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I
was diagnosed with vasa previa on February 15, 2000 - at 17 weeks
gestation. My placenta was bilobed and the two pieces were connected by a
fetal blood vessel that was crossing my cervix. I also had a partial
previa - one of the lobes was touching my cervix.
At 24 weeks, I was admitted to a local hospital for the duration of my pregnancy. I was monitored, medicated, and on bed rest the entire time. I received steroids at 26 and 32 weeks gestation. At 34 weeks gestation, I had an amniocentesis to test for lung maturity. The results were positive so my daughter was delivered by c-section two hours after we got the results. She was small - 5 lbs - but healthy. We named her Claire Elizabeth. The amnio results surprised everyone - even my doctors. They think she was
ready because she was under stress. When the doctors searched for a pocket of
fluid during the amnio, they discovered that I had lost over half my amniotic
fluid during the previous two weeks. A sign that I was either leaking or my
placenta wasn't functioning properly which is not uncommon for a low-lying
placenta. Waiting for those results seemed like an eternity! |
| Once she was delivered, she did well -
Apgar scores of 7 and 9. Her
breathing was fine at first but she became a little "grunty." They
took her to the intermediate care nursery at Phoenix Children's Hospital (which
is housed in the hospital where I delivered). They gave her oxygen (no need to
intubate) and observed her. Her crit was low so they looked into that. They
performed an ultrasound on her head and bowels to rule out hemorrhage - that was
terrifying. They couldn't find any reason for it, but it was on its way back up.
She was a slow eater so she had to spend a few more days there while they tube
fed her. She came home on June 24, one week after I was discharged. The time
gave me a chance to get some strength back and reacquaint myself with my husband
and daughter. The hospital drove me nuts towards the end, but all in all, I was
happy to be there because I felt like we could do more (even though a tiny bleed
could be fatal) if something catastrophic happened. I wasn't bugged too much by
the boredom - the hospital has a great perinatal program: group counseling,
VCRs, a laptop, art supplies, book and video library, etc. It was the lack of
privacy that got to me. Especially at the end.
I learned so much about this and am so grateful to have received the care I got from my doctors. I know that had I been with a different group, the outcome could have been very different. I want to share what I've learned so that other women can get the same care I did. |
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