By Michelle, danvers,ma usa
PROM at 23 weeksDelivery at 29 weeks + 5 days.
Story added: 2006-05-19

It was my first pregnancy, and I had a cold. At first I thought I was peeing my pants, because I was coughing so much (which was partly the case), after the cold subsided, I was still soaking pads. I had a routine visit in a week, so the nurse said not to worry they would check me then.

My first clue something was wrong was when at the u/s the tech didn't say much. At the OB office, I had lost weight. She told me the u/s showed almost no fluid in Baby A. She did a test and told me I had PROM. She then immediately admitted me to the hospital where I was put on strict bedrest. I could get up to go to the bathroom and shower (sitting down of course). For 4 weeks in the hospital nothing happened. My OB told me the longer I could hang on the better, and the fact that my water had probably broken at least 1 week before my admission (and antibx and steroid tx) the better the chances were that I would make it past the critical point.

At 29 weeks, I went into labor which was stopped (with Magnesium) for 48 hours. At 29 weeks 5 days my twins Anna (2lbs 4 oz the PROM Princess) and Declan (2 lbs 14 oz) were born. They had the usual preemie difficulties (surfactant, apnea,bradys,ROP,Reflux). Declan came home before his due date at 7 weeks old. Anna had surgery (unrelated to her preemie status) and came home at 14 weeks. The first few months were tough. But my PROM Princess is one tough nut. She is smaller than her brother but she is the stronger of the 2 in a lot of ways. Today they are 4 years old, and when I have those days where they are "acting" everybit the part of a 4 year old, I think back to how lucky I am to have them around, and what a miracle the whole thing was.