July 24, 2012

Hard news.

Yesterday afternoon I went in for an ultrasound to check the status of a minor complication I had been having called marginal previa. While I was there they discovered that I had several other much more serious complications with this pregnancy. Our little girl is healthy and strong, and growing just as she should, even ahead of schedule, but there are some serious complications going on that could result in her not being able to be born alive. Consequently, they have checked me into the hospital for the duration of my pregnancy. They will most likely deliver the baby via c-section between 32 and 34 weeks, provided I don't go into labor before then. Marginal previa, Vasa previa, velamentous chord insertion, and an accreta of the placenta are all present. Here is a run down, in my lay man's terms, or what each of these complications mean: Marginal previa is when the placenta is low lying in the uterus, and partially covers the cervix. If the cervix began to dilate and I began to have contractions, it could cause a rupture of the placent, resulting in heavy hemhorraging for me. This is the issue I was aware of before, and had been put on light bed rest for. It is not an extremely big deal or very dangerous as long as its being monitored. Vasa previa is where the umbilical chord lies across the top of the cervix, so in the event that I were to have contractions of any kind, pressure from the contractions pushing down on the baby would almost inevitably rupture the umbilical chord, causing the baby to 'bleed out'in a matter of minutes. This is the main reason why I need to be hospitalized. The only chance the baby would have of survival at that point would be an immediate c-section, so I have to be within immediate proximity to the operating rooms, in case that were to happen. Velamentous chord insertion is when the umbilical chord is partly not covered in the thick protective covering that it usually is. Therefore, the blood vessels that go directly to the baby are very weak unprotected, and vulnerable to rupture. This makes the vasa previa an even bigger concern. Accreta occurs when the placenta fuses to the uterine wall. Scar tissue that is present in the uterus does not act the same as the rest of the uterine tissue, so in the event that the placenta happens to adhere to the uterine wall over a place where there is scar tissue present, there is a risk of an accreta. My placenta happened to adhere to the anterior (front) wall of my uterus, which is of course where I have the scar from my previous c-section. The result of this is that the placenta does not naturally detach itself from the uterus during/after delivery because it is growing through the uterine wall. In the vast majority of cases, they have to do a hysterectomy and remove the entire uterus permanently. My doctor said that it appears to be a relatively serious accreta, so the chances of me having a hysterectomy are very very large. This means that this baby will be our last. It has been a huge thing to wrap my brain around over the last 24 hours. I'm very confident that since our baby is otherwise completely healthy, and so am I, and I haven't had any other complications with this pregnancy so far, that we are in the optimal environment to ensure both of our safety. I am confident that we will both be fine. The hard part is that I will have to be away from Ollie until this baby comes. I wasn't ready to give up my last little bit of time with just he and I. My mom is taking care of him while Justin is with me or at work, and they can come visit, but being away from him like this is the hardest trial I've ever had to endure. It literally feels like my heart is breaking. I'm at Fairfax hospital right now because they are the only ones in the area that will admit patients as early in pregnancy as I am, me being only 24 weeks along. At 28 weeks I might be able to be transferred to a closer hospital, which would make all of this just a little easier, but thats a month away, and we'll have to cross that bridge when/if we get there. I'm trying hard to stay positive, but it's hard. I'm just so grateful that I'm here with my family and that they are so willing to carry this burden with Justin and I. The thought of not being able to have more children is devastating, and changes just about everything I had envisioned for my future. That's something I'll have to deal with more when I get there. We have enough to process right now. Anyway, any prayers or positive vibes are appreciated. I know that heavenly father has a plan for our family, now we just need to figure out what it is.

13 comments:

Michael and Kyndra said...

I'm so sorry you're going through all this. I wish we lived close by so I could help you, but I will definitely be praying for your whole family.

Coty said...

Amanda, my heart goes out to you and your's.. You'll be in our prayers.

Brigette said...

I am thinking about you and your family. I know you have family close by but PLEASE let me know if there is anything I can do to help. You are in my prayers.

Jen, Jenny, Jennifer said...

I keep on rewriting what I want to say, so I'll just leave it at this. I'm praying for you and your family and I'm here if you need anything...even if you are bored and just want some company. I don't start back to work until the 15th.

lisa at twolooseteeth.com said...

We love you so much. Our thoughts and prayers are with you from Salt Lake.

David and Heather said...

Oh Amanda, what a hard thing to go through. I will definitely be praying for you, your little girl, and the rest of your family. I'm glad that you have family close by to help you through everything. You are where you need to be and I'm sure the dr's there will take great care of you! The Lord is always watching over you, don't forget that He is with you!

Tracy Fonger said...

Wow, you have a lot on your plate. Our thoughts and prayers will be for you and your cute family. Keep us posted, happy thoughts are coming your way!

alyssa said...

hey girl we're sending our love and prayers.

Vallen Family said...

I was going to call or text you after reading this but I don't want to wake you up seeing as it is still early. Amanda my heart is breaking for you. We are praying for the best possible outcomes. We love you guys.

Kelly said...

much love from missouri...

Janet Nelson said...

Amanda: We miss you. The Bishop and I will be praying for you and your family. Let me know if we can do anything "long distance" for you.

Em said...

Wow Amanda. That is just honestly so scary and I am so sorry you guys are going through this, and we will be keeping you in our prayers.

Rachel said...

I'm so sorry Amanda. Your faith through this is so inspiring. You will be in our prayers.