preventing pprom

preterm premature rupture of the membranes - argh
i had no clear understanding of it until it happened to me
6wks before cal's due date, and a woosh
and my water broke
and labour came quickly
unstoppable

...or could i have done something to stop it
that's what i have been looking into

i had a normal pregnancy and an abnormal birth experience and still try to make sense of it
i will be better versed on it all now

i stumbled across ways to prevent pprom, many of which i already did so can't learn from those for any potential future pregnancies

- take folic acid for at least a year - already did for years in combo with b12 sublingually
- no heavy lifting - duh!
but then i started finding more tips

pregnant after prom has a lot of suggestions like...
- "Ask your health care practitioner to do wet preps or cultures, not just a dipstick test...Bacterial vaginosis (BV) /gardnerella. Some studies show that treatment for BV substantially reduces the incidence of PROM...Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Usually your practitioner will only test for GBS once you reach 36 weeks, to prevent transmission to your baby via vaginal delivery. However, you may want to be tested routinely from the beginning of your pregnancy because it is not known what role GBS plays in PROM."

- "The fFN test measures the amount of fetal fibronectin in vaginal secretions (performed like a pap smear). A determination that the fFN "glue" is disintegrating may be a sign that a woman is at risk for preterm delivery, even if she is otherwise asymptomatic."

- and here is where a long list of suggestions begin...
"

General guidelines - apply to entire pregnancy from positive home pregnancy test through delivery

Everyday Activity

	No lifting over 10 pounds.
	Minimal stairs.
	Limited standing and walking.
	No housework.
	No increase in altitude or long car trips.
	Get lots of rest.
	No bending.
	No baths. Sit down in the shower if you can (use a plastic lawn chair if you don't have a seat in your shower).
	Use unscented soap.
	Avoid nipple stimulation, including letting hot water run on your breasts in the shower (it stimulates the uterus).
	No sex or orgasm
	Use antibacterial wipes after you use the toilet to prevent chances of infection.

and then even more!

Diet & Supplements
	Get adequate protein in your diet (minimum is 60 grams of protein daily).
	Minimize sugar intake; reduce intake of carbohydrates.
	Keep taking your prenatal and folic acid supplements.
	Take extra Zinc, Vitamin E, and Vitamin C, on top of prenatals (ask your health care practitioner for dosage).
	Drink water (2 to 3 liters per day).
	Drink unsweetened or fruit-juice sweetened (not corn-syrup sweetened) cranberry juice, or take cranberry capsules to prevent urinary tract infections.
	Eat yogurt (including soy yogurt with live cultures) or take acidophilus supplements to help your body naturally fight off infection.

"

prematurity, ppd and homeopathy

when callum was born 6 weeks early i didn't feel that wave of unconditional love wash over me. i had heard that the moment you meet your child, you'd fall in love and a part of your heart would now be outside your body. it didn't happen that way for me.

although i made the birthing experience as calm and complete as possible given the circumstances, i quickly realized i would be contending with deep feelings of anguish over the loss of a natural birth and a full term baby and having my baby home with me. seeing him in an isolette - gauvage tube, monitors and all - and the bruises on his little hands and feet from all the bloodwork and tests ruptured my dreams of feeling the instant connection and bond with this tiny little person.

and then the dark feelings came, and the horrible thoughts and the flashbacks. and i would re-traumatize myself over and over with them. i didn't want to take meds even though i fantasized about harming myself and my child. i would weep as i pumped breastmilk out of me, with a child that was unable to latch. when he finally did latch after exclusively pumping for nearly 3 months, the feelings were still there.
i did not want to risk our breastfeeding relationship so i refused prescription drugs. but i knew i needed help. i did research and came across natrum muriaticum, and it helped get me through the worst days to feeling like myself again.

natrum muriaticum, or nat. mur. is essentially cell salts. i like to think of it physiologically as helping bring my body to homeostasis - to balance. funny that not only is it considered potentially helpful for ppd, but also mucous-y conditions. in the past it has always been my sinuses and respiratory tract that have contributed to times when i felt unwell. it would be interesting to see if it all could be linked together - i believe it is in me.

ppd is rampant in women who have premature babies. when i think of the nicu, and abandoning the home birth plan and having the most unnatural of births in the end, i think ppd is really inevitable. i liken the nicu, and going home without my baby to the symptom picture of post traumatic stress syndrome - they are really quite similar. i was warned that it is very common for mothers of premature babies to have it - and i was no exception.

in many ways, breastfeeding has done as much for ppd as anything else could. after the struggle, it has saved me. as i continued to question myself and my body with no answers and no risk factors for a premature birth and ultimately and medically no reason for having a premature baby, breastfeeding helped me regain - piece by piece - the joy, the sanity, and the connection to my son.

i feel like nat. mur. helped create the bridge too - toward healing and connection. my son has taught me humility in the realest sense and has been my greatest teacher.