pPROM @ 28 weeks

abakies33

hello ladies, a little over 2 weeks ago my water broke. i was sent to a hospital and put on pretty strict bedrest. today i am 30 weeks 4days. still no contractions, no infection and baby wyatt is doing good. this does not mean that i am freaking out... i am in a hospital 2 hrs away from my home. this means a 2 hr drive if my husband is not here when i go into labor. he comes and stays with me about half of the time the other half he goes home and stays with his daughter who we have custody of. i miss that little girl so much, it tears me up being away from her.

at the 34 week mark if i havent went into labor they will induce me better out than in at this point is the standard i believe. and if i would go into labor before then they will give me iv meds to try to stop it.

its just all so overwhelming, i know there are some of you who are going through the same thing as i am or have already went through this. my question is how did you or are you keeping your sanity? my brain goes non-stop i worry that i wont be able to care for wyatt, that they are going to whisk him away from me as soon as he is born and i wont be able to even see him, that i wont be able to find clothes that fit him. i worry about everything concerning every aspect of my life. i need ideas on things to do to keep my mind occupied. at this point i am up for anything...

sorry to sound like a cry baby girls, but i just dont know what to do anymore, i feel like i cannot even take care of my unborn child. like my body is trying to reject him and i feel like a horrible mother...

bhilyer

First - welcome!  I think you'll find this board is a safe haven for preemie moms.  All of the ladies here are encouraging and knowledgeable.  Always feel free to post any vents, questions, worries, celebrations, etc.  

As for how to keep your sanity, I don't know what to tell you.  The birth of my boys was such a whirlwind experience that it's kind of a blur.  I was admitted on Friday, had a c/s on Sunday.  I remember crying a lot.

I have a friend that was on bedrest for quite some time and she's said that having a routine for the day helped her keep her sanity.  Set aside certain times for bumping, time for watching your favorite TV shows, time for reading, etc.  Hopefully you can find a routine that works for you and helps your days pass more quickly.

Lastly -- you're body has NO bearing on your ability to care for your son.  You cannot control what your ute and cervix are doing.  But once he's here, you'll do everything in your power to take care of that little boy.  It's a common feeling for preemie moms, but do not let the guilt set in. 

Huge hugs!  We've all been there. 

HJOHNSTON411

Hi,

I was put on hospital bed rest at 28 wks, also.  I was discharged under strict orders after a week, did 5 weeks at home, and then one more week in the hospital before LO was born at 35 weeks.

As for hospital bed rest - or any type on bed rest for that matter - ROUTINE!  It saved me! Same when LO was in the NICU.

I would get up and 'dress' after breakfast every morning.  I would even put on a little makeup because it made me feel better.  I'd walk down to Starbucks (in the hospital) and a get a caff-free latte, get a newspaper etc.  DH would come at lunch and the evenings, and we'd watch a movie or shows.  If people wanted to visit me, I tried to spread them out. I preferred to have to have one person visit every day rather than have five people in one day and none the rest of the week.

This might be a stretch, but I had a friend who would come and paint my toenails:)  If you can swing it, I'd totally look into getting someone (friend or professional) come to the hospital for a mani/pedi.  Sounds crazy, but hey, why not!

Lastly, my hospital allowed small dogs to visit on certain days.  I missed my animals like CRAZY because I had no idea I was going to the hospital when I did.  My husband brought our dog to visit a few times, and it made me feel so, so much better.  Might be worth asking about, if you have a similar situation.

Online shopping helps too!  Carters.com and Gap have preemie lines that are great.  GL!!!!! 

HJOHNSTON411

PS - I guess I should note that since I did not have PROM, some of the things I mentioned doing on bed rest might sound a little nutty to you:)  If you are fighting gravity and infection, it was probably stupid that I mentioned walking down to Starbucks in the hospital.  Sorry:) 

I was being monitored for extremely low fluid, IUGR, and pre-e.  So being on feet for an hour a day or so wasn't off limits.  

Hang in there!  You'll be an amazing mother, and you'll know what your LO needs when he/she gets here! 

efortune

We are in such similar circumstances! My waters ruptured at 27 weeks, so I have been in the hospital for about a week. I have two other little girls, and I miss them like crazy. My brother loaned me his ipad to keep myself occupied. I also have a computer and kindle in my room. I avoid google... I try to blog, but that takes me to places I just dont want to think about.

Luckily, my husband is less than 5 miles away and I have a lot of visitors. People coming to visit are a huge help.

 No sign of infection or labor here yet either, although they will not stop labor. At 34 weeks, they will induce if she hasn't come on her own.

Don't feel like your body has failed you. My doctor explained that these things sometimes just happen and there isn't really an explanation for it. Just try to stay strong and think of it that as long as he stays in your body, it is less time he will be in NICU. And know that he will be just fine after he is out of NICU. In a year or so, we will think back and say how worth it it was. 

hollerjeepgirl

First off, CONGRATS on making it to 30 weeks. You're doing an awesome job. There are support groups on Facebook for us pPROM mom's if you're interested.

I spent 11 lovely weeks lying as flat as possible in the hospital after I ruptured. I ruptured at 23w1d and held on to Jackson until they elected my c-section at 34w0d. You're body IS NOT rejecting your baby, it's just a speedbump in the pregnancy process. I thought the same thing and blamed myself asking myself "Why did this happen to me?" Instead, ask "What am I supposed to learn from this?" I go on the FB site and try to support people and having Jack is a constant reminder to not take things for granted. Every day is important. 

I started reading True Blood books when I was in the hospital. I played on Facebook, TheBump, Frontierville, watched movies. I tried drawing and art but I had to try it lying down and it made my hands cramp up from the angle. I even tried cross stitching and knitting. By the first couple of weeks I wanted to stab someones eyeballs out with the knitting needles. 

My son came out crying when he was born. For pPROM mom's...that sound is GOLDEN!! That's how you know it was worth it, just to know their lungs are strong enough. So...with that...the clothes will fit. Preemie clothes fit Jackson just fine and he's huge now. He was in the NICU for 47 days and I was in the hospital for 80 days. 

 

The fact that you're still baking is you taking care of him. True story. You're doing your job as a mom to protect your baby, no one can ever take that away from you. Keep doing what you're doing and know that you're doing a great job. When Jack was born he couldn't wear clothes for 3 or so days and preemie clothes were baggy on him but now he's 14 months old and fits in 18 month clothes. When he was born they let me kiss him and take some pics and took him to the NICU to do their tests on him. I saw him that night. And I held him for the first time 3 days later. It sucked but he's healthy now and that's all that matters...and he knows I love him

thh

Hang in there!  I pPROMed at 29 weeks and delivered at 31 weeks.  The time in the hospital was tough -- just try to keep busy - I read a lot, watched tv, and slept a lot.  When Nathan was finally born, I got to see him from a distance from the operating table (c-section) and then I didn't get to see him again for 24 hours, and that was the worst part.  But we got through it, and he's 3 now, and doing great.  You aren't a cry baby, and you will probably feel sad about these circumstances for a while - that is totally normally.