When vasa previa was described to me by one of my doctors, that feeling set in.
"Vasa praevia (vasa previa AE) is an obstetric complication in which fetal blood vessels cross or run in close proximity to the external orifice of the uterus. These vessels are at risk of rupture when the supporting membranes rupture, as they are unsupported by the umbilical cord or placental tissue." (thank you, wiki - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_praevia)
During my 28 week ultrasound to check on my placenta previa, the ultrasound tech saw some blood-flow near my cervix and called the doc in for a second look. After this, he describe vasa previa mentioning that a vaginal delivery with this diagnosis has a very low survival rate and that the baby only has "as much blood as the volume of a Coke can" so if that vessel is severed, the baby can bleed out in minutes. He drew a picture for me, showing where my placenta was and where the lobe of blood flow over the cervix resided. See pic.
With this serious of a possibility, he wanted to get it checked with the high risk docs at the hospital. In the meantime, I was to be on pelvic rest - no exercise, no sex, no cervical exams, etc. I was scheduled at the hospital for an in depth ultrasound a week and a day later. During that week, I did what I always do with new info - research the heck out it! Yes, I became increasingly scared about the situation but I learned a lot about how the diagnosis was a huge part of fetal survival. If you do have vasa previa, you can be hospitalized around 30 weeks, given steroids to grow the baby's lungs, and then give birth by planned c-section at 34-45 weeks. This option is very successful because the baby is taken out before labor begins and if you do go into preterm labor, there is a better chance of swooping in with an emergency c-section to save the baby.
I went into my high risk ultrasound armed with this information and feeling comfort in the fact that I was on the right track to do whatever was necessary for the safety of my fetus. At the hospital's perinatal center, I received a very in depth ultrasound which took around 45 minutes. The tech was kind and quiet though he wielded the ultrasound wand with much more pressure than I was used to and resulted in an all over bruised feeling post scan. He explained each part that we were viewing. Part way through, I had been on my back for a while and started feeling nauseous and light headed (pregnant women are not supposed to lay flat on the back for risk of cutting off circulation by weight of the uterus and baby). I asked if that was normal and he said yes and propped me up a little. After the first rush of blood back to my face and a quick sweat, I felt better. He continued with a transvaginal ultrasound to be able to better view the placenta. Eventually, he had to angle the powered chair backwards, using gravity to draw my baby's head away from my pelvis for a better view. He was not allowed to say anything about his findings on the placenta or cord placement and said that he would report to the doc and the doc would come in and do his own viewing.
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| Eliana at 29 weeks 2 days |
The doc came in and was not very verbose but he did take a long look at the blood-flow around the placenta and my cervix. Eventually, he said that he was pretty sure that the blood-flow by the cervix belonged to me, not to the baby but that "the placenta would still be a problem" and there was "nothing of significance to report about the baby". While this was cause for some relief, I am one that likes full explanations and all the details I can get. With the knowledge of meeting with one of my docs the next day to discuss my results, I attempted patience. That night, I consulted an online Vasa Previa Awareness group and asked if any of the ladies had experience with flip-flopping diagnoses. Two answered right away, saying that multiple doctors had waffled on whether or not they had the risk, decided they did not, and then found that the women did, in fact, have the condition when the baby was born. One kind woman sent me ultrasound notes and every time she went in for a new ultrasound, the opinion of her condition changed. Experiences like this make me worry and though I want to trust in the experience of the doctors and the quality of the machines, I also want to protect my little one.
The next day, I met with one of my clinic's doctors to go over the results. We started discussing the results and I said that the first doc was concerned about vasa previa "which you don't have", she added on matter-of-factly. Though I hate to question people, I wanted to make sure she knew I was concerned so I asked her if she was sure. She said that the ultrasound machines they use at the high risk clinic were very high tech and high powered and that I shouldn't worry. I still did have partial placenta previa (placenta is near or in the way of the cervix) and that we would do another ultrasound at 34 weeks. Most likely, the placenta will not move and the baby will be born by c-section somewhere around 38 weeks.
After that she mentioned that my sugar count had come in high and that was a cause for concern, even though I passed my one-hour glucose test the week before "with flying colors", she wanted to do a bloodtest to check my sugar levels. I was nervous that morning and might have emotionally eaten a bowl full of Kid's Crunch (off brand Cap'n Crunch) and a bunch of grapes. I didn't think anything of it because I thought I was just going in for a chat about the ultrasound results. Alas, I think my sugar bowl of cereal and my grapes (sugar-bombs of the fruit world) set off the results and I will be called in the next week for a three hour glucose test. Goodie-gumdrops. That flat, room-temp, orange drink is dreamy. Ha!
Anyhow, that is where we stand right now - hoping in and trusting for the best and using humor where we can to avoid too many cases of the weepies.
Thanks so much for reading!
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