Baby had very low birth weight.
- Pulô's birth weight was just 4 pounds and 13 ounces or 2,177 grams. This was 300 grams less than what's considered normal. In the Philippines, babies less than 2500 grams at birth are considered low birth weight infants. That he was delivery prematurely contributed to such low weight.
I had emergency cesarian delivery.
- Husband and i were discussing which day in the third week of January 2012 was a good birthday for P. But all the discussions were futile. I had severe bleeding, 10:30 am of December 22, 2011. Things happened very fast after that. We called the OB, she said i will be delivering baby that day so I was brought to the hospital. At 11:30 am I was on the operating table. At 11:44 am, i heard my little one's first cries!
Baby was born premature.
- We were all worried because baby wasn't due for another 3 weeks! When baby was finally cleaned and tested, we found out that baby was on his 36th week. According to the pedia, 37th week was considered full term.
Baby was in NICU for one week.
- Bago pa ako manganak, sinabi ko na kay husband, "Ang sakit siguro kung madidischarge ka tapos maiiwan pa sa ospital si baby!" Totoo nga, base sa experience ko. I was discharged on Christmas Day and it was also the first time i ever held by baby boy! But it was also the first time we had to leave him. Since baby was 1 week short of a full term, he had to be left in the NICU. He was put under observation and was confined in an incubator. This was supposed to make up for the 1 week remaining of the time baby should have been inside my womb.
I had blood transfusion post delivery.
- I think i lost about 500ml of blood in that prebirth bleeding. Bleeding was painless but we were really alarmed. My husband was shaking when he saw all the blood. Akala ko kasi napaihi lang ako bigla. Yun pala, dugo na ung lumalabas sa akin! One day before i checked out of hospital, i received blood thru transfusion. It was a painful experience, by the way, as blood kept flowing back into the pin.
Placenta previa is manageable. Extra effort is required to ensure your own and baby's safety. Check my previous post if you want to know how this pregnancy complication is diagnosed.
[caption id="attachment_3267" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
All your worries and fears about this condition melted when i finally held my newborn in my arms![/caption]Here are some do's and don'ts when dealing with similar condition.
Do’s
Do take extra care.
- Placenta previa is considered high risk. Be careful and think twice before doing any activity. Seek clearance from your doctor if you need to take long trips, undergo an exercise routine or want to take any new medicine or supplement.
Take a break if you get tired.
- Pregnant moms get tired easily. Getting tired can cause contractions of the uterus, which is a no-no for previa patients.
- After my first bleeding episode I had to spend two weeks on bed rest. It was really frustrating. Sayang, kasi na-imagine ko ang sarili ko na nagwa-walking sa UP habang buntis.
- Not all previa cases need to take full bed rest for the remainder of their pregnancy. It’s based on one’s situation: how far along is the woman and how severe the bleeding is.
- I was working while pregnant. I had many absences when after i had bleeding on the fourth month. That's when i was diagnosed with placenta previa. After that i went back to work, but i was extra careful - no climbing stairs, no comutes, no standing for too long.
- My OB wanted me to take a maternity leave as early as 7th month, but i couldn't bear to leave work. I couldn't take any more forced bed rest! I really thought going on leave that early was OA! I pleaded with my husband so i could just take the leave in the 3rd week of December, that's on my 8th month. I said i'd die of boredom at home. He said yes but made me promise to be extremely careful, that i'll go home if i feel any contractions! My last day at work should have been December 23.But baby wanted to get out early! He made his grand entrance on December 22. We were prepared, but we could have been MORE prepared!!!
Be on the look out for any spotting in any stage of your pregnancy.
- Always wear light-colored undies so any spotting will be seen easily.
- Inform your doctor at once of any bleeding.
Follow your checkup schedule and if possible, heed your OB’s instructions.
- Your OB will give you clear and proper advice. Ask any questions, no matter how no brainer you think they are. It pays to be makulit!
Eat lots of fiber.
- Fiber softens your poop. Pooping should be effortless, so you don’t strain. You’ll be instructed to drink iron supplement, which tend to harden your poop. Banana was off limits as well since banana hardens poop. Some fiber rich foods include pears, oatmeal, whole wheat breads. It's also good to include prunes and yogurt in your diet, these aid digestion.
Consider getting steroid shots.
- Past 7 months our OB instructed us to get Diprospan (betamethasone) shots. Steroids will help mature baby’s lungs. We were hesitant to get the shot but my doctor explained why we needed it. In my case daw kasi, bleeding is imminent, lalo na habang mas lumalaki ang tiyan ko. Our OB says that steroids will help prepare baby’s lungs if I had any bleeding in my last trimester. Getting the shot was a life saver because my baby was born one week before full term!
- OB gave us the steroid prescription. We had to scour hospital pharmacies because steroids are not readily available in most drugstores. Once we have the right drugs and enough dosage, we went to the hospital emergency room, where a nurse administered the steroids. She injected half of the dose on my left arm. Then the other half was injected on the right arm the next day. As i remember i was on my 32nd week when i got the shot.
Pack your hospital bag early.
- Severe bleeding beyond 7 months will lead to delivery. We didn’t pack our bags early on so we were caught off guard. Our baby was born earlier than expected. We haven't prepared the baby bag yet! Sure, we bought and washed all his clothes and other supplies but it was still a mess. As a result, we really had a hard time getting organized at the hospital. Prepare your actual hospital bag and its contents on the early part of the 7th month, to be safe and ready!
Don’ts
Don’t climb stairs, even just 1 storey.
- Always use the elevator when getting from one floor to another. Climbing can be tiresome for pregnant moms, especially in the last trimester because she's getting heavier.
Don’t ever allow pelvic exam or internal exams.
- This was one of my OB's strict orders. Internal exams can reach into your cervix, then into your placenta. Any poking of sorts can lead to bleeding. Explain this to any physician or nurse who intend to examine you.
Don’t do excessively strenuous activities.
- Unlike other moms-to-be who were advised to exercise, I was limited to bed rest. My OB says it’s better to be safe than be sorry.
- Speaking of strenuous activities, we were also banned from having sex. This was really a bummer. Husband and I had to be celibate for the remainder of my pregnancy. Hayyyy… My boobs were also off-limits since breast stimulation can induce contractions.
It made me very thankful i had a safe pregnancy. Husband and I are lucky because we knew of the complication early in the pregnancy. We're also thankful that we had a good OB, who, aside from being an expert , was very patient in answering all our questions.
Having conquered placenta previa, I wondered. How about those pregnant women in the far flung barrios? Access to an ultrasound is limited in these areas, how can they know if they have this condition? This could be why maternal mortality is high in our country!
Also worth reading:
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