By Stephanie Masinton, York UKA friend I barely knew gave me the link to this website because she had gone through a similar thing herself. It gave me so much hope and gave me the determination to go as long as I could.
PROM at 16 weeksDelivery at 24 weeks + 2 days.
Story added: 2007-12-30
I had a very difficult early pregnancy with very bad morning sickness. I looked forward to reaching 12 weeks because in my previous pregnancy that is when it abated. However, a few days before my 12 week scan I began to bleed heavily. The scan showed the baby was fine and there were no real concerns. I continued to be sick and to bleed over the next four weeks, but the heartbeat was always strong. A few days before I was 16 weeks I passed two huge clots. Again, the scan showed the baby was fine and I stopped bleeding, though I still had a lot of discharge. I went to my midwife for my 16 week appointment expecting everything was going to be okay, but when she felt my uterus she said it felt too small for 16 weeks. She was concerned I was losing fluid. I didn't ever feel a gush of fluid, and since I had been wearing pads anyway I never felt wet. The scan this time showed that all my waters had gone.
The doctors advised we terminate and I think I cried more about having to make that decision than anything else. We decided we couldn't possibly terminate if there was even the smallest bit of hope. People all across the world prayed for her and I never gave up hope that she could survive.
Our little one held on for a long time. The doctors predicted by the end of the week she would come, but she held on for two months. I was still feeling unwell, so I spent as much time in bed as I could with my four year old daughter running around. A few days after she was 24 weeks old, I started to bleed again. I had a few mild contractions that got harder and stronger as the night went on. I slept through most of them, so I thought I could make it through the night. The contractions stopped at 3:45 and I started feeling kicks on my pelvic floor. When I stood up to go to the bathroom I felt a lot of pressure and when I reached down I felt a little foot. Both legs came out kicking while my husband called the ambulance. The ambulance crew and the midwife arrived very quickly and the midwife delivered the baby's head. She came out kicking and she moved her head and opened her mouth twice. She held on for ten full minutes before she left us. We named her Poppy for remembrance. She was so so beautiful when she was born. She was not bruised at all and perfectly formed. Later that day I got to give her a bath. It was such a joy to let her float in the waters I was unable to provide for her. Even though the two months after prom were so difficult I am so glad I made the decision to keep going. I got to feel her moving and kicking and I really felt connected with her. It was very helpful to us to be able to register her birth because it somehow made our sorrow more real. We all love her and miss her so much.