Subsequent pregnancies after stillbirth

papillon21

Hello,

My daughter was born still at 39weeks due to blood clot issues with the placenta (there was so many blood clot on the placenta that the blood was not getting to her anymore). After multiple tests on me, they haven't found any reasons why this happened and there's nothing wrong with me.... It's been 6 months now and we are thinking of trying again. I will be with an high-risk OB.

I wanted to know if anyone has had this situation happen to them or someone they know. When you got pregnant after that, did you have any complications and how was your stress level.

We have not conceived yet and I'm already stressed out of my mind.

Any thoughts, suggestions or personal experiences would be appreciated.

TIA

MrsFontenot

I had a stillbirth at 20 weeks last year (that's the cutoff from m/c to s/b at my hospital).  I still have no answers as to what happened.  They've run test after test - my cervix is fine, my b/p is fine...they keep telling me that, "sometimes, there are no answers".  Of course, that's no answer, but it's all I believe I'm going to get.

I'm pregnant again - 24w4d, and everything is going great, although my OB and perinatologist keep an extremely close watch on me for any abnormalities whatsoever.  I see the peri every 2 weeks, and my OB every 3.  The stress has been unbelievable, but, every day that nothing out of the ordinary happens is a good day for us. 

Have faith...that's the only way I make it through the day.

mom2anangel

I'm so sorry for your loss. 

My first son was born still at 22 weeks nearly 3 years ago.  He had two midline defects (omphalocele and heart defect) and while that was an answer to why HE died, it wasn't an answer about why it happened or if it would happen again.  I was nervous about getting pg again but my desire to have a baby in my arms outweighed my fear that it would happen again.  My H and I went to support group once a month and other parents were pg with subsequent pregnancies and it was helpful to watch them go through it.  I got pg again but sadly, it ended in an early miscarriage.  Then, I got pg again and right from the start I had a calm feeling about things - don't get me wrong, every day was a struggle and I was worried...my dr was great, I went in for weekly appts. and they either did an ultrasound or the doppler (once I got far enough along) and that did reassure me.  But, it was very nerve-wracking even going to the doctor - I kept thinking that they would tell me bad news.  The only time I felt comfortable was when I was actually watching the ultrasound screen but as soon as the u/s was over those thoughts crept back into my mind that the baby could be dying right then and we wouldn't know till next appt.  It was THE LONGEST (nearly) 40 weeks of my life.  Even after we got past 22 weeks I did not feel like the weight of loss had lifted.  The only thing that sort of helped is that I knew that we "made it through" the death of our son and heaven forbid if that happened again we would get through it. 

I'm happy to report that my daughter is a beautiful and healthy 16 month old and I am pg again. 

I read the book "Pregnancy After a Loss" before I was pg again and it was encouraging but I tried reading it again when I was pg and it terrified me.  Like I said, we also continued to go to our monthly support group (and we still go, but it's more to offer support to new members).  Please feel free to page me or email me if you want to chat more.  amy1189 at gmail dot com.  Good luck to you!! 

noxie52

A family friend lost her baby girl at full term due to the umblical cord being wrapping around her neck.  A year later they delivered a healthy baby boy.  From what they said, the entire pregnancy was stressful on them.  To help them along, the doctors were extra diligent around her care this time and had her come in more often for ultrasounds and NSTs to ensure a positive outcome for the entire family.

trickywoo

Since there was so much clotting in the placenta will you be on blood thinners next time to prevent clotting?

JillAly

My mom had a full term still born.  It's a long story but she had a divided uterus and the baby didn't have enough room in the smaller section.  They never knew until she delivered the baby.  She had a healthy baby (my brother) afterwards. 

She never discussed it at all - I only found out any details when I was trying to get pregnant and had the same condition she did and had to deal with it before getting pregnant.  I am sure it created a lot of stress for her but back then, there was no one to really talk to about it.  If you're feeling stressed, talk to your doctor about a finding a therapist or group to help - I'm sure there are many out there.

