My doctor called me two days ago to discuss the results from the special 20 week anatomical ultrasound (which examines the baby's body parts close-up, specifically to determine if there's a birth defect or a possibility of Down's syndrome). As I type this, I am currently 24 weeks pregnant. The fact that she called at 6pm on a weekday was a little bit alarming, because that means something was up. She told me, "The baby is ok, but your placenta is very low. It is right next to your cervix, which means we cannot do any pelvic exams or physicals. If you ever have to go to the ER in the next few weeks, let them know your doctor said nothing is allowed inside of you. Also, we need to reschedule another anatomical ultrasound so we can see if the placenta has moved away from the cervix. Otherwise, if it places itself over your cervix, you may develop placenta previa, and we will take it from there."
I remember learning about placenta previa when I was in my LVN program. Placenta previa is when the placenta is located right next to or right above the woman's cervix, which is the most dangerous place for it to be. 1 in 200 women have this happen to them. Most women have placentas grow near the top area of their uterus. Placenta previa is dangerous because the placenta is blocking the baby from coming out first, and the placenta can NOT come out first because it is the baby's lifeline. The placenta is very important for the baby because it transfers oxygen and nutrients to the baby and also protects the baby from bacteria. If the placenta is aggravated (from, let's say, an internal exam from a doctor who doesn't know the placenta is right above the cervix) then it can bleed, causing excessive bleeding (from the vagina or internally), which is bad for mommy and baby. What usually happens with placenta previa is that the mommy needs to have an early C-section since the baby can't come out vaginally. I say it happens early because sometimes the woman will start bleeding, and that's a sign that something is going on with the placenta and needs attention.
When my doctor told me this, I was surprisingly calm. I think that God has been preparing me for news like this. I was so terrified of miscarriage for the first half of my pregnancy (weeks 1-20). When I was finally more at peace, I was given this news. I am just very overwhelmingly aware of how OUT OF CONTROL I am over this pregnancy. All I can do is trust God, and that gives me a lot of comfort. Thankfully, my uterus is still expanding and we have a chance that the placenta might still move away from the cervix! So here's to praying for safety!
Also, before we became pregnant, Kevin and I would talk about what we would do if the situation ever arose during childbirth that we had to decide to save the baby or the mommy. I would insist, "Let's save the baby, I wouldn't mind sacrificing my life for him or her." And Kevin would say, "No, we will save you. You're my wife. We can always have more babies, but I only have one wife." We would go back and forth about this because I had a very hard time imagining choosing my life over my child's. But if the situation was reversed, I would want to save Kevin. He's my husband, my spiritual leader and my best friend. Every night I wake up to pee every 2 hours and sometimes I look next to me and watch him sleep peacefully. It hurts my heart to think about leaving him if the labor and delivery were to cost me my life. I can't imagine the pain he would go through to lose his wife. If I ever lost him, I would be heartbroken and wish I were also taken so I could be with him. My prayers have changed because of this placenta issue. I am praying more for my safety because if excessive bleeding were to occur, I would be in a lot of danger. Praise the LORD for special anatomical ultrasounds and C-sections, so that we could have a lot of peace over complications like this! Imagine all the women of the past who just bled to death because they didn't' know the placenta was blocking the baby! There are tons of women who have delivered safely due to technological advances and I am ever thankful for this because while it might be scary to think about the worst-case scenario, chances are we will have a safe delivery!
All we can do is pray for the placenta to move upward away from the cervix. Otherwise, even if it progresses to placenta previa, we can still rest assured that God is sovereign over my labor and delivery...Hopefully the baby and me come out safe and healthy from this whole ordeal!
I remember learning about placenta previa when I was in my LVN program. Placenta previa is when the placenta is located right next to or right above the woman's cervix, which is the most dangerous place for it to be. 1 in 200 women have this happen to them. Most women have placentas grow near the top area of their uterus. Placenta previa is dangerous because the placenta is blocking the baby from coming out first, and the placenta can NOT come out first because it is the baby's lifeline. The placenta is very important for the baby because it transfers oxygen and nutrients to the baby and also protects the baby from bacteria. If the placenta is aggravated (from, let's say, an internal exam from a doctor who doesn't know the placenta is right above the cervix) then it can bleed, causing excessive bleeding (from the vagina or internally), which is bad for mommy and baby. What usually happens with placenta previa is that the mommy needs to have an early C-section since the baby can't come out vaginally. I say it happens early because sometimes the woman will start bleeding, and that's a sign that something is going on with the placenta and needs attention.
When my doctor told me this, I was surprisingly calm. I think that God has been preparing me for news like this. I was so terrified of miscarriage for the first half of my pregnancy (weeks 1-20). When I was finally more at peace, I was given this news. I am just very overwhelmingly aware of how OUT OF CONTROL I am over this pregnancy. All I can do is trust God, and that gives me a lot of comfort. Thankfully, my uterus is still expanding and we have a chance that the placenta might still move away from the cervix! So here's to praying for safety!
Also, before we became pregnant, Kevin and I would talk about what we would do if the situation ever arose during childbirth that we had to decide to save the baby or the mommy. I would insist, "Let's save the baby, I wouldn't mind sacrificing my life for him or her." And Kevin would say, "No, we will save you. You're my wife. We can always have more babies, but I only have one wife." We would go back and forth about this because I had a very hard time imagining choosing my life over my child's. But if the situation was reversed, I would want to save Kevin. He's my husband, my spiritual leader and my best friend. Every night I wake up to pee every 2 hours and sometimes I look next to me and watch him sleep peacefully. It hurts my heart to think about leaving him if the labor and delivery were to cost me my life. I can't imagine the pain he would go through to lose his wife. If I ever lost him, I would be heartbroken and wish I were also taken so I could be with him. My prayers have changed because of this placenta issue. I am praying more for my safety because if excessive bleeding were to occur, I would be in a lot of danger. Praise the LORD for special anatomical ultrasounds and C-sections, so that we could have a lot of peace over complications like this! Imagine all the women of the past who just bled to death because they didn't' know the placenta was blocking the baby! There are tons of women who have delivered safely due to technological advances and I am ever thankful for this because while it might be scary to think about the worst-case scenario, chances are we will have a safe delivery!
All we can do is pray for the placenta to move upward away from the cervix. Otherwise, even if it progresses to placenta previa, we can still rest assured that God is sovereign over my labor and delivery...Hopefully the baby and me come out safe and healthy from this whole ordeal!
Awww! She is adorable!
ReplyDeleteHi! Stopping by from Mom Bloggers Club. Great blog!
Have a nice day!