I have only posted once to this sight, and I wanted to thank the
women who responded to me. I had a lot of uncertainty and a lot of
questions in the beginning. I have found a lot of peace and strength
from other moms who have gone through the experience of losing a baby
to replace those feelings; I've found a lot of peace from God, too.

Our daughter was born premature, at 29 weeks, on December 30, 2006.
Placenta abrubtia is the suspected cause of labor beginning that
early. My doctor also suspected the beginnings of polyhydramnios, so
she may have come somewhat early, anyway.

We named her Julie Claire. She was 11.5 inches long, and weighed 1
pound 9 ounces. She was stillborn, after 16 hours of labor. Our
other four daughters each got to hold their new sister, and they love
her.

We miss her every day. Even so, she has brought a lot of love and
happiness to our family. We feel stronger and more closely bonded.

I would like to pass on a piece of advice, for anyone who may need
it. I don't know for sure, but I wondered after it was all done if
Julie was stillborn because of the length of labor. My water broke
almost right away, so it was draining off the entire time. There was
no fluid left by the time she was born. I read once about something
called a saline infusion, which is supposed to replace or augment low
amniotic fluid during labor. I wonder if a saline infusion would
have helped to cushion her and the umbilical cord from the stress of
the contractions. So, here's my advice: if your water breaks and you
are in labor for a long time after that, ask your nurse or doctor
about a saline infusion. Maybe it would help.