By Dara, Berlin, MA USAThis was my second pregnancy and my husband and I were elated that we had made it past the 1st trimester as my first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 8 weeks. I was 17 weeks 2 days along when I started feeling discomfort in my abdomen whenever I made a quick movement such as standing up, sneezing or just rolling over in bed. I attributed this to round ligament pain and my rapidly growing belly. Everything up until this point had been fine besides some slight spotting for a day around week 7.
PROM at 17 weeks + 6 days. Delivery at 18 weeks.
Story added: 2005-06-17
I had a good night sleep and woke up the next morning feeling fine with no pain. I had considered the night before calling my doctor but everything I read said this type of pain was normal, it wasn't severe or crampy . So when I awoke the next morning feeling better it was a relief and I set out to run some errands.
By the time I returned home the discomfort had returned at about the same level as the day before and I decided I had overdone it. I noticed it was specific to the left side of my abdomen where I knew I had a giant wopping melon sized fibroid. I had grilled my OB about my fibroids before TTC as I had numerous and large fibroids which distorted my already tipped uterous. She assured me they rarely caused problems and are not associated with miscarriage. I was aware of the possibility of one or more of them outgrowing their blood supply during pregnancy and degenerating. I was anticipating it and believed that was what I was experiencing.
The pain was still mild and as I said had been coming and going. It being Saturday I was reluctant to call the doctors answering service. I spent the rest of the day taking it easy. By the middle of that night the pain on my left side had become searing every time I moved. I called the answering service in the wee hours Sunday morning and they told me it did indeed sound like a degenerating fibroid, to shower, eat something and go to L&D.
When the doctor on call saw me he asked me some questions about the pain felt my abdomen made a comment under his breath about getting into this business to deliver babies and sent me home with prescription strength Motrin. I commented on the way out of the hospital to my husband that I hoped he wasn't on call when the time came to deliver this baby!
Monday I still had discomfort but made the effort to get to work and at least put in a half day. Tuesday was the last day I was to take the Motrin and still was having pain. I passed what looked like dead tissue that morning in the toilet. Not a lot, not bloody but rather a very light pink but mostly white. Part of the dying fibroid I was sure. I decided I would go to work which was closer to the hospital than my home and call the OB about it.
I started climbing the stairs to my office and felt a leaking sensation. I checked my panties in the ladies room and found they were more than damp but not bloody at all. I mentioned the sensation of leaking to the doctor as well as the earlier passed tissue and was told to head straight to labor and delivery.
First thing I was asked when I got there was to pee in a cup. When I squatted over the toilet to fulfill the nurses request I felt a pop and a gush of water poured over the cup in my hand and into the toilet. Now my heart was racing because I knew my water had broke. I told the nurse and she quickly brought a doc in who did an ultrasound to find I had lost all of my water. The babies heart was going strong but I was told there was nothing they could do to save him. My choices were terminate the pregnancy or wait for it to end on its own and risk infection. I was six weeks away from viability and she said it would be a miracle were I to hold on to the baby that long and if I did it would still be a long shot for the baby. A short life filled with pain and disabilities was the best we could hope for. My husband and I were told we did not have to decide immediately. I could be admitted and think about it after talking with the Perinatologist the next day or if I felt more comfortable going home I could do that and return to the hospital in the morning for my appointment with the Peri.
I opted to go home. I drank TONS of water and stayed virtually motionless in bed besides using the bathroom. In the end the decision was made for us when the next morning I felt something protruding from my vagina. My husband called the hospital and they asked him to look and see what it was. I was horrified when he told the nurse on the phone that they were feet! I went by ambulance to not the nearest hospital but what the EMT's said would be the best for me. At the time I had no idea what they were talking about, my baby had no chance, what difference did it make?
We waited hours for the doctor to come and deliver our baby as they were certain by the color of his feet that there was no rush. When he was finally delivered on 8/18/04 we found out he was a boy, 8.8 oz and 8.25" long. One of the nurses took him and began bathing and dressing him. She asked us if we had a name for him. My husband and I were numb with all that had happened and thought that dressing up our dead baby was morbid and bizarre. Did we want pictures? Was she nuts! She asked if I wanted to hold him and I said no. She left him in the room with us and after a while my head began to clear. I did want to hold him, to name him, to have his picture taken. I loved him so much, I missed him already and would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't make the most of this time with him.
I've never cried so much in all my life as I did in those two days and the months that followed. I'm writing this through tears now! It definately changed us both. It was horrible but through it all I had so much to be thankful for. My amazing husband, the EMT's and the hospital staff who knew what we needed when we hadn't a clue. Thank God they had the patience and forsight to give us time. Time to think and time to build precious memories with our son Aidan.
After major myomectomy (fibroid removal) in January I'm pregnant again. 10 weeks and terrified. I felt that the fibroids were to blame for our loss of Aidan. But doctors are not conviced. All tests came back negative after autopsy. He was perfectly healthy, there was no infection, no chromosome abnormalities and the cord and placenta were healthy. IC cannot be proven but also not ruled out. I'm really, REALLY worried mainly because I don't have confidence in the medical community. I felt strongly that I was pushed through the system because most pregnancies succeed. Even though I had crazy fibroids, advanced maternal age and PCOS it was business as usual and look what has happened!
Sorry so negative but I've read many of your stories and see the same lack of passion in your doctors that I saw in mine. I mean who sends a pregnant woman home untreated with an infection and instructions to see their doctor when the office eventually reopens in 3 days? The agony of waiting should be enough for this to never happen.
Anyone else here who has had issues with fibroids or feels helplessly lost in the medial care machine?
Dara
Mother to my Angel Aiden