There will be a time when I share the specifics of my experience but I just don't feel ready. It's so personal and private. I am in no way offended when people ask me what happened and I am not afraid to talk about it. However, I tend to breeze over it very quickly giving just enough information. I know that I will share my birth story one day and that day might be right around the corner. But it's not now.
But let's talk about vasa previa...
Vasa praevia is a rare condition that is NOT routinely checked for during pregnancy even though it can be EASILY detected with a Doppler ultrasound or 3-D ultrasound. When it goes undetected there is a 90% mortality rate. That is a devastating consequence for something that can be easily checked and monitored! I encourage every one that is pregnant, plans to be pregnant, or knows someone that's pregnant to be informed! I read everything there is to read about pregnancy but I had never even heard of this condition.
If it had been detected while I was pregnant with Daisy, I would've been placed on pelvic rest (not bed rest) after the diagnosis. I would've been given steroids to help my baby grow faster if needed. I would have possibly been hospitalized around 30 weeks for observation. We would have planned a c-section for 34 weeks gestation. What a simple way to prevent the death of a baby!
Vasa praevia (in a very shortened version) is when the umbilical cord passes over the opening of the cervix. It has no symptoms to speak of other than MAYBE some spotting or bleeding and is not painful. If you have vasa previa you cannot give birth vaginally because the cord will detach from the placenta and/or the blood vessels will rupture. In my case Daisy's umbilical cord was also velamentous. This is a common combination in vasa praevia, so common in fact that the terms vasa praevia and velamentous cord insertion are often used interchangeably to refer to this condition. Velamentous cord insertion means the blood vessels of the umbilical cord were not encased in Wharton's jelly like normal but instead exposed, looking like a spider web connecting to the placenta. This makes them very vulnerable to rupture. The rupture of these vessels results in massive but painless bleeding. When the vessels rupture in vasa praevia, the baby goes into fetal bradycardia which means the heart rate drops due to lack of oxygen and blood and will result in rapid death if not immediately taken via c-section.
9 out of 10 vasa previa pregnancies end in the death of the baby when undiagnosed. When diagnosed, that mortality rate drops to almost ZERO! Why is this not routinely checked for during pregnancy? Why do doctors not check for this during the 20 week anatomy scan? Most people will say the reason is because it's so rare, but it is as common as having a baby with Down's Syndrome! Down's Syndrome is commonly checked for during pregnancy so why isn't vasa praevia?! It's less invasive than checking for Down's. Instead of a blood draw or amniocentesis, vasa praevia can be checked via ultrasound.
500 babies a year die due to vasa praevia and every single death was preventable...not just preventable, but EASILY preventable! Pregnant mamas everywhere need to know about this condition. All you have to do is ask to be checked at your anatomy scan. If your hospital does not have Doppler ultrasounds (the ones with the red and blue colors), have an elective 3-d ultrasound and ask them to check. I know it costs extra but it could save your baby's life!
* I am no doctor! I am sharing the condition in as simple of a way as I can. I have taken information given to me by doctors, specialists, and my own research.
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