Waters broke at 17 weeks :'-(

[Pink_Sparkle]

On Monday at 17 weeks pregnant me and my DH flew out on holiday, after arriving at the resort I found out my waters had broken. I was admitted to a Spanish hospital who advised me straight away to terminate the pregnancy. With the heart still beating strong, I couldnt do it. They admitted me for bed rest but the treatment was poor and the language barrier was a real problem for us. After 2 days with no bleeding or pain we made the decision to leave the hosp and fly home.

On arrival home, the doctor said I was very dehydrated and did the right thing leaving. I was scanned again and they confirmed there is a good heart beat and good blood supply to the baby but I had no water and the baby was in an awkward crumpled position.

They said they were very worried, without the amniotic fluid my babys lungs wont develop and without being able to move in the womb it can cause other problems. Ive been sent home and have an appointment for wednesday. If I decide before then that I cant cope with the pregnancy they will induce me. There is a very very low chance that fluid may accumulate again but not likely.

I feel like im in limbo....Im dreading giving birth to our tiny baby before its time...but I know I will most likely have to do it.

Just wondered if anyone has been through anything similar or has any advice.
Thank you xx

 

[Beaglemama]

Pink_Sparkle I am so sorry. I completely understand your feeling of being in limbo. My water did not break early, but at 16 weeks my doctors found a serious problem with our little girl on the ultrasound, and they too suggest termination. Like you, she had a strong heartbeat and I absolutely would not terminate her. Even though her chances were slim, I felt that if she had any hope at all, it was worth trying.

Waiting is the hardest part. Try to take care of yourself, and prepare your heart for whatever may come. When they first told me I might have to be induced and deliver our daughter, I thought that I would never have the strength to do it. But, you WILL find the strength you need to endure whatever comes. I did deliver our little girl this past Tuesday after she passed away. Being induced was a bit painful, and I would recommend accepting pain killers (I wound up with an epidural - which was NOT painful at all! It was a blessing!) don't try to be "tough", you're going through enough emotional pain to not need physical pain as well. But the actual delivery is very quick and painless. So don't be afraid of it, if that is what you have to do.

However, I sincerely hope your little one will hang on! Miracles happen all the time. My doctor told me of a patient whose water broke at 17 weeks (just like you!) and her pregnancy wound up going full term! She delivered her baby just like normal! So don't give up hope! But, if the worst does happen, don't be afraid. You're not alone. Please let us know how it goes! And I hope your appointment Wednesday brings you good news.

Take care and feel free to ask any questions/vent/or just express your concerns any time you want! I'll be thinking of you.

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thank you for replying Beaglemama. Im so so sorry to hear of the loss of your little girl. We have accepted that most likely our baby is not going to make it but we want to at least give it a chance while its heart is still beating strong - just incase.

The actual birth process terrifies me. Could you tell me a bit more about what to expect? Also, did you have to push or did she deliver on her own? How long did it take altogether? What happened immediately afterwards?

Thanks again, I really appreciate it xxx

 

[Beaglemama]

Sure, I completely understand your fears. This was my first pregnancy and I had no clue what to expect. This was my experience:

An ultrasound confirmed that our baby had passed away. From the doctor's office I went directly to the hospital. You don't have to do this. You can wait a few days if you'd like, but I just wanted to deliver her as soon as possible.

I was right away admitted into Labor & Delivery where I changed into a gown, had an IV put in and had blood work drawn. They'll start you on IV fluids to keep you hydrated, just like they would do in a normal delivery. I was then given medication to induce the labor. I was given a pill called Cytotec. I took 2 pills orally, and 2 were inserted vaginally by a nurse. I don't know which medicine they'll give you, but it all works about the same.

About an hour after taking the pills I started getting cramps. It felt like strong menstral cramps. For me they started at 9:00 at night, and progressively got stronger until she was delivered at 5:30 in the morning. Unfortunately for me, my body was not working with the medicine very well. I was having contractions, but my cervix would not dilate. (Remember, your baby is VERY small! I only dilated a total of 3 cm! That's all it takes.) Because I wasn't progressing, and the contractions were getting stronger, at 5:00 in the morning I agreed to have an epidural. What a difference! The pain almost went away! And my body relaxed enough that I immediately dilated.

My water broke on it's own right after the epidural, I dilated to 3 and 15 minutes later, our daughter was delivered. I only pushed about 4 times. The baby is so small, the contractions alone are almost enough to push the baby out. The pushing was minimal and when she came out, it wasn't painful at all. She was tiny!

