Hi everyone,
I’d be ever so grateful if anyone could give me any advice on what they think is likely to happen now, or what their experience was in my situation. I’m sure this is going to be very long winded so I appologise in advance!
I am 34+2 today and this is my first pregnancy. My mum had a still birth at a similar gestation, likely due to contracting an infection after experiencing ruptured waters. They monitored her, checked her over, did a speculum etc and couldn’t see anything wrong despite her insisting her waters had gone. She went into labour naturally and unfortunately my sister was born sleeping, despite being fine on monitors right up until that point.
Sunday midday I wiped after going to the toilet and discovered what looked like my mucus plug. I mentioned it to my midwife on Monday morning when I saw her and she confirmed it looked just like my mucus plug, and was slightly concerned it had some blood in it as that usually means it isn’t going to grow back. Monday afternoon I was at the hairdressers and felt a sudden ‘snapping’ sensation in my stomach, almost like an elastic band. I didn’t think much of it until about 10 mins later when I noticed my jeans were damp. I rang my midwife to let her know and she suggested I head to hospital. On the way I leaked more fluid, totally clear, but when I got there they performed a speculum and told me that there wasn’t any fluid there and it must just be discharge! (That had soaked through a pad, knickers and jeans?
)
Shortly after I started getting quite regular Braxton Hicks, and when they hooked me up to the monitor they said they looked like contractions. I was surprised as they weren’t painful, just uncomfortable and very regular.
They performed another speculum and this time confirmed my waters had ruptured. They gave me a steroid injection, took my bloods, started me on antibiotics etc and admitted me to the labour ward.
I had regular Braxton Hicks until about 3am this morning which then fizzled out. This morning I have had lots of Braxton Hicks but they are no longer regular or increasing in frequency. They gave me the second steroid injection this morning and sent me for a growth scan.
The scan confirmed baby is growing as expected (30th percentile) but does have slightly less amniotic fluid than they would like, still within the normal range though. At a previous growth scan my amniotic fluid was at the top end of the normal range.
They have now said I need to stay at least another 24 hours and they will discuss with me tomorrow what they are going to do. I asked if they could give me any more information now and she just said my home birth was very unlikely, as was them letting me go over 37 weeks.
Does anyone have any advice on what is likely to happen now? I had a google and lots of sources suggested as I’m over 34 weeks they would induce me as she is at greater risk of infection than she is of problems resulting from being premature, especially now she has had the steroids.
Given my mums history I’m feeling absolutely terrified. I want her to cook as long as possible obviously, and am I’m no rush to be induced but I’m terrified of her being stillborn if I continue with the pregnancy despite my waters continuing to leak. I have been frantically trying to find similar stories online and the ladies who were induced at 34 weeks seemed to have overwhelmingly more positive stories than those who waited until 37 weeks, despite displaying no signs of infection until the baby was born.
Thank you so much if you managed to get through all that!