By Christine, Wake Forest USA
PROM at 20 weeksDelivery at 20 weeks.
Story added: 2008-03-31

We lost our son, Rex at a little over 20 weeks on 12/2/07. My pregnancy (this was our first) was very normal up to the day of our loss. I was an exersize nut, and insisted on going to prenatal aerobics class and prenatal yoga classes during the pregnancy to stay in shape. I worked a full-time desk job and stayed very active during the pregnancy. I felt our little Rex' movements earlier than most at 14 weeks, and he remained a little strong fighter until the very end.

On a Friday evening, after going out to dinner, I felt crampy and exhausted, and decided to go to bed early. Now that I look back on it, the cramps were coming in waves, and were really labor. Throughout the pregnancy I fought constipation, and at midnight, got up from what I thought were constipation pains. I got to the toilet, and that's when my water broke with a horrific gush. I looked in the toilet and saw blood mixed in with the amniotic fluid.

I called my OB/GYN and she told me I was having a miscarriage. I was in disbelief and we went to the hospital. By the time we got there, most of my fluid was gone, and I was bleeding a ton. The Dr.s told me that they could not save the baby due to his age, and had to induce. I knew from the sight of all the blood that things were not going to be good.

Almost a day and a half later, I went into full labor and delivered him. His heart kept beating until just before his birth.

The Dr. said I had an abrupted placenta, and at first thought I had an incompetent cervix. I went to a perinatologist and he said he doubted it was a cervical issue, and diagnosed it as PPROM. They were unable to diagnose what caused it. I have had tons of tests, all with normal outcomes.

I am currently trying to conceive again since the Dr.s say that they think I will have a more positive outcome next time around. Even if there was no cause, I know that I will not be exersizing like I did during the first pregnancy, nor will I do alot of the physical things like cleaning. I will simply go to work, come home, sit down, and sleep - in other words, take it real easy. We desperately want to start a family, but miss our little angel so much at the same time.

I am so thankful to have found this community containing so much hope for those like us who have suffered such tragic losses.

We hope we will become pregnant again soon, and with the power of positive thoughts and prayer, we will have a happy healthy baby.