By Heather, Boston, MA US
PROM at 24 weeks + 5 days. Delivery at 32 weeks + 2 days.
Story added: 2005-03-29

By the time I was 24 weeks pregnant I was so happy to have made it to the magic viability week. There had been some problems with my twin pregnancy from the start (bleeding and vastly different sizes between the two babies) and I was very relieved.

My husband and his parents wanted us to return to his hometown, 7 hours away for a baby shower. I wouldn't go before my 24th week, just-in-case. On the drive we ran into a terrible snow storm and it took closer to 10 hours to reach his parents house. At the most stressful part of the drive, I experienced some very severe pains that I later found out were contractions.

A couple of hours after reaching his parents house, I ran to the bathroom thinking I was having another bleeding episode. Instead I found that my membranes had ruptured. This resulted in another snowy drive to the emergency room followed by a snowy ambulance ride to a hospital that could handle 24 week preemies. They told me the rupture was very large and I was contracting.

I had Magnesium Sulfate pushed and then went on a regular IV round of it. The monitors were still showing contractions. They came in and explained all the complications that our babies might face if they were born that weekend, or any time soon. They prepared us for the worst, but told me to relax. My husband was brought down to see a pair of 24 week old twins they had in the NICU as I set in for my second day in the high risk delivery suite. A new dr came on and decided to try another drug to stop the contractions. Thankfully, this one worked. I was moved up to the high risk OB floor and was told I would remain there until I delivered. They would monitor the babies and watch me for any signs of infection. The goal was to keep me pregnant until 34 weeks (more than 9 weeks). I was due back at work 8 hours away in Boston the next day.

After a few scares and a Christmas and New Years on contstant bedrest, my hero dr (the same one who discovered I had pneumonia, not and infection and saved my babies once) got me transferred to a hospital in Boston. So I got to rid in an ambulance for several hours, but at least I was close to home so my babies could be in a NICU close to where I lived. By now I was 28 weeks along and feeling much better about their chances.

I spent another 4 weeks in the hospital. I experienced a placental abruption, daily stress tests, bpp profiles every other day, two courses of steriods for their lungs all while staying in bed.

When I reached 32 weeks we picked the date for my c-section 2 weeks later. A couple of hours later, I went into labor. I didn't realize those pains were contractions until around 4 pm. They rushed me down to labor and delivery at 4:30. My dh made to the hospital quickly and I was in the or getting my spinal block by 6pm. By then I was fully dialated.

My daughter, who had been with very low fluid for more than 9 weeks, was born first. She weighed 3 lbs 12oz. My son was born two minutes later and weighed 4 lbs 7 oz. They were never ventilated and came home in less than one month. By the time they were 6 months old they had caught up with their chronological age group. Now, at 14 months they are big for their ages.

My son was walking accros the room to me the other day and I realized at that moment that I had never allowed myself to imagine them walking around. I had prepared myself for special needs, and physical therapy. I tell them every day how lucky I am to have such healthy babies. If I never win anything the rest of my life, I will be the luckiest Mommy in the world.

If you're reading this while on bed rest, it is worth every second.

Thanks,
Heather