By Shae Tarka, orange county, ca USAMy story of how my bag of waters broke seems a little different than what I would think it would be like to have my bag break.
PROM at 19 weeks + 2 days. Delivery at 19 weeks + 5 days.
Story added: 2005-01-19
When I was 18 weeks along, I was sitting after a busy day and noticed a very small amount of fluid come out of me. When I went to the bathroom and wiped it was brown/spotty and dripped out a little more. I immediately called then Doctor and she said to come in the next morning. I saw the doctor who gave me a vaginal exam and said everything looked fine and that it was probably just discharge leaking out. No ultrasound was done. A few days later (News Years Day 2005), I woke up to what felt like a small amount of urine came out of me and when I got out of bed and went to the bathroom it kept dripping out of me (still only a small amount). I caught some in my hands and again it was slightly brown and watery, like urine. I went to the bathroom and called the doctor and she said to go the L&D at the hospital. There, they did another sterile spec. exam and she said I was dry. They tested whatever they could find in my vagina for amniotic fluid and found no furning pattern that would indicate amniotic fluid. (However, I was told that before 20 weeks they couldn’t see the furning pattern anyway.) The doctor on call came by and told me, “Basically, it’s pee;” (again no ultrasound). I left feeling that it was strange that I could hold my full bladder, but couldn’t hold these strange episodes of urine coming from my body. I felt relieved anyway, because I knew if it was amniotic fluid, the baby would probably not make it.
Unfortunately, a few days later, at 19 weeks 2 days, I started bleeding bright red blood starting at 11pm, every time I went to urinate. I waited all night long to see if it would continue (since they had already sent me home 2 times with no diagnosis), and finally called at 5am to have the doctor tell me to come to L&D at the hospital. I went in and an ultrasound showed that I had indeed ruptured my membranes and I also had placenta previa, which may have caused the bleeding. I was admitted into the hospital with little or no hope to save my baby. I didn’t want to induce labor and my doctor was encouraging me not to and to wait to see if I would reseal. Sadly, two days later an ultrasound showed that our little boy’s heart had stopped beating and it was time for him to come. With the placenta previa most doctors would have done a historotomy (sp?), basically a c-section for someone not so far along in their pregnancy. But thankfully my doctor decided it would be best to see if the placenta would come vaginally. With no pain, half my placenta and my little boy, Gavin William, came easily. Since part of my placenta was stuck they did a D&C to remove it. I got to see and hold my little boy and it remains to be one of the most joyful times of this whole tragic process. I know he is in heaven with Jesus and that too is my joy.