By Karen, Oakhurst, NJ United States
PROM at 19 weeks + 2 days. Delivery at 26 weeks + 1 days.
Story added: 2009-07-07

In January 2008 I had my first round of IVF and found out a few weeks later that I was pregnant with twins. At 9 weeks I started bleeding and found out I had what was called subchorionic bleeding. The doctor said I had about a shot glass of blood in me that had to come out but that both babies were doing well. The bleeding stopped and the pregnancy continued to go well. I found out at 18 weeks that I was having a girl and a boy.

I woke up when I was 19 weeks and 2 days pregnant and went to the grocery store. I came home and put the groceries away, then sat and relaxed and talked to my mom on the phone for an hour. I got off the phone and went to use the bathroom. When I finished going I stood up and all of a sudden felt a huge gush. I knew I wasn't going to the bathroom since I had just gone. I called my husband who came home and got me and we went to labor and delivery to meet my ob. He confirmed that my water had broken on baby a, my girl. He then had the high risk doctor examine me who also said the sac on baby a had ruptured. I hadn't started to have contractions and my cervix was still closed. I was told I would either go into labor and lose both or one of the babies, hold onto both babies, or baby a could die in me and I could stay pregnant with baby b. I was admitted to the hospital and put on bedrest. A doctor from my regular ob group came to see me every day and they kept telling me they could give me something to end the pregnancy if I wanted but I didn't want to. I knew baby b had not ruptured his sac and both babies had good heartbeats and were moving around. My high risk group was a little more encouraging. They had seen situations where the baby was fine after a rupture or where the other twin survived even if one of the twins was delivered.

At 20 weeks, 2 days I started to have contractions but the doctors didn't want to stop them because they thought most likely the rupture was caused by an infection even though I never showed any signs of infection. The next day I got up to use the bathroom and immediately ran back to the bed because I felt the baby right there. I delivered her. The doctor then told me he could give me something to speed up contractions so that I could deliver my other baby but I wanted to see what would happen. I stopped contracting on my own, my cervix closed, and 5 days later I had a cerclage and was sent home on bedrest.

At 26 weeks I started to bleed and went back to the hospital. The doctor thought I was bleeding from my girl's placenta since they had to leave it in me. I was given a steroid shot and the next day wound up having an emergency c section because the baby was in distress.

Brandon was born weighing 1 pound, 14 ounces and was 13 inches long. He spent 12 weeks in the NICU and had a relatively easy course. He turned one two days ago and is 18 pounds, 28 1/2 inches today and doing great.