At 19 weeks pregnant I woke up with some bleeding. After a trip to the emergency room, I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa. From that point on in my pregnancy I was ordered to take it easy and have ultrasounds about every 4-6 weeks. By chance, one of my ultrasounds was performed by a Perinatologist specialist, Dr. Tammy Gerstenfeld. She discovered what no other ultrasound tech or doctor had before - that I also had Vasa Previa. Due to some miscommunication, this information was not relayed to me by my OBGYN doctor until I was 34 weeks pregnant. At that time we first heard the words Vasa Previa. Our doctor made it sound serious, but it was not until my husband and I went home and found the International Vasa Previa Foundation website that we learned how life threatening the condition was. I had a C-section scheduled for 37 1/2 weeks, but I was now panicked by the thought that any day before then my water could break and my baby would be gone. We contacted my doctor expressing our concerns. He said he still felt comfortable with me remaining at home and keeping my planned C-section date, but suggested we contact Dr. Gerstenfeld if we wanted a second opinion. We contacted her right away and had an appointment 2 days later to prepare for a C-section scheduled at 35 weeks.
Dr. Gerstendfeld delivered our baby boy, William Charles Wilson via C-section on August 5, 2008. I cried through the whole operation with tears both of bottled up anxiety that had built up over the time leading up to this point, and tears of relief that the Vasa Previa could no longer take away by baby boy. William weighed a strong 6 pounds 4 ounces at birth and just had to stay in the NICU for a few days for some mild breathing difficulties. At home now he is thriving, gaining weight and developing like a champ, and making us smile and count our blessings everyday. In quiet moments when we are alone, I look down at him and tear up, thinking that without Dr. Gerstenfeld;s knowledge of Vasa Previa my perfectly healthy, beautiful son could have never made it home.
At 19 weeks pregnant I woke up with some bleeding. After a trip to the emergency room, I was diagnosed with Placenta Previa. From that point on in my pregnancy I was ordered to take it easy and have ultrasounds about every 4-6 weeks. By chance, one of my ultrasounds was performed by a Perinatologist specialist, Dr. Tammy Gerstenfeld. She discovered what no other ultrasound tech or doctor had before - that I also had Vasa Previa. Due to some miscommunication, this information was not relayed to me by my OBGYN doctor until I was 34 weeks pregnant. At that time we first heard the words Vasa Previa. Our doctor made it sound serious, but it was not until my husband and I went home and found the International Vasa Previa Foundation website that we learned how life threatening the condition was. I had a C-section scheduled for 37 1/2 weeks, but I was now panicked by the thought that any day before then my water could break and my baby would be gone. We contacted my doctor expressing our concerns. He said he still felt comfortable with me remaining at home and keeping my planned C-section date, but suggested we contact Dr. Gerstenfeld if we wanted a second opinion. We contacted her right away and had an appointment 2 days later to prepare for a C-section scheduled at 35 weeks.