast and lunch myself, my husband was cooking, cleaning and taking care of me after he came home from work. When i reached 36 weeks, doctors told me i could move around more, but still take it easy. At 36w3d i went to a birthday party of my friend, a quiet gathering of 5 people. After two hours i stood up to leave the party since i was not used to sit upright so long. Then i felt some strange feeling in my stomack and my trousers got weat compleatly. It was way to much to be urin, so i thought it was the placenta rupturing and i thougth it was blood. Went to the bathroom and saw it was clear water. I called ambulance since by baby was breech and i knew it was possible the cord could fall out with the water. After examination the doctor told me all water was gone, and i would have to stay in a rest-room in the laber/delivery department. After my stay in the hospital, i got to know many woman and many different stories about pregnancy difficultis. So i knew water sometimes renew it self and pregnancy can go on for many weeks after. I was told to relax and i would get sleeping pill so i could sleep. But contraction started agin just after midnight. Remember the water broke at 22:30. I was checked for dialation at 23:30 and it was still 1 cm, the same as i was at 28 weeks. I was concidered not in laber and told to go to sleep. Just before midnight the contractions started again. Same durance and strength as the contractions had been since they stopped me on medication at 34 weeks. 10 minutes later contractions lasted 50 seconds and were 10 sec apart. 0:20 midwife cheked me (because i was screaming loudly and pushing with each contraction) and found the bottom of my son moving down the birth canal. I went from 1 cm dialation to fully 10 in only 30 minutes. The midwife pushed the emergengy alarm and 2 nurses rushed in. Breech delivery is a risk delivery, an ob doctor should be present. They ran with me in the bed across the hall towards the delivery room. The doctor just made it in time to withness the birth of a tiny 2.450g, 48cm boy. It was 3 hours after my membraces ruptured and after only 35 minutes of active labor. My premature labor and prom was concidered to be the result of a weak cervix, but i had an operation due to early signs of possible cancer in the cervix. My boy is a healthy 6 years old starting school today, his homepage can be found at:


Thanks for sharing, it helped me a lot to read other women's experience, when I got pregnant the second time and this time I was better prepared and had more knowledge of what could go wrong.

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