By Annie O'Brien, West Roxbury USA
PROM at 24 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 29 weeks.
Story added: 2002-01-26

This has been the most difficult experience I have had to endure in my life. I am a 40 y.o. woman who has been fortunate enough to have given live birth to two very much alive and beautiful teenage girls. I started having problems back in 1981, I lost three pregnancies before I changed doctors, It was determined that I lacked sufficient progesterone to complete the pregnancies, easy enough and VOILA, I gave birth to the girls within a year of each other. Subsequently, I lost an additional three very much wanted pregnancies, I just didn't catch them in time for the progesterone to kick in. The latest was a set of twins Jan. 2001. I became pregant again in May 2001, and got on progesterone immediately, all went well, myself, husband and the girls moved from Chicago to Boston. On the way, we drove the car out I began bleeding alot, I was approx 12 weeks! We stopped at the nearest emergency room, and had tests and U/S done, Ian was fine. We went on our way, moved in and had my 1st Dr. apptmnt, all looked good. Had an anmnio, all reports said healthy baby, but now they saw an incompetent cervix, no problem into the hosp for placement of the cerclage at 18 weeks. Ian was fine. I was on mostly bedrest at home when at 24 weeks my membrane ruptured, into the hospital immediately, and to the doctors amazement there was still a considerable amount of fluid left so we were in there for the long haul. They gave me my steriod treaments we looked forward to a healthy baby boy. The doctors and nurses, on my team, were amazed at the strength and endurace Ian and I showed and they felt we would definately make it to at least 32 weeks. Ian was growing and was bigger than most at that gestation age. He was such an active baby we were so proud. At 29 weeks to the day, I had my routine heartbeat and contraction monitoring at the end of the night shift, Ian was holding steady. Within a couple hours, the nurse came in for the day shift and hooked me up again, no heartbeat? I had four nurses come in over the course of a couple hours all during I was begging them to get an U/S machine, I even asked one nurse, what if he is in distress, don't you do anything here? Finally they called the resident who came in with the U/S, and could not see a heartbeat! WHAT, he was just alive and doing so well, they called my OB/GYN, and specialist who came over instantly and detrmined death. How does this happen? "Well he was just so active, he just took a wrong turn." My answer "CORD ACCIDENT" I was induced and labored for 20 hours, he was born weighing in at 2lbs 11oz and 16 inches long. He was big and healthy enough to have lived on his own had he survived. I am still so angry at the lack of motivation on the nurses part to do anything to save my baby. The no answers thing is the hardest part, why did God take my boy, when there are so many babies born addicted to drugs that will face a life of pain and abuse. My son had nothing but a life of love and great opportunity ahead of him. There must have been something that Ian was put on this earth for. Why take him at 8 months gestation, what is the lesson for our family here. The girls always wanted a brother, they picked out his name. It was my husbands first biological child. There are times when I think I have let everyone down.

If you have gotten this far and have read my novelette, I want to thank you for listening. I have posted my story on a couple other websites and find writing about Ian is sometimes cathartic, and keeps his memory alive.