By Annie Snear, Jacskonville, FL USAOne Saturday morning I spent the morning sitting on the couch playing on the computer...well, I decided to go finally take a shower...I was just stepping into the bath tub when I had this huge gush of fluid...I though maybe I'd peed on myself so I just went about my shower but I was still gushing fluid every couple mins. So, after the shower I called my husband and he came home from work and we went up to the emergancy room. The doctor did an ultra sound and said everything looked really good...and he even took a sample and did a like a culture thing on a slide...and he said there wasnt any "ferning" on the slide that would indicate amniotic fluid...so we went home thinking everything was fine and our baby was going to ok...well, I went back to work meanwhile leaking...and 2 days later we went in for a regular check up and they did another ulatrasound and the doctor got very concerned b/c there was no fluid around the baby. The doctor was very negative about everything and pretty much knew that the situation was not good. So, he put me on bedrest until I was 24 weeks and then they were going to admit me to a high risk clinic.
PROM at 17 weeks + 6 days. Delivery at 22 weeks + 6 days.
Story added: 2008-08-23
At 22 weeks I woke up having contractions....so I called my husband and told him that I thought I was going into labor....he hurried home and we went up to the hospital....we waited in the waiting area for an hour before they saw me.....then they had me in this little room for another hour and a half all by myself because they wouldnt let Gary be back there with me....it was abosolutly horrible!!!!!!! By then I was having full blown contractions every 2-4 mins...and they were hard!!!! Finally they checked me and in a half an hour I went from 2 cm to 7 cm...So, they wheeled me to labor and delivery...and started me on pain meds....it was the best thing ever!!!!!!!! Instantly the pain was gone and I could sleep....well, by that night my contractions had completly stopped and I stayed at 7 cm dialated for 3 days....They gave me two rounds of steroid shots to help develop Zachary's lungs...and by next night they moved me to antipartum....and they took me off the ivs...and just kept monitoring me....So, Thursday-Saturday I was doing really well...Zachary was moving around a lot and his heart beat was so strong....By saturday night I started bleeding really badly....the doctor came in and checked me and said that I had completly efaced and dialated and that I needed to start pushing...so, once again they wheeled me to labor and delivery.....I just remember laying there thinking, "this is it...we are having him tonight." It was a very tough feeling to have...When I was first pregnate I always thought that time would be exciting and joyful...but it wasnt at all...So, I asked to have an epidural...and they were gonna do that but then Zach's heart beat started to drop so they told me that I needed to just start pushing....So, I probably pushed for 20 mins....and Zach kept tilting his head so he kept coming out with his shoulder and arm...and not head....That was probably the hardest thing to see my son's hand...and in the back of my mind I just knew that this was not going to be the ending that we wanted. So, then they decided that they were going to probably have to do a c-section....so they prepped me...and I guess as soon as they put me under my body relaxed enough and they got Zach out.....They tried to get him to breath for 15 mins and my husband just told them to stop...b/c his lungs just hadnt developed enough...and they told us that even if I had carried him full term his lungs still wouldnt have been developed b/c he'd been without fluid for so long. So, my husband got to help baptise him...and we got to spend 2 hours with Zachary....When my husband handed him to me I felt him take a couple breaths and then I just knew that he was at peace....He was so tiny but so perfect....He had 10 fingers and 10 toes and he looked just like my husband. It was so incredible to hold him and see God's creation. This was a very hard thing for us both to go through but we are so much stronger in our relationship with eachother and with God that I just thank Zachary for helping us and brining us so much joy for the short time that he was with us. and We WILL see him again someday.