PPROM at 27wks and IC. In hospital bedrest til delivery.

[Mommy2Dallas]

On wednesday night around 7pm my water broke. OH and I rushed to the hospital near our house were they confirmed my water had broken I was then transferred downtown to the hospital where I got my emergency cerclage placed at 20wks after being in and out of hospital for 3 weeks. They gave me steriod shots a magneisum drip and antibiotics. I'm off the IV and finished shots and i'm almost done with the antibiotics. My MFM doctor said the cerclage did not fail that my bag of water breaking was always a risk she said based on my history I wont make it to 34 weeks but if I do they will induce my labor. Has anyone gone through this? What can i expect for a early delivery? What are good questions to ask my doctor? I dont know much about this and i'm trying to gain all the info i can so I can do whats best for my little boy. So far i've had no contractions i'm still leaking fluid sometimes a lot other times small amounts. They havent checked my cervix or fluid levels..is that normal? I'm scared he doesnt have enough even though he is doing wonderfuly when they put me on the monitors his heartbeat is 140s/150s and he moves a lot..the movement feels different and they told me it would happen. I've also read woman who are 37wks+ that have waters break they have to deliver within a certan amount of hrs because of infection or harming the baby. Why is it different with someone less then 37wks if the risk of infection is still high? Is it higher after 37 wks.

Sorry for all the questions but i am so worried and confused...

 

[Mommy2Dallas]

Forgot to mention i had contractions but they were stopped by the mag drip and have had nothing since..i'm 28wks and 1 day today hoping to make it to 30wks.

 

[miaplus2]

Not sure i can be much help, my waters went at 32 weeks but i didn't go into labour i was given antibiotics to lower the risk of infection, and was given steroids and then had daily scans for two weeks, then twice weekly till i was delivered at 36 weeks i fuond the movements go painful towards the end as there was no waters to buffer the movements and they felt more "voilent" (for want of a better word), i stayed in hospital for 2 weeks and then spent two weeks on bed rest at home till C-section day. My doctor wasnt really acting as worried as I'd expected and she felt that baby would be better off in the womb then out even without waters.

 

[lizziedripping]

Hi hun, sorry to hear you're going through this nightmare right now. I had a baby born at 24wks due to IC, one week after the placement of an emergency stitch at 23wks. You actually did very well to make it to 27wks because emergency stitches don't always work so well when placed after cervical changes have already occurred.

My waters broke too with Evie, and her fluid levels weren't checked. She was monitored with a doppler, and my bloods were screened daily for infection markers. Are they drawing blood to check you for infection each day?

Usually a woman at term is given a few days to go into labour herself after her water breaks, after which point she is induced to help prevent infection. It is likely that your hospital is operating a 'wait and see' policy before acting in Order to give your lo as long as possible in utero.

At term the risk of infection far outweighs the risk of the baby actually been born, because obviously he/she is full term and healthy. A preterm baby is less predictable and despite the small risk of infection it is still better for him to remain inside for as long as possible, than it is for him to be delivered. Thereis a reasonable chance that you remain infection free, and that lo stays on board for weeks longer - not delivering him now would then be worth that risk.

At this point it is a delicate balance between anticipating the risk of infection against the benefit to him if he stays in there for even a few weeks longer. Your docs should be monitoring you closely for signs of infection tho so that they can act quickly before it becomes a problem. They could check your cervix, but will want to avoid any possible source of added infection by inserting probes, given your situation - again its a case of the risks of checking outweighing the benefits.

With low amniotic fluid, baby movements will feel strange. Remember tho that your fluid is constantly replenished, so he will not be completely without.

You are in an unpredictable position hun. I have seen women like you stagger on to term and deliver healthy babies. Sadly, I have also seen babies deliver a couple of days after the water breaks. You don't mention you have any contractions at all which is hopeful, because despite your weak cervix, you now have to have strong, regular contractions to dilate your cervix and deliver lo. My water broke with Evie, but not before I had had a week of painful contractions - the stitch still held my cervix closed despite them btw.

Unless you show signs of infection, and/or begin to contract, they will want to keep lo where he is. Every day at this gestation can make a huge difference. If the worst case scenario does happen, you baby has a very good chance of not only survival but also good health if delivered now. Look at my little girl now in my avatar pic - she is 7yrs old and perfectly healthy! She was delivered at 24wks, getting her to 27wks would have made a world of difference. Though far from ideal, Preterm does not have to be 'doom and gloom' my lovely.

