I am shocked to find that I still resent pregnancy announcements. Within the past 24 hours, I have learned that M's friend's wife is about 17 weeks along, and my co-worker is 5 weeks along. Neither of them had any trouble whatsoever conceiving.
No matter how unreasonable it is, I find myself resenting people for whom conception is a piece of cake. It's like I feel they don't really "deserve" the pregnancy--even though I know that's all relative. If each one of us experienced the pain and suffering that everyone else did on all issues, we'd all be absolutely miserable! Everyone has their own issues to deal with, and ours happened to be conception/baby loss/etc. Still, I can't help but grit my teeth.
In the meantime, my friend who is 21 weeks pregnant after 2 1/2 years of secondary infertility and IVF just found out she has placenta previa. The placenta is completely covering the cervix. Yet, her doc is not referring her to a peri, and doesn't plan on doing another ultrasound until late in the 3rd trimester. Is this normal? Or should she seek a second opinion? The doc merely told her to page her at any sign of bleeding.
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6 comments:
If she's not comfortable with the care plan- I would suggest a second opinion. It looks like quite a few complete previas are preterm, and if it remains complete, she will have a c/s.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/TOPIC3271.HTM
People vary on how that manage a praevia, but a high grade one later in pregnancy (that covers the internal os of the cervix) usually = admission to hospital if bleeding at all. And admission to hopsital anyway in the second half of the pregnancy quite often because as the uterus grows and stretches, the placental bed can bleed.
Such women will have daily foetal monitoring if there is any bleeding and a group+save/crossmatch of blood just in case. Obviously having the ability to transfuse and perform an emergency c-section is a hospital ability, not an at home one.
This is because the placenta recieves such high maternal blood flow that the mother can bleed to death rapidly. Most OB's wouldn't consider it safe for such women to stay at home- especially if there has been an earlier bleed. Even if small- because they can get worse.
Oh, and your friend needs to know about the increased risk of a post-partum haemorrhage because the lower part of the uterus is not muscular like the upper part, and when the placenta implants low, it is often harder to get the vessels contracted down to stop bleeding. The bleeding can, occasionally, be severe enough to require hysterectomy.
Not to cause a freak out, because many women with pp have safe pregnancies and deliveries, but I'd probably get a second opinion.
I'd see a peri.....
J
Oh, and obviously she will have a c/s no matter what, you can't get a baby out the traditional way if the placenta is in the road.
J
Oh, and I forgot to mention that many placentas that are low lying at the 20 weeks u/s move upwards as the uterus stretches, and don't remain a problem- and the usual approach then IS an u/s later in pregnancy to confirm it has moved. But that's less likely if your friend truly has a high grade praevia completely covering the internal os.
J
Ann,
Just forget about the 80%. They always had it easy. What can you do?!
I'm more concerned about your friend. Hope things turn out smoothly for her. Geohyde's replies scare me. But my ob/gyn pretty much gave the same reply as her third comment.
J - when is the later scan done?
I am with you 100% on resenting the pregnancy announcements. I've got 2 kids and will never, ever have more. But I still get irrationally pissed at people for whom it seemed so easy.
There's no way I could provide more information than J already did regarding your friend.
In the meantime... Only 2 more days until your due date! Any updates?
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