Hospital wants to send me home after PPROM. I don’t want to go. Help.

[CatsEye99]

Posting for traffic. My waters broke at home and were bright red, and I was 26 weeks with DCDA twins. I called an ambulance and was rushed to hospital where I had a huge gush of red fluid. I was counselled about preterm birth and given steroid injections. I saw a neonatal doctor who stated the most important thing was to deliver at a hospital with NICU cots.

Despite severe agonising pain, a week has passed and I haven’t given birth. Twins aren’t distressed and my observations are fine.

However I feel incredibly unwell. I keep burning hot and turning red but my temp is not raised. I feel like I have the flu or another illness. I have no energy and can barely move due to pain. Codeine won’t touch it. A midwife told me to have a hot bath which I am sure is contraindicated.

The staff want to send me home. I have stated I do not want to go home due to me living an hour from the hospital and the risk of infection, cord compression, preterm delivery and stillbirth. I do not want to lose my babies. I want to remain in the unit with NICU like the doctor advised.

Can anyone give me any advice? I can’t find any info on this anywhere and feel like the staff are fobbing me off.

Glad to hear it op - I hope that the unhelpful staff member sees your notes and has a pang of conscience over being so abrupt with you.

Hi, haven't read all the posts but Incase no one else has mentioned it steroids can make you feel restless, unable to sleep, shaky and feel like you are burning up. I am fair skinned too and extremely pale. I had steroids in my last pregnancy and felt exactly like you describe and face was bright red.
Still important to relay symptoms to staff as with your waters gone they need to continue to monitor for infection. Glad your care has somewhat improved!

Hope you managed to get some rest last night

Just wanted to say well done for getting to 27 weeks. I'm sure you've been told this already but every extra day - even every extra hour - makes a massive difference. My DS1 was born at 24 weeks and we met several families on the unit whose babies had arrived at 27 weeks. Those extra 3 weeks made a colossal difference. Hang on in there x

My twins were born at 27+6 weeks after SROM, and although we were warned of every possible outcome, and they were born with toenails too small to see and eyelids still fused, you would really never know now. If they arrive now you’ll have a tough few months, but 27 weekers are stronger than you could believe.

Thanks everyone. Feeling much better today. Pain is being controlled with regular pain relief asap instead of being delayed and staff are aware of the cause and taking it seriously.

I still feel anxious about the situation but I feel a lot happier that we know what is happening.

Well done mama!

If you have spare time now, I'd probably write some notes with dates/times about what happened to you, so you can follow up with an official complain about how you were treated earlier. It was awful.

So glad you have pain relief now too :-)

My mum and partner have documented it, so we can point out that we weren't happy with it. I think it's because they do a lot of routine things on this ward so some people aren't aware of complications that can happen and are ignorant as to the management. I had similar crappy care after the birth of my son when someone told me I was being dramatic when I was upset (son was in NICU at a different location, this person didn't bother to find that out). I think maternity services are a bit lacking funding and training.

I should finally get my scan today!

So so glad to see you have had some more positive planning OP. I hope the scan goes well.

If you are in the UK then google the NICE guidelines. Arm yourself with information. If you discover NICE has a protocol than you can show them it and they will be obliged to follow it. If they do not have a protocol - google to see if other country's do have guidelines. I had twins with vasa previa - no NICE guidelines but in the US you are put in hospital at 23 weeks. As soon as hospital discovered I knew about the NICE guidelines and what happens in the states - I was treated very well. When in hospital one of the mums was petrified of a natural birth due to deformities with her cervix. Hospital was insisting...until we showed them the NICE guidelines which said she was entitled to a physiological assessment - which happened and she was then allowed a C section.
Good luck with the twins.

Well done for persevering - hope all goes well now.

My FIL was in and out of hospital all his life.

MIL used to diary everything, who they spoke to and what they said and tests etc.

I used to think she was mad, but now I know she was right.

Hope the better pain relief gives you some relaxation - you need it!

Just had my scan. Both babies are at 2.8cm which means the boy has gained some fluid but his sister is also losing fluid as she had 4 originally.

I'm glad you finally had your scan. I am no expert, unlike others on the thread, but hope at least the hospital has indicated when you might get the next scan. Were the heartbeats ok?

Heartbeats were okay. Both babies seemed happy. I lost more fluid and blood and we couldn't find one heartbeat at first which was frightening but we've since found him. Had to see a consultant again who said everything looks okay for now but could change.

Thank goodness they're keeping you in and keeping a close eye on things, OP. It sounds like you're now getting the sort of care and attention you should have had all along.

Really hoping for the best for you all.

Yep the consultant has updated my records and said I need consultants not junior doctors to review my case and they're now taking good care of us. The staff on today have been lovely.

Warning gross picture of blood.

Does this look like meconium? Midwives said old blood but I'm bleeding red with these greenish streaks.

imgur.com/a/788661Z

Is the green streak the tiny bit at the top?

This must be so scary for you x

Remember Yes. Have had two of these small green streaks when wiping now

TMI but are you sure that streak didn't come from your bottom?
I'm sure it didn't and I know that's a stupid question.
When I was pregnant with DS1, I got repeated UTI's and my mum said to me "are you sure you're wiping yourself properly" as if I'd forgotten how to wipe front to back at the age of 24.

Anyway, is it possible for them to test for it being meconium?

No it didnt, I also briefly thought that but every wipe has a green mark about that size now.

The midwives seem unconcerned so don't think they'll test (if one exists). It just doesn't look right to me.

I've got loads of pinhead sized clots too which they also seem unconcerned about.

I just wanted to say I'm so glad that they're taking you seriously. My boisterous four year old was a 30 week preemie. He had multiple set backs and issues in the NICU but is the strongest person I know. He is absolutely solid, shakes off any bug much faster than the rest of us and doesn't let anything stop him. At this point every day inside you counts and you're doing an amazing job advocating for them. Fingers crossed it's a long and boring stay in hospital and these babies stay put for weeks to come.

It's difficult to know, and I'm certainly not qualified to comment. If it was me, I would just be keeping a very close eye on it and telling them every time it happened and really saying something if it got worse.

Problem is, if it did get worse, what's the answer?
Is it still better to have them out at 27 weeks? Meconium in, or very very tiny babies out?