By Donna, Connecticut USA
PROM at 16 weeksDelivery at 16 weeks.
Story added: 2004-12-09

At 16 weeks pregnant and feeling great, my water broke. I was in the faculty bathroom and I thought that I lost control of my bladder. The school nurse urged me to get to my doctor's. My doctor told me that there was no evidence of PROM, but sent me to the hospital where there are more advanced ultrasounds. The perinatalogist told me that there was no water around the baby...I was crushed. He recommended that I get a D&C. The baby's heart was still beating. I went home and was told not to eat after midnight and that a surgeon from another hospital would call me the next day with a time to come in for the procedure. After the D&C the surgeon told me that the baby had died prior to the procedure.

My doctor told me that he observed no evidence of an incompetent cervix...I wasn't convinced due to the fact that I had had a LEEP biopsy about 5 years prior. He told me to wait 6 months to try again. Meanwhile, I went to a fertility specialist and went through a number of tests. He found that I have 2 small fibroids and a tilted uterus...nothing to worry about.

Eight months later I got pregnant again...I was such a nervous wreck at the beginning...waiting for disaster that I could barely get out of bed! At my first prenatal doctor's visit, I had to remind my doctor of my history and tell him I wanted transvaginal ultrasounds regularly.

At 14 weeks an US showed that my cervix was shortened and dilated. I got a cerclage, but my cervix kept shortening and funneling. The stitch is still holding up. Last week I could actually see on an US that my bag of water is resting right on top of the stitch. I have been on bedrest since 14 weeks and now I'm 27 weeks pregnant and have been hospitalized for 5 weeks...I'm still waiting and there is hope!

Being on bedrest sucks, but I know it's worth it. This will be my first baby and I cannot imagine what it would be like being told that I have to be in the hospital for months with an infant or toddler at home...so if all goes well this will probably be my last pregnancy...I'm 34.