My story, unlike others, is a happy story. I understand what all the mothers went through with their placental abruptions but have to say mine worked out just fine due to dumb luck and a miracle.

My side was hurting when I got home from work on December 10, 2003. I waited for my husband to get home from basketball practice before I called my doctor. He said to go to the hospital, which was 80 miles away, to be observed. After convincing my husband to make the trip, we loaded our two other children and went into town.

Once we arrived, my other two children had fallen asleep, so my husband stayed in the car with them. I went to the birth floor unaccompanied. When I arrived, the nurse checked my urine and said I was severely dehydrated and that is why my side was hurting.

By this time, I began having one long nonstop contraction. It registered on the monitor, but they thought that something was wrong with the monitor even though I was protesting that I really was having a long contraction. She said they would give me fluids and send me home.

My sister came to the hospital per my request. And shortly after she arrived, the nurse was leaving to get my discharge papers, and my water broke. I told the nurse, and she was stunned. She came to look and hit the call button on my bed. She asked for the on-call doctor.

Pretty soon many nurses and doctors were surrounding me. I, in the meantime, had no idea what was going on. I began to cry because I didn't want to have a premature baby even if it was only four weeks.

As they were wheeling me into surgery, I found out that I had a placental abruption and would require an emergency Cesarean section with general anesthesia. My husband would not be allowed in the room either. Leslie Erin Nicole was born four weeks early and in perfect health. She weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 19 inches long.

I, on the other hand, had a difficult recovery. It was also difficult for me to not know the happenings surrounding her birth since I was knocked out. I didn't get to see her for six hours until I was better. I did have severe bleeding because of the abruption and lost almost three units of blood. We only have eight units total in our body.

I had a difficult time adjusting to having a baby under such conditions. It felt like I didn't have a baby at all since I didn't experience or see her birth. After reading all of the unfortunate stories, I am very thankful that I was in the right place at the right time. And I could care less now that I couldn't experience what a natural birth has to offer.

I could never imagine leaving the birth place empty handed. My heart truly goes out to you women who lost their babies because of a placental abruption. Thank you for your stories of courage.