By Andrea, USA
PROM at 25 weeks + 3 days. Delivery at 34 weeks + 5 days.
Story added: 2002-03-03

My story begins with finding out we were expecting triplets, and after just getting used to the idea being told that we were losing our identical twins at 14-15 weeks. They were positioned above the healthy baby so they were left in utero. The high risk specialist we were seeing told me I was still high risk, but gave me no specifics on what could happen. After the twin pg began to shrink, I felt confident going to my regular OB, because I had a 40w term delivery w/ a singleton before and I wanted something about this pg to be normal. On a Saturday in Dec. I had been cleaning house for my older son's birthday party, in the midst of an argument with my husband about him helping out more I felt a gush of fluid. It felt just like when my water broke before, so when I went to the restroom I was terrified to see blood. We called the hospital and went right in. They put me in the Trendelendberg position (head lowered feet raised) and kept putting me on a bedpan, after the second time on the bedpan another gush and they did a nitrazine test that was positive, but the Dr said it could be from the blood. Another gush a nurse saw happen and she said it was definately amniotic fluid, the Dr came in and did a sterile spec exam and another huge gush occurred, by now I was absolutely terrified and knew my baby would not survive. I was not dilated at all and having no contractions The Dr at our local hospital sent me in a ambulance to a hospital in a town that has a level III NICU and the perinatologist. I was in the hospital for two months before I was induced at 34w5d. I had received a two shot course of steroid therapy as well as IV antibiotics when it first occurred and IV antibiotics again when I delivered. My son Dalton came out screaming and it was the most glorious sound in the world. He stayed in our room from the time he was born weighing 4lbs12oz, until the time we went home 2 days later. The steroid shots and the stress from low fluid seem to have helped mature his lungs. The recuperation after being in bed for so long is not easy, but it is well worth it every time I look into his beautiful eyes.