I'm so sorry for your prior loss and I'm wishing you an easy pregnancy and birth this time!

papillon21

Trickywoo - I don't think so, the hematoligist has not found anything, I have an appt mid-June, I will ask then. Seems like it could be a fluke.

 

Thanks for all your responses !

monica92603

First, let me say I am so very sorry for your loss.  We lost our baby last July at 41 weeks.  Just about every single test came back fine.  There were no clots anywhere and while the placenta "didn't look great" according to doctors, it was ok.  I did seem to have a placental abruption while I was in the hospital waiting for my c/s (we already knew at this point that the baby had passed) so I was sort of hurried into surgery so nothing bad happened to me.

My "answers" were the cord was around the baby's neck, there was meconium present and the placenta seemed to have broken down.  All comes together to say the baby wasn't getting enough oxygen.  41 weeks can be fine for many people but was just too long for me and my baby.

SO!  this time around I have 4 doctors and about 100 extra appointments starting 2 times a week around 33 weeks.  I have a NST on Tuesdays w/ my OB in her office and a biophysical profile every Friday w/ my perinatologist at the hospital.  My peri already scheduled my amnio for lung maturity check at 37w6d and if all is well, I will deliver the next day at 38w by c/s.

If it makes you feel better, speak w/ your new OB before conceiving and put a plan in place NOW.  Tell them you want extra testing and also extra appts and u/s and BPP.  I'm sure they will already be doing this for you but if for some reason they don't say it, insist on it.

Also, they gave you no reason for your clots?  They tested you for ALL of the clotting disorders??  MTHFR, Factor V and II (plus like 10 more)  Have you ever had a history of clots while not pg?  Any history in your family?  This is very important b/c it can cause recurrent losses if not treated (most can be managed w/ a combo of blood thinners, baby aspirin or high levels of folic acid) 

As for my stress level.  I'm hanging in there.  Everyone else seems to be more stressed than us.  The dr's are keeping a close eye on me and honestly, there is nothing else I can do but sit back and grow the baby.  I cried when I first found out, but that could have been from exhaustion since I'd just gotten home from a week long business trip and had just buried my grandfather.  My peri is convinced I'll be freaking out later on in my pregnancy which sort of makes me want to smack her but she's the dr and has seen this before so she's probably right.

I wish you the best of luck and if you have any questions, please ask.  I'm very open about the whole thing (the loss and the new pg).  Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

RachelSikorski

 I truely can relate to every mom out there that has gone through this type of loss.I lost my son September of 2013 at 38 weeks 3 days. He passed the day before he was born when his heart stopped. They found out after birth that his cord was wrapped around his neck 3 times, his arm 2 times, and his leg once. He also had what looked like a clot at his stomach and cord. Me and my husband have thought long and hard about another child but wasnt sure when was a good time. We just recently found out that we are 7 weeks pregnant with our 4th pregnancy. I am so scared to the point where i cant get to the excited part. We find out tomorrow if our little bundle will be ok

mmsweeney1

I'm so sorry you lost your sweet baby. I lost my son at 39 weeks also. I had been feeling "off" but the doctors didn't really know what was going on. I ended up developing a complication called Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy. Looking back, the doctors can tell us what happened but they don't know what causes it. I had genetic testing, but we really have no answers. They couldn't even tell us the risks for it happening again.

We decided to go ahead with another pregnancy knowing that I will be watched closely by my OB and MFM. The "cure" is to deliver the baby so if something goes wrong I will just be induced right away. There are no complications yet and I am just beyond the halfway point. To tell the truth, the stress level is very high for me. It seems like we are just waiting for something to go wrong. The only thing keeping me going is that my doctors will bend over backward to catch it if it develops again. Hopefully you can get the same kind of care to ease some of your worries. I think a healthy baby will be worth the stress!

rainydayluck

Just an FYI, @rachelsikorski, this thread is from 2010, resurfacing it might be painful to some of the PPs.

DuffTour

Did you get pregnant? I am TTC. My daughter died in June, 38 weeks. I would love to hear a success story. 

jonahsma

This thread is very old. The pregnancy after loss board may be of some help.