By Anna Bumgarner, Kansas City, Ks United States
PROM at 23 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 27 weeks.
Story added: 2009-01-03

This was my second pregnancy, and my first was very uneventful. My membranes ruptured at 23.3 weeks and I was put on hospital bed rest. I was able to make it to 27 weeks with much monitoring of myself and baby. I had no real signs of labor until exactly 27 weeks when I went into labor. My baby boy was 2.1 pounds and was very sick. His lungs were underdeveloped and took 3 rounds of cerfactin before they started to respond. He had strep b in his lungs and anmonia. He was put on a morphine drip to help sedate hime so that he wouldn't use up calories. He needed medicine to help the valve in his heart close and he had a stage 3 brain bleed. The first few days of his life were the scariest days of mine. He had a lot of dificulty with his digestive system of was off breastmilk for about a week and just given nutrition through his IV. He surprised everyone! He was off oxygen in 2 months, his brain bleed never got into his actual brain matter and cleared on its own, and his heart valve closed without surgery. His biggest difficulty became putting weight on and holding his body temperature. It took him about 3 more weeks, but he reached 5.1 pounds on the day he went home which was 2 weeks before his actual due date! He came home on a monitor because he has reflux and takes zantac for that. The only surgery he has had was for bilateral hernia's about a monthn ago. He is amazing and reaching his milestones and then some for his corrected age. He is still small, but wonderful! If I can give any advice never lose hope! It never crossed my mind that he would not make it! He is truely a joy and a blessing!