Be brave honey, and if you need to ask anything at all please get in touch. Will be thinking of you all tonight

 

[lizziedripping]

Just seen new MSG about contractions hun - they do increase the chance that you'll deliver soon, but it's not guaranteed. If they can stop them, it is still possible to go another few weeks.

Your cervix has obviously opened to the stitch and you are contracting in response - kind of like your body thinks it's 'time'. The stitch can and will hold tho, and if the contractions can be kept under control, it is possible to hold on a while longer. They have to be less sporadic to continue having an effect on your cervix

 

[NashiPear]

Hi there,

I am so sorry to hear another person is going through this and I know how daunting it is. My waters broke at 22 weeks with my son (back in June). It sounds like you are in good hands and the doctors have done all the things I would expect in your situation. I think Lizzy summarised it well.

Prior to about 34 weeks, the risk of taking your baby out and struggling as a premmie is greater than the risk of infection. After 34 weeks, your baby will be a lot stronger and a lot better position and it is around this time that doctor's will feel that it would be safer for your baby to be born than to risk infection.

As Lizzy said, they will avoid investigating "down there" as much as possible to reduce the risk of infection. They will be able to monitor your blood, temperature and monitor baby without looking at anything down there. It is simply safer just to monitor externally and deal with anything when it comes up.

I hope this is reassuring, but I managed to stop leaking for a while and actually was allowed to carry later because of it and made it to 36 weeks. I actually got to take him home without needing NICU.

You are in a good position to get to 27 weeks. I know it is a scary time for you and you will be coming to terms with it all, but I remember just dreaming I could get that far (and then I did). Statistics are quite good for that gestation, although you would already know if bub is born it is still a long road.

The longer you can keep your baby in the shorter the NICU journey will be. The positives is that you are already past viability and they will do all they can for your baby. You have also had your fluid up to this point and it has helped your baby get in all that time for precious lung development.

I will send you a Facebook link (if you are on it) for a very good support group. I joined when I was pprom. There is also a pprom parent group too that support each other after bub arrives. I highly recommend as there are wonderful, supportive people there who have gone through it already or are currently going through it.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/promsupport/

 

[Mommy2Dallas]

Thank you Lizzy and Nashipear for explaining things for me it makes a lot more sense now. They've been checking my bloods every few days and vitals everyday and putting us on the monitors everything is going good I also finished my antibiotics. They wont check my cervix legnth because of infection but I did have a growth ultrasound he's 2lbs 11oz and right on track for 28wks. The fluid around him is 2.9cm but they reassured me that he will be ok because he gets all he needs from me, the placenta and his urine..i'm still drinking a lot of water too to keep us hydrated. I had a few broxton hicks yesterday but nothing since. Doctors seem more confident which makes me happy we will get to 30 or 32 or even 34 weeks!! Positive thoughts! Lol.

 

[Mommy2Dallas]

Oops meant the risk of infection is why they wont check cervix.

 

[NashiPear]

Glad to hear you are still going strong. Each day baking is a little win for you and bub. I think you will more than likely find that your uterus is very active now that your water's have broken.

When it first happened to me, the doctor was in an appt with me, put his hands on my belly and said "you are having a contraction". I must have looked terrified (baby was not even viable) and he clarified and said, "you are not in labour, but your uterus will be a lot more active after your waters have broken". In my case, after about 28/9 weeks it was definitely the case. It drove me mad as I never had it in my first pregnancy, at least not noticeably, but this time I often had regular contractions that could even show up quite high on the monitors and have the nurses asking me all sorts of questions. Luckily, nothing happened for many weeks after! Hopefully, you will continue for quite a while longer.

 

[sequeena]

I wish you all the luck in the world. I had a PPROM at 14 weeks and leaked until 24 weeks when the membranes rehealed. I continued to suffer with low fluid but I somehow made it to 40+3 before I gave birth. Good luck

 

[Mommy2Dallas]

Hi girls

thank you all for the support. We are still doing wonderful! I am 29wks and 2days today! Hoping we can make it to 32 weeks or even 34! Dallas is always active and has good HB. Ive had maybe 3 small contractions but nothing to bad. I get monitored twice a day and get blood drawn every 2/3 days and vitals checked 3 times a day. I'm still leaking which is normal. When we had our ultrasound fluid level was 2.9cm but doctors reassured me he will be okay because he keeps making more. Dallas measured right on track and hes almost 3lbs already! So proud of my little guy. I thank God everyday for all hes doing for us.

 

[Mommy2Dallas]

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