Baby Blog

Well its been quite a day. I mentioned the bleeding the other day and now it seems to be getting worse. I’m off for a sonogram in the morning and a blood panel to see what is going on. My guess was anemia but a friend suggested placenta previa, a condition of pregnancy that causes bleeding the second and third trimester. Apparently 1 in 200 women experience this condition and as I didn’t know about it I thought some of you might not too so here’s the basics.

When you get pregnant the placenta plants itself in your uterus at the point of fertilization. In most cases this is high up in the uterus where there is a better supply of blood and oxygen. In some cases the placenta plants itself very low and grows there. Placenta previa occurs when the placenta is partially or totally covering the cervix.

So what does it do? Being so close to the cervix means a sensitive area and nothing should penetrate the vagina as it can cause bleeding. In my case I sneeze and start bleeding. The position of your placenta is determined at your half way point sonogram. Mine is scheduled for a couple of weeks from now so this extra sonogram will give us an idea of whats happening a little early.

Once the placenta has been locate and measured and depending on the severity of symptoms (i.e. blood flow and cramping if any) your doctor has a number of choices. The main one seems to be bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy to protect the placenta and of course your child. If its dire your doctor may want to deliver early in a controlled environment to try and avoid possible hemorrhage that comes with full term labor and a low placenta. If an early delivery through C-section is scheduled you have to take pills to help baby grow their organs quicker than nature intended.

Of course I am a little scared of a diagnosis and definitely terrified at the thought of being stuck in bed for four months. And I’m certainly not one for the c-section option but when it comes down to it, I reported the symptom to my doctor as my baby is top priority and its my responsibility to handle whatever comes our way. Parenting begins at conception and we have to make the right choices for our babies. Fingers crossed its nothing serious. And again if you have similar symptoms contact your doctor immediately.