beth00any00: Ty Alexander Complicated Birth

Posted Monday, December 13, 2010 11:31 AM

"I was so worried my son's lungs would not be completely developed, and my husband, while still worried, was SO excited to be meeting my son that day!"

Waiting for the final verdict

After being diagnosed with placenta previa during an ultrasound at 19 weeks (also the ultrasound we found out we were expecting a baby boy!), my doctor informed me that she would continue to monitor my placenta for the duration of my pregnancy with the hope that it would shift upwards as my uterus grew.
During a 28 week follow up ultrasound, an ultrasound technologist and radiologist confirmed that I still had a complete placenta previa.  Upon visiting my obstetrician after the ultrasound, she told me that there was still a small chance that the placenta would move but that likelihood was dwindling. She was willing to order another ultrasound at 32 weeks to make the final decision as to whether or not I would be receiving a cesarean section due to this condition. 

Complications?

At 32 weeks, my placenta was still a complete previa. Much to my dismay, my obstetrician scheduled me to be c-sectioned at 37 weeks with the hope that I would avoid any complications from the previa before I began dilating. Until this point, I had no bleeding episodes or problems related to the previa.
However, I had started feeling some contractions over the next two weeks but attributed them to the fact that I was now in my third trimester and that Braxton Hicks contractions were normal.

Rushing to the hospital

On a Monday morning at 6:30am, the fourth day of my 34th week, I went to the bathroom and thought that my water had broken. When I looked down to check to see if I was leaking fluid, I realized that it was in fact blood - a lot of blood. My husband had left for work only ten minutes before. Thankfully, my mother and aunt were visiting from out of town and had stayed the night in order to make final preparations for our son’s arrival. My mother grabbed my hospital bag and immediately took me to the hospital where my obstetrician was waiting.
I was given intravenous fluids, hooked to a fetal monitor and examined.
Thankfully, my bleeding stopped within an hour of arriving at the hospital.
Those little contractions I had been feeling in the two weeks prior definitely started coming in full force, approximately every two minutes when I first arrived. Unfortunately, my contractions would only slow temporarily with the IV fluids and began increasing again forcing my doctor to make the decision to perform my c-section that day for fear that the next bleeding episode would put the lives of my baby and I at risk. I was so worried my son's lungs would not be completely developed, and my husband, while still worried, was SO excited to be meeting my son that day!

Early delivery

The surgery began shortly after my doctor's decision, and my son was delivered at exactly 2:00pm on a beautiful day. Despite being 5 and a half weeks early, he came out and welcomed us noisily. My obstetrician lifted him briefly above the curtain for my husband and me to see and said, "Hi Mommy!"
He was 5lbs 8oz and 18 and ¾ inches long, a "big boy" for 34 weeks. Our son, Ty Alexander, had a c-pap machine for the first day to assist his breathing and remained in the NICU for 15 days because he was a "lazy eater" and needed to become a stronger feeder before going home. Despite the hectic day of his birth, we were so thankful that baby and I were both healthy at the end of the day. Ty has brought such immense happiness into our lives and we realize that nothing so amazing comes easily. 

> Want to share your birth story? Email it now to Bump Eileen at echu@theknot.com.