My preterm birth story 35+4

My husband and I were extremely happy to find out we were having our first girl. I have two teenage boys from a previous marriage and the two of us share a 2 1/2 year old boy. This pregnancy was a whoopsie, but we embraced it none the less. I am 36, him 41, so we made the decision we would have him get a vasectomy in the last month of pregnancy this time around. We scheduled that when I was 14 weeks.

One morning, at 23 weeks, I took a warm bath in the middle of the day. Restless legs were starting about that time for me. I looked down at the water and saw a egg sized blood clot floating in the tub. I panicked, called my husband in, who works from home, and said we gotta get to L and D.

Fast forward through triage, bleed is mild but showing on a pad, took the clot with me, the MFM diagnosis me with marginal placental previa, keeps me one night, bleeding stops, they send me on my way.

I have a follow up appt that week, all is well.

One week and 3 days later, I wake up to a gush. I know immediately it’s blood even though my pants are black. Run into the bathroom and a giant plum size clot falls into the toilet. I dug it out to measure it and take it with me to L and D.

Arrive at L and D, 24 +3, MFM comes in, they say my placenta is no longer by my cervix but it is separating from the uterine wall. The diagnosis me with a partial placental abruption. Their NICU doesn’t support babies this young, so they transfer me by ambulance to another location. I stayed 2 nights, bleeding stopped, baby is fine, sent me on my way.

Two and half weeks go by, now I am 27 weeks, wake up to a huge gush of blood. Go to the higher level NICU hospital, they see a large floating hematoma on the screen. They tell me that they are going to let me go home the next day but I am on strict bed rest and I am having this baby early. Their goal is to have me make it to 34 weeks. The date is 3/7/20. I call my mom, who lives in Oregon. She agrees to fly down that day to tend to my toddler until my husband and I can secure a nanny. Then she’ll fly back and return a week before they decide to induce me. (My doc told me 37 weeks was the longest she’d keep me pregnant). So my mom arrives 3/8/20.

Covid-19/Stay-at-home/Mass Panic/Mom isn’t going anywhere😕😟

No way we can hire a nanny now, we are quarantined. Flights are cancelled. My mom is here to stay, so we are paying her instead. Cool.

31 week MFM scan. Hematoma still very visible, right above my cervical opening. So my OB will not allow me to try for vaginal (even though all my babies were born this way, term). My c-section gets scheduled for 36 weeks on the dot. The date of that is today, 5/11/20.

May 8th I go to my final appointment for last min questions and vitals. When I leave my urine sample, I have blood. Yikes. Not clots or enough to fill a pad, but red/pink, early period looking blood. I show my doctor. She tells me to keep an eye on it and if returns, go to L and D because she is on call. If not, she’ll see me Monday.

May 9th, wake up to pink streaks. Decide I’m not taking the chance. Something just told me not to fuck around. We get our bags, kiss our toddler, bid my mom adieu, and head into L and D.

After a painful covid19 test and a cervical check (why?? Idk) we head to the OR! It’s go time! 😬I decide to do a tubal since they are going in anyways. (Lucky ass hubby).

Born at 5:57pm

Lily June Nelson

6lbs 2oz 18 3/4 long

See that knot?? Here look again

That is one of 2 true knots, cord wrapped around her neck and my placenta was barely hanging on with a huge clot on it!

She is healthy, born at 35+4. No NICU. Latched great!

We think she has hung the moon.

Ladies. Trust your intuition. Go into l and d if you are in doubt, ever. We are very fortunate. Our OB told us she could have died. We are so lucky. Happy pregnancies to you all. Happy Mother’s Day to me:)