Partial Placental Abruption - anyone else?
I have recently been put on bed rest for a bleeding and cramping episode caused by a partial placental abruption. Has anyone else experienced this? What I am reading online is not good, and I feel like the midwives are keeping the whole truth of the matter from me. I've read that this usually doesn't happen until later in pregnancy, but since I am only 16 weeks, the outlook doesn't seem good. The usual treatment, if there is heavy bleeding or a large tear, if immediate delivery, but that is, obviously, not an option for me. My goal now is to make it to at least 28 weeks, so that the baby has a chance of survival.
If you have dealt with this before, I could really use some experienced advice. What did your doc say? What were your instructions ( bed rest, etc) after wards? Did you deliver early?
Re: Partial Placental Abruption - anyone else?
First of all, I am very sorry to hear of your condition. I've read about this on line and you are right, it is not good.
I have a small abruption where the bottom of the placenta has torn away from the uterus. I also have placenta previa. I came to the hospital at 28 weeks with contractions and bleeding. It was assumed this was all previa bleeding, but u/s showed a blood clot behind the placenta. (Clotting occurs with the tear of the placenta). I came close to delivering a couple times during those first couple weeks. It was awful.
Tomorrow I am 33 weeks and have been stable since week 30. I can't say that I don't have any bleeding. I spot every day although it is less and less. The clot is pretty much gone at this point.I am now optimistic I will make it to 36 weeks.
I'm still in the hospital and will be until the baby arrives. Are you on hospital bedrest? You obviously know everything that can go wrong, so I assume your Drs monitor you closely? For me, it took pretty much not moving at all to get to where I am. (I was on a bedpan for quite some time as even getting out of bed triggerred issues.) I can now get up to shower and use the restroom, but it has been a long road to get here. My Drs won't let me go home on the fear something will happen. Not only are there issues for the baby, but for Mom as well.
So, ou can certainly make it to 28 weeks. My advice is to really adhere to the bedrest. I am just one person, but for me it seems to be working.
That is so scary. It sounds like you have great care, though, and you and baby will be fine :)I am so happy to hear that you have made it thus far in your pregnancy.
I am on home bed rest, although that is only because my husband and I decided to instigate it ourselves. My midwife agreed with our decision, but it was never 'ordered'. I do feel as though I have been left in the dark, with not much hope. They just sent me home from the ED with pain meds and unanswered questions. I was never admitted to the hospital or even administered fluids. I don't think I am being monitored very closely - appts every 2 weeks to check for baby's heart beat, that's it. Should I be expecting more? What kind of monitoring did you receive? Andy tips on what I should be expecting from them?
I think that given the situation, I am going to request that I be referred to an OB. I prefer the natural approach to pregnancy that I can get with my midwives, but I feel that my pregnancy has gone from natural state to a medical one, and it is not being treated as such.
I really am at a loss as to what else to do... but I do think that really sticking to the bed rest is important, and at least I know that I have done all I can!
Thank you for replying
Should you be expecting more, that is a good question. I am not sure how much of my monitoring is due to the previa and how much is due to the abruption so that is a little hard to answer. My Dr (well one of them, there are 5 in the practice) said she didn't want to send me home with the tear. So, some of this is likely due to the abruption.
I am a bit shocked that you weren't told to go on bedrest. From what I've read about this, it is pretty serious. I've never used a midwife so I don't know what to think about your experience. I would recommend you talk to an OB. Yes, it won't be as natural of a birth, but at the end of the day the thing that matters most is a healthy baby and a healthy Mom. With something like this, being left in the dark is not necessarily a good thing. Perhaps your midwife is right not ordering bedrest. Then you can feel better about it and not have doubts. But, if they give other advice, you'd at least be better informed.
I wish I could give more advice. I am sorry. All I can say is that what I read about this is scary as heck. Being in bed is not fun, let alone bed in a hospital, but I'd rather be conservative and safe. Only 4 more weeks to go!
Good luck! I do wish you the best. I hope that the remainder of your pregnancy is uneventful!
I had this at 38 wks and delivered via emergency c-sec. I know this isn't an option for you right now, but I will tell you that it is a very serious thing. For me it was sudden and I did not have any bleeding. I did however have severe abdominal and back pain and I noticed DS was not moving anymore. He suffered brain damage due to lack of oxygen, but is now recovering and appears to be okay. Defenitely something that needs to be address as soon as its detected. Do not hesitate to go to the hospital if you sense that something is not right.
Good luck!
Just to update -
Thank you for all of the replies and advice
I had my midwives office refer me to an OB high risk specialist, I should be hearing from them on Monday to schedule a consult.
Honestly, if it wasn't for message boards like this one, I would never have even thought twice about what my midwives have said... now I have more info to go off of to watch my own back and make better decisions. Thank you all!