After the birth, the nurse cleaned her and allowed my husband and I to see her, hold and touch her. If you have to go through this, think about what you would like to say to your little one. But remember too, you'll be tired and emotional, so just say or do whatever you feel is right for you at the time. One thing I am SO glad we did was have the nurse do ink footprints of our daughter. Now we have something that she touched, with her little footprints on it. It's very precious to us.

The only thing left is to push out the placenta. There's no big rush in pushing it out. Mine finally came out at 7:30 in the morning, 2 hours after I had given birth. I did have to push a lot to get it out, and the doctor had to assist me by pushing on my belly, and finally pulling it out while I pushed. Yours may come out much easier. It just depends on what the body is ready to do. But, again, the placenta is small too, and does not hurt much coming out.

Once everything is out, the nurses will help clean you up. They'll monitor your blood pressure, make sure you're feeling ok and then discharge you. I was sent home at noon, only 6 hours after giving birth. You will bleed quite a bit after, like a strong period. But that's normal and not painful. You'll have cramps for a few days, I'm still cramping/bleeding and it's been 5 days. But that's normal. The hardest part, of course, is the emotional pain. You'll be in shock at first, but as that wears off, you'll have to deal with the roller coaster of emotion that comes. That's a journey I'm still on. But it'll be ok.

You're only 17 weeks, so I don't know if this will happen to you (I was 20 weeks) but 2 days after giving birth, my milk came in. My breasts swelled and hurt alot. Last night they even leaked a little milk. It's upsetting, and uncomfortable, but if it happens, here are some tips: wear a tight bra or sports bra all the time. Put ice packs on your breasts. Don't squeeze them or stimulate the nipples! Take pain killers. And, I know this sounds SO weird but it works, put cold cabbage leaves directly on your breasts! Yes, you will smell like cabbage stew, but for some reason it dries up the milk and reduces swelling. It's worked better than anything else I've tried. I'm going to put more on right now.

I hope this answers your questions. I was in labor a total of 8-10 hours. I only pushed a little. And besides being a little sore afterward, recovery is pretty quick. If there's ANYTHING else you'd like to know, feel free to ask! Really, I'd like to help you any way I can.

Take good care of yourself, and I'll be hoping for a miracle for you. Don't give up hope!

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It was very informative. I feel a bit better Prepared now. I'm drinking as much water as I can and resting as much as I can, we are praying that the sack will repair and allow me to rebuild some fluid around our LO. We are also trying to be realistic too. If I go back on Wednesday and the baby still has no fluid and can't move we have agreed the kindest thing to do is to go ahead and have the baby. I'll keep you informed. Thanks again, you have been a massive help xxx

 

[FeLynn]

I have no advice, I just wanted to say I am sorry to hear this and I hope it all goes well. I hope you can fill your belly with as much water as possible for you baby.

 

[amjon]

I had to deliver my daughter at 27 weeks because she had passed. They used Cervadil, Cyotec, and the seaweed rods to get my cervix open. I only had pain for about 2 hours before I delivered. (It took 4 days for my cervix to open though.) I had to push, but not long. If you want pictures I would call a Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep photographer now to see if they would be available for the delivery/ right after. We were able to get one to come a few hours after I delivered. You might want to think about getting something to preserve hand/ footprints as well. For us it was totally unexpected and I went into the hospital to get checked expecting at the very most to be told I'd have to deliver early and have a premie. We had nothing prepared in advance.

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thanks again for your kind words and advice. I guess that its kind of a blessing that we know this is coming and we can prepare (somehow). We have discussed how we want to honour our baby. We dont know if its a boy or girl yet. My initial reaction was, how an earth could I look at our tiny baby after its born?...But since reading peoples stories I think I want to see what we created. We decided that we want our LO cremated privately and to bring the ashes home with us (if its poss). The nurses have said they will give us hand and foot prints to remember him/her by xxx

 

[MalcolmsMiss]

I am sorry for what you are having to go through. I went through something similar and was induced at 14+3 days. I just wanted to say that the best thing i did was hold my baby. They took her away as soon as she passed through, and brought her back wrapped in a little blanket and was lying in a small basket. Although it sounds like such a scary prospect, it really does help with the grieving process. Well it did for me. When i looked at her, she was absolutely perfect, and i didnt want her any other way.

