By Lacie, North Carolina USA
PROM at 19 weeksDelivery at 19 weeks.
Story added: 1998-04-10

I was 19 weeks pg and my water broke. I was so scared I knew that my baby could not survive if I went into labor at this point. This was our first child and I didn't know what to would happen next. I can remember thinking that I was going to go into labor any minute but nothing ever happen. I soked my clothes so I changed and continuded to leak the fluid. My Husband drove me to my mothers house so she could go with us to the ER. We arrived at my mom's and I began to tell her what was going on. We got into the car and they kept asking me if I was hurting and nothing I felt fine.I thought then well maybe this isn't as bad as I feared. I saw the ER. DR and he had the same question (did I have any pain? and still nothing) I stayed in the ER about 2 hours and he said that he was going to do a nitrazine test to check for amneotic(spelling sorry) fluid. He performed the test,talked with my OB Dr.and with in minutes had sent the nurse in to dismiss me to go home. They never checked for a heart beat and I was told that my water had not broken (Made me feel really smart) but also we were relieved to know everything was ok.

We went home and about 36 hours later I woke up with a really bad backach (which is not uncommon for me so I didn't think much about it). I began to feel sick I descided to go to a nearby county hospital so they could check me out and make sure everything was alright. The way I felt I didn't trust my Dr.anymore I knew something was wrong. I arrived the ER and about 30 minutes later I started having some pain in my lower stomach. This being my first Pg I can remember not even relizing that I was in labor. I thought hey this pain is coming going but also thought this can't be labor it does not hurt as much as it is suppose to. Finally I get to see the OB Dr. he checks me and says that I am 5 cm and the Baby is already in the birth canal. He gives us the bad news that there was nothing that could be done for a baby so early. The DR. did an ultra sound and found that our child had already died. I remember looking at my husband as he droped his head and begin to cry. My heart broke into a million pieces at that moment. I looked at the Dr. and said now what happens. He said well you have two options we can hook up up to a drip that will make labor really intense and you can deliver the baby, or I can do a D&C. I thought at that moment that I could not go through delivery and not have my child. That is a decision I will always regret. I know now that I could have held my child and know the sex, and in some way said good by.

I was taken to the operating room and put to sleep to have the D&C. I began to wake up in the recovery with the pain of a needle being stuck into my wrist. There was about seven or eight Dr. and nurses standing around my bed, one on my right was holding a bag of blood and squeezing the bag while saying something about getting to blood in fast. Then I heard another saying come on people this could go either way. I then heard someone say BP 60/40. I was so scared I tried to speek but I could not make a sound. After about 5 minutes I said where am I, and the nurse replied you are in the hospital. I said I know, but am I in the operating room, she said no your in recovery. I was then taken to ICU which was the worst because I could not sleep and no one could stay with me. I could only have 10 minute visits every 4 hours. The next day I was taken to the OB floor to my room where I spent the next 4 days with an IV for very strong antibiotics. I haven't been the same since and I don't think I ever will.
Thank you for reading my story!