Sarah and her husband were thrilled to find out she was pregnant on New Year’s after a few months of trying. After an initial appointment to confirm the pregnancy, she resumed her normal life patterns but noticed intermittent spotting. While she knew this was possible early in the pregnancy, it made her anxious and very aware of 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. At her first ultrasound a few days later, the tech spotted a subchorionic hematoma. Fortunately the hematoma subsided around the end of her first trimester.
The rest of the pregnancy was generally smooth except for a bad stomach bug in the second trimester. However, at about 35 weeks, after a day of not feeling much movement, Sarah visited her doctor’s office with concern and was told to come in for an ultrasound. The imaging showed a healthy baby, but a breech, which was a surprise. It was late in the game for me to find out and Sarah was worried that all her vaginal birth planning would be for nothing. She tried all the more immediate options to try and turn the baby – acupuncture and different poses from Spinning Babies – but at 37 weeks it was to no avail. She then decided to try an external cephalic version, determining that she would eventually look back with regret if she didn’t do everything possible to try for a vaginal birth.
Sarah and her husband went to the hospital on the morning of August 25th for the ECV when she was 37 weeks and 5 days pregnant. After a delay in the initial procedure, Sarah underwent an epidural and the doctors began. 10 minutes later they managed to turn the baby over and two hours of monitoring the baby’s contractions and heartbeat began. Sarah was excited to finally be able to make plans for the spontaneous labor and vaginal delivery she had hoped for. Towards the end of the two hours of monitoring, the care team noticed a worrying pattern of slowdowns in the baby’s heart rate that did not line up with the contractions. Sarah and her husband waited patiently after some additional monitoring to see what would happen, but very soon after this discovery, the doctor decided to proceed with a C-section, fearing a placental abruption. The c-section experience ended up being great – the team was kind, thoughtful to ask about preferences right before the procedure, and Sarah’s husband was able to be with her in the OR the whole time and announce that the baby was a girl when the they were pulling outside. 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 emotionally prepare for your child’s arrival! Luckily Avery was healthy and they were able to confirm the placental abruption in the OR, meaning if they hadn’t caught the signs at the end of the follow-up period it could have been a much more traumatic and dangerous experience. Overall, Sarah was incredibly grateful for an unexpected and smooth c-section experience!
Sarah May Bio
Sarah lives in Washington, DC with her husband Darrell, daughter Avery, and their dog Cash, and currently cares for Avery full-time. She loves a good cup of coffee, a long walk to the Capitol, and their church community there in DC
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SNP Therapeutics
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