With both my pregnancies I had horrible itching in the third trimester. I later found out it was cholestasis of pregnancy & is very rare, occurring in less than 1% of all pregnancies. One of the side effects of this can be preterm labor. On January 13, 2009, my doctor did routine lab work. When it came back abnormal, he sent me to a specialist in Houston on Januray 20, 2009. The specialist said it was all due to pregnancy & that he could give me something for the itching, etc but that I was so close to my due date that the medicine would barely take effect before I delivered.
I left the doctor's office, ate at Olive Garden & did a few errands on the way home. The babysitter, my close friend, was watching my oldest daughter & called to see if I would be home before 4:00 when she had to go to college. If not she needed to plan dinner for my child when her husband got home. I told her sure I'd be there & I was on my way home. Needless to say, when I pulled up in my drive way before going to her house to pick up my oldest, I stepped out of my car and my water broke. The next call she got from me was me on my way to the hospital saying I wasn't coming to get my daughter.
After my water broke, I changed clothes and drove myself to the hospital. I called my husband who said he'd come up there if he needed to after he got off work. He didn't think I was in labor. I was in no pain and when I got to the hospital and they indeed said yes I was having the baby today, I called my mom, my mother in law and my husband myself. I even filled out my admission paperwork. Then they put me in a gown, in the bed and started the IV. The IV was started at 3:05 and when the doctor came in he said I was not dialated & the baby was still high, my amniotic fluid was mecconium stained & that the baby was still high. He said we were looking at a long night with a possible c-section. I burst into tears as my oldest aspirated mecconium & had some problems.
At 7, I was at a 4. By 9 I was at a 7. Once I reached a 7 it was downhill from there. I went fast and in fact the Dr. came in at 9:30 to check me & said it's gonna be a while so he went to the lounge. Less than 30 minutes later I started saying I had to push as I felt the baby drop into the birth canal. Nurses didn't believe me but checked me and then rushed to get the Dr. They kept telling me don't push don't push & were trying to hurry. The Dr. got there, put on his gloves & was putting on the second one when he said if you feel you got to push go ahead and I did. One push and Abby was here. She was born at 10:14 pm weighing 5 pounds 7 ounces and 17 & 1/4 inches long. She was due Feb. 15 but came January 20th a whole 3 and a half weeks early. She was considered a preemie but had apgar scores of 9 and 9. She came out screaming.
I believe it was a miracle that everything went as it did & that baby and mom had no major problems. My itching and jaundice resolved shortly after delivery.