Another thing that i went through, that i did not expect at all, was that i still felt proud of what i had created, and almost felt like i was sitting there craddling my newborn. So, if your pregnancy comes to this, dont be suprised to feel this way. It really helped me connect with her so much more, and i am so glad i held her

I truly hope you do not have to make this decision, and i am so sorry this is happening to you. Goodluck with whatever comes

 

[amjon]

Thanks again for your kind words and advice. I guess that its kind of a blessing that we know this is coming and we can prepare (somehow). We have discussed how we want to honour our baby. We dont know if its a boy or girl yet. My initial reaction was, how an earth could I look at our tiny baby after its born?...But since reading peoples stories I think I want to see what we created. We decided that we want our LO cremated privately and to bring the ashes home with us (if its poss). The nurses have said they will give us hand and foot prints to remember him/her by xxx

You might want to think about the salt dough type thing. I wish we had some of those, so we had an imprint and not just a print (and the hospital didn't do hand prints, just foot prints).

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thanks again for your kind words and advice. I guess that its kind of a blessing that we know this is coming and we can prepare (somehow). We have discussed how we want to honour our baby. We dont know if its a boy or girl yet. My initial reaction was, how an earth could I look at our tiny baby after its born?...But since reading peoples stories I think I want to see what we created. We decided that we want our LO cremated privately and to bring the ashes home with us (if its poss). The nurses have said they will give us hand and foot prints to remember him/her by xxx

You might want to think about the salt dough type thing. I wish we had some of those, so we had an imprint and not just a print (and the hospital didn't do hand prints, just foot prints).

Thats a good idea, thank you xx

 

[mojo86]

I have absolutely no experience of anything like this but I just wanted to say I am soo sorry this has happened to you and that I am praying everything is going to be ok for you. Your in my thoughts xx

 

[babybambi2011]

i have no advice, but id just like to say i realy hope things work out. i had a dream last night that i delivered at 20 weeks after my waters broke, so reading your post has brought back tears. i really hope things turn out for the better

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thank you for your support. Im still leaking a little. Im drinking a gallon of water a day -praying something will build up. Im going back to hosp on wednesday, we're trying to remain hopefull but we are prepared to hear the worst xx

 

[Cheska]

I'll keep my fingers crossed things have improved when you go back. Xx

 

[Beaglemama]

I'm thinking of you - please let us know how your appointment goes Wednesday. I know we are all hoping for the very best for your little one. Take care of yourself and you'll be in my thoughts!

 

[Pink_Sparkle]

Thanks again. I'll let you know xx

 

[GuardianAngel]

Good luck on Wednesday! Really hoping you'll get good news!

 

[Nikki_d72]

I'm so sorry you are going through this, I know how awful it is, unfortunately. I would say the previous posters gave you great advice, I wish I had known so much when it was me, I was really shocked when my milk came in, for example. Cabbage really does work.

I hope you can keep some positivity, there are miracle stories out there and it is good you are prepared for the worst, but there is nothing wrong in hoping for the best.

Here is a brilliant site for info on what choices you have for treatment etc: https://www.inkan.se/pprom/ I would say read the section about your waters just breaking and also the PPROM stories that are marked in green, these are the ones with positive outcomes, some are so amazing. Doctors do tend to err on the doom and gloom side so it's nice to read of stories where they were surprised by the best outcomes.

Here is another good site, it's about preterm birth but lots of the info is relevant: https://www.keepemcookin.com/prevention.aspx this one tells you about some treatment options too and also has a forum which I'm sure has some threads on PPROM as well.

I would like to wish you and your LO all the very best.

If it does turn for the worst I would also recommend you hold your baby and say whatever you want to, get pictures and prints and whatever you can, you may find it really hard but there will come a time when you will want all the reminders/keepsakes that you can, all the women I know who have been through loss say the same thing - " I wish we had more". Also for me labour was only a bit sore when they were actually being born and i think the emotional pain and the fact that I was resisting made that worst. I only had gas and air as I was too late for anything else as I denied I was in labour to myself for so long. My body did the pushing itself really, much as I didn't want it to.

We had a creamation for our boys and some time in the funeral home with them beforehand with a few family and friends, they only charged us for the casket and the cremation fee, it was minimal, they were so nice. The nurses in hospital may be able to reccommend a place. I really hope you don't need it though. I found such great support here on 2nd tri losses afterwards, it was alife saver for me. I don't go there much now as I have all my group on FB but I'm sure there will be lots of lovely ladies there to help you, should you need it. Again I hope you don't need to go there though and your little miracle makes it.

All the best, I look forward to your update xxx

 

[Taylah]

Don't give up hope Hun, everything crossed for you xxx