Hello Ladies!
I'm not a regular poster here but I have a question for you all. A friend of mine is pregnant with twins. She is 28 weeks and a few days. Well one of her waters broke about a week ago. Since then she's been in the hospital on complete bed rest. I'm wondering if it is normal for the doctor to keep you on bedrest for over a week once your water has broken. I've always thought they would need to deliver the babies if that happened. Has this happened to any of you? I've asked my friend if this is normal and she said her doctor is trying to keep them in for as long as possible. I'm so scared for her and the babies. Thank you all!
Re: Water breaking at 28 weeks ???
I don't have any experience with this, but it is my understanding that although water rupture puts the baby and the mother at a higher risk for infection, it doesn't mean that the baby needs to be delivered. I'm sure that at this point, they are balancing the risks of keeping her on hospital bedrest with the risks that the babies will face if they are delivered now. Sounds like they have decided that the babies are better off inside. I hope she keeps them cooking for as long as possible and that everyone ends up healthy and happy.
It's handled differently when you're talking about a preterm mom and a term or near-term mom. In someone whose water breaks when the baby is ready for the outside world, they usually stick to the 24 hours to get baby out. In a baby who is nowhere near ready to come out, they will treat the mom with antibiotics and monitor the baby/babies closely and try to buy as much time as possible.
If the mom or baby starts to show signs of infection or the baby becomes distressed, they would go ahead and deliver, but until then the baby is better off with more time in the uterus.
I hope they can bake the baby a little longer!