Sarah and her husband were delighted to find out she was pregnant on New Year’s Day after months of trying. After an initial appointment to confirm the pregnancy, she resumed normal life patterns but noticed intermittent criticism. Although she knew it was possible in early pregnancy, she was anxious and very aware of the bleeding every day. Around 7 weeks, there was a day of heavier bleeding that caused concern and led her to follow up with her doctor, fearing a possible miscarriage, but her hCG levels were still rising. also. At her first ultrasound a few days later, the tech identified a subchorionic hematoma. Fortunately, the hematoma resolved by the end of her first trimester.
The rest of the pregnancy is usually smooth outside of the bad belly in the second trimester. However, around 35 weeks, after a day of not feeling much movement, Sarah called her doctor’s office with concern and was told to come in for an ultrasound. Imaging showed a healthy baby, but a breech, which was a surprise. It’s too late in the game to discover this and Sarah worries that all her planning for a vaginal birth will be for naught. She tried all the more immediate options to try to flip the baby – acupuncture and various poses from Spinning Babies – but at 37 weeks it didn’t work. She then decided to try an external cephalic version, determining that she would eventually come back with regret if she didn’t do everything possible to try for a vaginal birth.
Sarah and her husband entered the hospital on the morning of August 25 for ECV when she was 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant. After a delay in the initial procedure, Sarah received an epidural and the doctors began. After 10 minutes, they were successful in flipping the baby and two hours of monitoring the contractions and the baby’s heartbeat started. Sarah was thrilled to finally be able to plan for the spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery she had been hoping for. At the end of two hours of monitoring, the care team noticed a pattern of decelerations in the baby’s heart rate that did not match the contractions. Sarah and her husband patiently waited through some additional monitoring to see what would happen, but soon after that discovery the doctor decided to proceed with a caesarean, fearing placental abruption. The caesarean experience was wonderful – the team was kind, thoughtful to ask about preferences before the procedure, and Sarah’s husband was with her in the OR the whole time and announced that the baby was a girl when she was pulled. out. From the time they were told they were going into the procedure to Avery’s birth was almost exactly 30 minutes – a quick turnaround to prepare emotionally for your child’s arrival! Luckily Avery was healthy and they confirmed the placental abruption in the OR, meaning if they hadn’t caught the signs at the end of the monitoring period, it could have been a more traumatic and dangerous experience. Overall, Sarah is very grateful for an unexpected and smooth caesarean experience!
Sarah Has Bio
Sarah lives in Washington, DC with her husband Darrell, her son Avery, and their dog Cash, and currently cares for Avery full time. He loves a good cup of coffee, a long walk on Capitol Hill, and their church community there in DC
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SNP Therapeutics
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