I had my daughter 17 months ago, but it seems like a lifetime. We didn’t have a hard time getting pregnant. It was almost instant. But staying pregnant was a different story for me. I ended up in the hospital at 27 weeks, 4 days with preterm premature rupture of the membranes (pPROM). My water had broken. My job now was to try and stay pregnant until 34 weeks. Sounds easy right? Not so much. After numerous days of magnesium sulfate to stop labor, antibiotics, fluids, and a full round of steroid shots to strengthen the baby’s lungs I was on bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy. Every minute…

It sounds so easy to do: just stay pregnant. Every minute and every single hour that I could stay pregnant gave my daughter a better chance of thriving after birth. My life changed forever in January 2016. I was happily pregnant and getting into the routine that every nesting mother-to-be does. My registries were done and the maternity photos scheduled, along with all plans for the pregnancy and birth. We met with pediatricians and chose one; we met with a doula and started planning our birthing experience. My birth plan was “to make it out alive”, and looking back on it I wonder if subconsciously I knew my pregnancy was…