Today, I hit the 29-week mark in my pregnancy, which is cause for celebration, considering that I was hospitalized for placenta previa-related, pre-term bleeding three and a half weeks ago, at just 25 weeks of pregnancy.
Yesterday, I had my 28-week appointment and left joyous, for I saw, via both abdominal and trans-vaginal ultrasounds, that my baby boy still looks perfect in every way, plus learned that he weighs 3 pounds. At his gestational age, he’s a big, big boy—who already has chubby cheeks—so, if he were born even tonight, his chances of not only surviving, but thriving, are strong.
Other great news:
My blood pressure was 104/60, which is healthy.
My second glucose tolerance test, required because my nearly 5-year-old son was born at a whopping 9 pounds 7 ounces, was negative, meaning I still don’t have gestational diabetes. (FYI: My pregnancy books state that the average weight of a full-term baby is 7 to 7 ½ pounds. For any woman who has given birth to a baby over 9 pounds, two glucose tolerance tests are recommended, rather than the usual one.)
My “world-record-length” cervix is still long—at least 5 cm—and closed. When I was pregnant with my son in 2005, I was dilated starting at 27 weeks of pregnancy, so the fact that I’ve made it to 29 weeks with no cervical thinning, funneling from above, or dilation is phenomenal news, especially considering my placenta previa. Having the placenta, unstable and prone to bleeding because of its low position, on top of a weakened, dilated cervix would be very bad.
The not-so-great news:
I weigh 196.7, so I’ve gained 50 pounds, some of which is related to two in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles and some of which is pregnancy weight. One of my pregnancy books says that, by week 29, average weight gain should be between 19 and 25 pounds, so I’m double the high end of that range. But, maybe that’s why my baby is so big, which is a good thing, considering the risk of pre-term delivery.
Based on the two ultrasounds, neither the ultrasound technician nor the head of my high-risk pregnancy practice could say, for sure, whether I still have complete placenta previa or marginal placenta previa. The problem: a blood clot, which is not a problem in itself, for it is simply the result of my prior bleeding episode. The problem is actually the location of said blood clot, which is right on top of my internal os.
I had no idea what my internal os was, so I asked, and it’s the inside opening of the cervix, the door through which a baby first travels on his way down the birth canal. What couldn’t be determined by the ultrasound technician or my doctor is whether this clot is just a clot covering the cervix, which is no big deal, or if this clot is part of the placenta, meaning the placenta is still completely blocking the cervix.
So, we wait. I’ll have another appointment in two weeks that will be a doctor appointment without ultrasound to check the size of my uterus, my baby’s fetal heart tones, my lungs because of my asthma, and so on. And, in four weeks, I’ll have a doctor appointment with ultrasound, so my high-risk team can see if my placenta has made any upward progress.
If my placenta is covering the cervix and doesn’t move, I will have to have a C-section, because it would be impossible for my baby to make it down the birth canal ahead of the placenta. And, with the placenta leading the way, the complications include hemorrhaging for me and complete cut-off of oxygen for him. So, if my placenta stays put, a C-section it will be. And, I’m OK with that. Anything to protect my baby.
Until my next appointment, my doctor said that, because my placenta hasn’t bled in three weeks, I can transition from full bed rest to partial bed rest, being prone for only four to six hours in the daytime—unless I experience more-frequent contractions or start to bleed again. While my initial instinct was, “I’m free! I’m free!” because even being allowed six hours out of bed is thrilling, I’ve decided to maintain as mellow a schedule as possible for the duration of this pregnancy, doing my absolute best to keep my baby inside of me until he’s full-term, which is defined as 37 to 42 weeks.
While being so restricted is difficult, it’s a short-term sacrifice toward my baby’s lifelong health. And, quite frankly, I’d make any sacrifice, short- or long-term, to ensure my baby’s well-being.