By Katie, New Haven, MI USAI ruptured at 24 weeks 3 days while camping 2.5 hours from home. It started out at a trickle, I had convinced myself it was just pee, but decided to go to ob triage "just to be safe." They immediatly called an ambulance and transferred me to the bigger hospital with the better NICU for the duration of my pregnancy. I recevied the steroid injections as well as antibiotics for a week. The docs were convinced I'd deliver within 10 days. The first week my AFI (amniotic fluid levels) dropped from 20 to 12. At 25 weeks I had no measurable fluid. I was sent over to labor and delivery multiple times because my daughter (Kendall) kept having lots of decels during the twice daily monitoring. The doctors were convinced she was going to come any day even though I never had any contractions.
PROM at 24 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 34 weeks.
Story added: 2009-07-07
Between 26-28 weeks my AFI was always between 3-6. Between 28 and 29 weeks my belly doubled in size. I had bloody looking stretchmarks. The residents thought maybe it had sealed over. When they checked it at 29 weeks, my AFI was 17. My doc would have been thrilled with anything above 10. The did the swab and ferning test and it was negative. The made me walk around the hospital all day and did another swab and ferning test after which came out negative again. That was how they determined I sealed over and let me go home on strict bedrest.
When I was discharged my doc told me if I started leaking again I had to come right back. He was adament about me being in the hospital if I continued to leak. After only a couple of days home that familiar trickle started again, only this time it was much heavier. I was readmitted to the hospital. They wanted me there for more antibiotics (48 hours of IV and then 5 days of pills) and monitoring twice a day. I think he was worried I was going to develop an infection pretty quickly the second time.
From 30-34 weeks I never had any measurable fluid. Kendall continued to thive though so they let her stay put. I never had any contractions until I was induced. It is protocol at my hospital to induce pPROM moms no later then 34 weeks because the risk of infection can go way up. They started my induction at night with cytotec. I was supposed to get 3 doses of that and then start pitocin in the morning. I only needed 1 dose of cytotec and 30 minutes after I got it I was in full blown labor. My daughter was born weighing 5lbs10oz, 19in long. She spent 8 days in the NICU and had a very uneventful stay. She needed IV antibiotics for 7 days and the bili lights. She is now a happy, healthy 7 month old. The 2 month stay in the hospital was horrible, but looking back now I'd do it again in a heartbeat.