23 weeks - trying to hang on
Hi ladies - I am 23 weeks pregnant with our second son and have complete previa, anterior. I have had a few significant bleeds and have been having contractions for two weeks. I'm on terbutaline to slow the contractions. It has been touch and go for about a week now and my doctor has communicated his concerns and has multiple plans, depending on how and when things happen. We understand that our little guy might not survive and we've even had to discuss the reality that my life is also at risk. It's a lot to process, especially with previa because there is not pain with the bleeding. My brain tells me that everything is fine. I'm not hurting...it HAS to be fine.
At my weekly appointment yesterday, my doctor explained that he is concerned that I have acretia. Blood in my urine being one of the significant symptoms. I am having an MRI done tomorrow to determine if my placenta has in fact invaded my bladder. If it has, or is close in any way, I will be going to UCSF right away to deliver. I am on bed rest at home but acretia or not, it looks like I will at least be admitted to our local hospital within the week as the bleeds are increasing in volume, along with an increase of contractions. I'm scared.
We have a 17-month old who has chromosome deletions so we are not strangers to hospitals and hard situations. I am doing my best to prepare mentally but as mentioned, it is difficult to do when I feel pretty good physically.
Have any of you experienced placenta previa/acretia? More importantly, I'd so appreciate hearing your micro-preemie stories. We are praying for at least one more week but trying to prepare ourselves, should we not make it to week 24. I'm sure I'll be around with more questions as things develop but any stories you can share now would be appreciated. Thanks.
Re: 23 weeks - trying to hang on
I don't have any experience with this but I have a dynamic cervix. The doctor diagnosed me with it at 24 wks+1 day. I was told the baby would make an appearance within the week and he had a slim chance of making it. I was given steroid shots to develop his lungs and was sent home on bed rest. Today I'm 31 weeks and holding strong, my Husband and I stayed positive despite the negativity of the doctors. I can't offer you advice but do stay positive and keep away from google (i would get frightened with stories I would find on dynamic cervix).
T&P's your way and keep us posted!
I can only address the micr-preemie questions, as I have one myself. DD was born at 23w 6d due to Incompetent Cervix. She was 1lb 9.5oz and 12.5in long. She was measuring large for a 23 weeker and that helped.
She was born with a Grade 2 brain bleed (I can't remember the proper term for this) and was immediately ventilated, because I was not in labor long enough to receive both steroid shots. She also had a heart murmur, due to PDA (an artery that closes upon birth in term babies).
The first week was a honeymoon period, in retrospect. She seemed to be doing well, they even tried to take her off the ventilator. After that, it was a roller coaster for the next 4 months. We got off lucky, for having a micro-preemie. She had her PDA ligation surgery at 5 weeks old and only contracted 3 infections. She developed ROP in both eyes, due to being on oxygen support for so long but never had any intestinal issues.
E came home from the hospital after a 112 day stay, 2 days before her original due date. She is now 13.5 months actual age and almost 10 months adjusted. We are seeing a PT for gross motor skills issues but otherwise she is just like any other 10 month old. She is bright, funny, stubborn, and all over the place moving.
If you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm sorry this turned into a novel. I don't post here often anymore but I do check periodically. I'm sure there is a lot I left out, I seem to have blocked a lot of our NICU stay out (survival mechanism I guess) but can remember things if prompted. The ladies here are an amazing support group. Good luck to you, sending positive vibes your way.
BFP#2 3/16/11, beta 138; 4/12 Baby/HB DS born 9/10/11 at 29w4d due to partial abruption and PTL
BFP#3 8/19/13 Another boy! 17P, modified bedrest and Nifedipine helped us have a termie! DS2 born 4/19/14 at 38w5d.
I have no experience with previa (I had a partial previa that resolved at 26 weeks). My son was born at 26w 4d after 2 weeks on bed rest at home and one week in the hospital. It was a long haul for him in the NICU. Very touch and go the first three weeks and then another three plus months of growing and feeding and weaning off O2.
I hope that the MRI doesn't show the placenta invading the bladder and that you are able to buy a few more days/weeks.
Good luck!
On April 16th of this year, my water broke while I was at work. I was only 23w5d pregnant. Luckily, my little man was able to stay in for six days and I received both steriod injections while in the hospital on full bedrest. When I woke up at 5:30 on the morning of April 22nd, I could feel something coming out of me. I pushed the button to call the nurse and she was able to look and see that his cord had prolapsed. Immediately, I was rushed to an OR and my son was born at 5:54am, weighing 1lb5oz.
So far, he's doing extremely well. He has had two cranial ultrasounds (third is tomorrow) and both were normal. He now weighs 2lb4oz and is gaining almost every day.
If I could offer any advice..it would be to remember that all the statistics the doctors give you are worst-case scenario. When I was first admitted to the hospital, one of my doctors had advised me to deliver vaginally and just accept the fact that my son might not make it because he wasn't likely to make it with a c-section, either. I wasn't okay with giving up on him before he even had a chance, so I opted for the c-section regardless. And now? They're telling me that I may have been further along than we thought..so if I would have done the vaginal birth, he may not have made it when a c-section could have given him a chance. Follow your heart, you're Mom and you know best.
You're in my thoughts.
I had placenta previa and delivered my son at 31 weeks (measuring 29 weeks). I had bleeding early in my pregnancy due to a huge subchorionic hemorrhage but never bleeding due to the previa. One night I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 2:30am to use the restroom. I felt like I was peeing forever but didn't think anything of it bc I was half asleep. I wiped, flushed (didn't look in the toilet or at the toilet paper, again, half asleep) and went back to bed. When I laid down in bed I felt a gush and I honestly thought I peed my pants. I walked back to the bathroom and I had blood everywhere. My husband rushed me to the hospital where I filled two or three bed pans full of watery blood. They took me to c-section and I had my son at 3:27am. He wasn't breathing. It seemed like forever before I heard anything. He was 3lb 2oz which was bigger than they thought because I was measuring 2 weeks behind due to growth restriction. He was on a ventilator for a few days then CPAP for a few weeks. He was in the hospital 7 weeks which seemed like a lifetime but once he started growing and eating, things got better. He developed an infection in one eye and had fluid on his lungs at one point. He had a heart murmur due to anemia but they said that was pretty typical. He is now 4.5 months old and gaining almost a pound a week!!! I hope that you can hold off longer and that they give you steroid shots to help develop his lungs. I begged for the shots but it was useless because I had to deliver right away. Good luck, i'm praying for ya!
I had a complete placenta previa. It didn't cause any bleeding issues until 27 weeks, when I was hospitalized for bleeding and contractions. They were able to stop the contractions and I was sent home on modified bed rest. I had another bleed 2 weeks later. The third they were not able to stop and I delivered at 30 wks, 4 days. I had an emergency c-section because of the amount of blood I was losing. I was really worried about having a placenta accreta because I'd had prior uterine surgery, but I was lucky and didn't have that issue. My daughter was not a micro-preemie, but spent 5 weeks in the NICU.
Good luck to you and your family!
I'm sorry you're going through this, it must be tough. Thoughts and prayers for you and your LO.
My boys were born at 25 weeks. They spent 4.5 months in the NICU and came home after their due date. It was a rollercoaster, and they experienced almost everything that preemies are at risk for, but they are home with us now...smiling, laughing, cooing, and Aiden rolled over the other day. We get PT and speech therapy, but they are happy and healthy little boys.
Good luck!