I was 28 weeks pregnant on September 14, 1998. At exactly midnight I felt a trickle, which woke me. I went to change dismissing it for the baby being on my bladder. By the time morning came along it had happened many more times. I was getting worried that it was more then just the baby on my bladder. I called my doctor; the nurse informed me that it was a normal occurrence in pregnancy and not to worry. She made me feel silly as if I was over reacting. I really felt like something was wrong but dismissed it again. By this time I was tired of changing and bathing over and over again. I was convinced that I would turn into a fish if I had another bath. I felt another trickle and called my doctor once more. This time I demanded she call the doctor and let him know what I was experiencing. Minutes later the nurse called back and stated that my doctor wanted me to go to the hospital immediately, and he would meet me there. He was calling them to expect me and be ready.
As I got out of the car at the hospital I leaked again, out of frustration I started to cry. Once I got up to labor and delivery my doctor ran some tests and confirmed that my membranes (water bag) had ruptured. The nurse informed me that I would stay in the hospital until the baby was born; the doctor was going to try to keep me from delivering by putting me on strict bed rest. The nurse told me to prepare for having the baby within 24 hours because more then likely once your water breaks there is nothing they can do to stop labor. She also told me that to prepare myself for the fact that if the baby were born soon she (The doctor told me three times it was a girl) probably wouldn’t make it. I as admitted into a birthing room. After 24 uneventful hours they moved me into post pardum to wait things out. I was given a catheter and put into a position called trendilinburg, where my feet were raised higher then my head to keep as much amniotic fluid in as possible. The nurses always joked with me that they had me standing on my head. I was given intravenous antibiotics and oral antibiotics to keep from contracting infections due to my membranes being open. I also received shots twice a day to keep from getting blood clots from lack of activity and my position. Later I was given some wraps for my legs that would inflate and deflate to stimulate blood flow to my legs.
After a week I was taken to do a biophysical profile, which is like a high tech ultrasound. The baby scored a 4 out of a possible 8. This meant she had a 50% chance of surviving. Days went by and my doctor looked upset every time he came to see me. I told him not to worry, and that my baby was going to be fine, it was just a feeling I had. The next week we did another biophysical profile and this time HE (that’s right HE. The tech saw a little better then my doctor did, she showed me a turtle.) got a score of 8 out of 8 which is 100% chance of survival. The doctor came in a few days later with a big smile to tell me the good news. By now I was 30 weeks and he decided to induce me after the weekend.
Monday morning came and they induced with pitocin and after 36 hours of labor at 10:22 pm on September 29,1998 after 15 days in the hospital my 3 lb 10 oz. baby boy was born.
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