PPROM at 15 weeks

Maria 🇦🇺💮

A month ago my baby girl was born stillborn after overnight with no signs of cramping my waters broke at 15 weeks and 3 days. It began in the morning before with just a light leak but as soon as I got home from work I had a gush of water suddenly burst. Immediaetly I knew it was wrong and called my hospital. I came in at 1130pm that same day and was given a swab to detect if any amniotic fluid had leaked and to find my baby girls heartbeat. She had a 167bpm and no sign of amniotic fluid. I had been discharged and told to come back to.my obgy clinic for further examination. We both slept uneasy. The next morning we arrived no signs overnight of further leaking but I vomitted the morning like morning sickness. No signs of cramping. I arrived and heartbreakingly my obgy saw she was breaching already. We both broke down since we had such hope with our rainbow baby. We arrived at the hospital and was giving multiple tests first 50ml of blood tests, canular and didcussions about our baby not being 'viable'. We were both in such agony and shock we just cried. I was given a tablet to indu e labour and told it would take 48 hours to slowly induce delivery. After been given counsel with our beautiful midwives and social workers we had to prepare for her delivery. It was so surreal and beautiful to see her she arrived after midday after being given pessaries that would almost act immediately for her delivery. Along with my midwife and husband had to gather myself for the heartbreaking delivery. Esmé arrived easily but my second birth of the placenta was traumatising. It would be 4 hours after trying naturally and with further assistance of laughing gas but no luck. Iwas brought into emergency dnc surgery. All the while my husband and I craddeling our baby girl while I was going under surgery.

I was given anaesthetia and told it was routine 1hr and back in waiting room to return back to our Esme and husband.

I haemerraged badly and went into code blue dipping in and out of consciousness. I cant imagine what my husband was going through, thankfully i would awake in ICU after a couple hours. Cold and weak, seeing my husband cry and pour his heart out to me. It was such a traumatic experience.

The next day I was well enough after an iron transfusion (due to my massive loss of blood) to spend time with Esme and hubby. We read to her, danced our wedding song with her, introduced her to our immediate family. Spoke with her about our hopes and dreams that was so unfairly taken away.

I say this because I am, we are the 1% of parents that PPROM has happened to. All our tests came back and had no infection, have never smoked and clean bill of health. I hope our story brings some awareness and comfort its a tragic club to be apart of but the more we know about signs and prevention and research I hope it helps another family from this heartache.