bump #79: nothing short of a miracle

God answers prayer.

There is no other explanation for what has happened.

Ollie at 23 weeks   1 lb 2 oz

profile, arm, and foot

I had vasa previa 3 weeks ago and today it is gone.

I was praying constantly for healing, but also preparing for the worst. This prognosis meant incredible danger for the baby and myself. It would have required immediate blood transfusion and resuscitation following an emergency C-section for the baby. We would have approximately 3 minutes to revive him and he would have stayed in the neonatal unit and NICU for many weeks  possibly suffering brain damage. In severe cases of vasa previa, a hysterectomy (complete removal of the uterus) becomes necessary, which would mean no more pregnancies. This was all around heart breaking news and the last few weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for us. I simultaneously rejoiced and worried over every kick I've felt. I love knowing that he is ok in there, but I'm freaked out that he's going to rupture the placenta if he moves too much. I cried and cried at the thought of never getting to be pregnant again and couldn't stop thinking about our one little remaining frozen embryo. All I could think was what if, what if, what if? And none of the scenarios ended well.

Today we went to the appointment expecting the worst.

We held our breaths through the 10 minute anatomy scan, reassured to see Oliver continuing to grow and develop right on track. The doctor came back to get a second look with a trans-vaginal ultrasound that would show a better view of the cervix, umbilical cord, placenta, and extra lobe that is on the placenta. The perinatologist reviewed the results of these scans and cool as a cucumber, said "Well I won't be seeing you anymore. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!" My response was something like... "But I have 3 pages of very specific questions for you pertaining to complications with vasa previa and I need to know what our next steps are." He said we definitely don't have vasa previa, but there is an "accessory" lobe (succenturiate) located higher on the placenta (in the fundus, whatever that is!) so it does not block the cervix and is not at risk for rupturing. The only potential risk with the accessory lobe is making sure the whole placenta is removed after the baby is born to prevent infection. That may require a c section delivery, but not an emergency c section. There are no free floating blood vessels that could burst at any time, like we thought. In fact, nothing is blocking the cervix except for the umbilical cord, and it moved when we pushed on my belly, so that is not an issue. They went on to perform a 3rd high resolution ultrasound (for my piece of mind) and there was absolutely no vasa previa. Yay! I think we were all surprised. We have an appointment next week with my regular doctor to discuss the results and I will ask for another scan in the third trimester just to be safe, but this is such a relief!

Thank you for lifting us in prayer. I certainly don't understand all of the medical talk, but God has definitely performed a miracle for our family and we are in awe.