Like Sterling wrote in the last post - they found 3 hematomas in my placenta during our 20 week ultrasound. It definitely was a shock to both of us and we both initially left the appointment feeling very overwhelmed, kind of scared. I cried for a while on the way home, wondering if I had done something that caused this to happen, if we were going to lose our baby, if I was going to have to quit my job and be on bed rest, if I was going to have to deliver our baby really early, if it would still be healthy if I had to....about a million different new worries popped into my head. We had both gone into the appointment so incredibly excited about finding out what we were having and telling our parents and family and it had never even crossed our minds that something could be wrong. And no one ever envisions themselves having a "complicated" pregnancy - I especially didn't think it would happen to me because I'm young, in good shape/not overweight, I exercise and eat well, all of my blood and lab work has come back normal, etc. Anyways, it was a big shock and the maternal & fetal specialist with whom we discussed our results with didn't give us a lot of details at first - just very vague information and discussed what would happen in the worst case scenario - higher chance of miscarriage and placental abruption (where the placenta detaches from the uterine wall - life threatening to mom due to bleeding out and also to the baby because of lack of oxygen). He couldn't really give us a lot of details until he looked over everything more closely and put out his final report.
I had envisioned that after our appointment we would be so happy and could finally register for all of our baby stuff, start putting together a nursery and doing more planning (I know, I'm so Type A, it's ridiculous :) I had imagined that we would call both our parents at the same time and tell them "It's A _____!!!!!!!" But it didn't really happen that way. We waited a little bit before we called and when we finally did, I called mom and told her "It's a girl" and then broke down into tears and asked her a million medical questions about how likely it was that we would lose the baby. Then I called dad and asked him since he's a radiologist. (We also listed him as the consulting radiologist for our ultrasound so the report and film would be sent to him to read as well). Unfortunately, because the specialist didn't tell us the sizes, locations or blood supplies to the hematomas, my parents couldn't really give me concrete information about chances of losing our little girl. They basically just told me that until the report comes out in a day or two and I talk with my OB doctor to spend most of my time sitting or laying down, no lifting or exercising etc. It made me feel a little better to be able to discuss more of the specifics with them and to know that a lot of hematomas can get resorbed and go away if you don't do anything to aggravate them. After that, we were able to relax a little bit and we called Tammy and John while on our way home and were able to share our news in a little more exciting/traditional way :) And then we also called/texted our brothers and sisters and grandparents and then later our friends and coworkers.
The next morning, we called the maternal/fetal center and had them send the report to my dad and to my doctor. We finally heard back from my doctor and she basically just told me that we would have to keep a close watch on things. Basically - subchorionic hematomas occur in 1-3% of all pregnancies - no known or suspected cause behind them, "they just happen sometimes" is what she told me. Of those pregnancies, 8-10% end in miscarriage but the vast majority end up being nothing - they get resorbed or stay the same but don't interfere with anything. The hematomas that I have are located on either side and one in the middle near where the umbilical cord attaches to the placenta. Two do not have active blood vessels going into them (good!) but one does (not as good but can't definitively say that it's bad...will just have to be watched). I'll have to have more frequent appointments (my next one is on this Monday the 15th) and more ultrasounds through the end of my pregnancy (for right now, about one every 4 weeks but that could be changed dependent on what they see each time). No physical activity other than slow, short (time & distance) walks...no lifting anything and to call immediately if I have any kind of cramps or pain. If the hematomas resorb completely, I will eventually be released to continue life as normal (well, pregnancy normal) so I can workout again. If they continue to grow, I will likely be placed on partial or full bed rest...which hopefully won't happen - most importantly for the baby's and my health...but also for my job and our finances. I hate to feel like I'm letting anyone down and I don't want to have to stop work suddenly and let my clients down or leave my boss and coworkers in a lurch to provide hours to all of the clients. And while I don't make much money, it does allow us to be putting more back in preparation for the baby and other things so I don't want to let our little family down either :( But, it's all in God's hands so we'll just have to see what the big man has planned!
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