By Lauren Pope, Austin TX
PROM at 23 weeksDelivery at 30 weeks + 5 days.
Story added: 2010-02-08

I had a very difficult pregnancy from the beginning. I had a partial placenta abruptio early in the preganncy that resulted in bleeding until about 20 weeks.

After the bleeding stopped, I ruptured almost immediately.

I wasn't having contractions when I first ruptured, but they started about 2 hours after I first noticed that I was leaking amniotic fluid. I was actually on the way from my local hospital to the larger city hospital when the contractions started.

Before the transfer, I was told that I could do nothing and allow the labor to continue, or I could go to a larger hospital and attempt to stop the labor. Of course, I chose to try to stop the labor!

Once I got to the main hospital I was given Mag Sulf and a steroid shot for my baby's lungs. I passed out from the Mag. Sulf before I was able to hear if he was ok.

When I woke up I learned that I had lost a substantial bit of fluid,but my son's position was blocking my cervix a bit (he was transverse) which was acting as a "stopper."

Over the course of my hospitalization, I was given Tributelene, Procardia, and Ambien. I was on total bedrest for the first 3 days, and then I was allowed to get up to use the restroom for the remaining weeks.

My son was born via c-section at 30.5 weeks. My contractions had gotten to the point where they couldn't be stopped, and it looked as though I might be developing an infection. He weighed 2lbs 4oz at birth and was considered IUGR.

The assumption was that the IUGR was due to my PPROM at the time, but it now looks as though he might have a form of pituitary dwarfism unrelated to the pregnancy complications.

He was in the NICU for 7 weeks. We had a few minor scares along the way, but overall he is very healthy. He is now 4 years old and is just a typical 4 year old, other than the fact that he is quite small.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me. I know that a PPROM is scary, and that there are so many unknowns, but I also know that there can be a happy ending.