Pprom

I spent two weeks on hospital bedrest as a Pprom. Preterm premature rupture of membranes. Many people are surprised by the fact that you can stay pregnant with ruptured membranes. It can only happen in the hospital, as it can be life threatening to both the baby and the mom. But it can go on for a long time as long as 

1. No infection has developed. My temperature was taken every 2 hours to be sure that I didn't have a fever. I was never given a cervical exam so as to keep bacteria out. Basically it's an open path to the placenta, so any bacteria could very quickly infect both mom and baby. I was also given a fierce antibiotic treatment of 3 days of iv antibiotic and 4 days oral. 

2. The baby doesn't have the protection of fluid anymore. So I had ultrasounds about every other day to see the fluid levels and make sure they were adequate. Under 5, probably would have scored me an induction. I got as low as 6, but was frequently around 9 or 10 which is within the normal fluid range. I was constantly monitored to be sure that the baby was tolerating everything well. Without the protection of the fluid, the cord can get kinked or compressed and cut off the blood flow and oxygen to the baby. The baby will respond by the heart rate dropping. My baby only had that happen a few times. She did remarkably well. 

3. Don't go into labor. They would have given me some medication to stop contractions, but they wouldn't have fought it for very long. So I laid very very still in bed to try to prevent contractions. I only sat up to go to the bathroom. 

Although it isn't unheard of, the odds of making it 2 weeks aren't terribly high. I consider it a miracle that I made it so long with none of the three issues listed above. And that miracle was greatly assisted by my OB, who is amazing. I've been blessed with the best doctors.