This is my new friend Jenifer. She has been a great strength to me. It is so hard to watch her go through this terrible time. She is such a strong and amazing woman. You can read more about her journey at www.toddnjenifermoss.blogspot.
My Story of {hopefully} Surviving Percreta- by Jenifer Moss
Aren’t our bodies incredible? They can move and breathe and digest food and heal and even create life. I have given birth to seven, adorable, healthy babies and I’m continually amazed that somehow, while I eat pickles and rest on the couch (or hospital bed), my body is creating ears, kidneys, nostrils and ten, perfect toes. Pregnancy is beautiful. Life is a miracle.
We are conditioned to believe that life should be like a 30 second commercial where everyone is smiling, healthy and perfect looking. We all have many moments where our life does look commercial perfect, especially those happy, “pee on a stick and see two red lines” moments.
I had SEVEN, beautiful, healthy, magical pregnancies. I had five vaginal deliveries and two, just a little bit scary, emergency C-section deliveries. After one long miscarriage, my doctor suggested a small surgery to clean out my uterus. It was a routine procedure, nobody ever suggested that it could cause any problems with future pregnancies. Doctors commented on my family size, but they were always supportive of my choice to have a large family. We had two boys and five girls and I just knew that there was one more boy waiting to join our family!
We were so excited, in early November, to find out that we were expecting again. After a positive pregnancy test, some continual spotting, and some weird early ultrasound results, my OB sent me to a Perinatology specialist. Laying on that ultrasound table, with my tummy gooey and my eyes searching for four chambers of a beating heart, the sonographer asked if we wanted to know the sex of our baby? It was most definitely A BOY!! I cannot describe the peace and joy that settled upon my soul at that moment—I knew he was coming and I knew he was supposed to be ours.
The next moments crept by in slow motion. Doctors were called in, they whispered and looked again and finally announced that I had a very serious condition- Placenta Accreta with complete Placenta Previa. It was a very early diagnosis, but they were pretty certain. Anytime ultrasounds show a low-lying placenta with a history of prior C-sections, Accreta should be suspected!! My doctor told me I could expect weeks of bed rest, delivery in the Operating Room around 34 weeks gestation, with a transverse C-section followed by a hysterectomy. They would probably hospitalize me from 25 weeks on. Because my placenta was directly on top of a previous C-section scar, I had a higher chance of having my placenta attach through my uterus to other abdominal organs, like my bladder. If I wanted an abortion, now was the time to make that happen.
My beautiful, perfect, commercial-like moment darkened with words like “hysterectomy, abortion, Placenta Percreta, bed rest, risk of maternal morbidity and mortality, etc.” My life changed in that one moment, belly-up on the hospital cot.
Much has changed, but one thing has not changed—I still know that pregnancy is a gift. THIS pregnancy is a gift. My last little guy would not begin his life easily, but he is coming miraculously. I feel honored to sacrifice in a small way to bring him safely into this world. I feel humbled to be the recipient of care from many, many skilled and compassionate hospital workers. I am in awe of modern-day technology. This was not the pregnancy I imagined, but it is an experience that I am grateful for.
As I write this, I am 29 weeks and 5 days pregnant with my miracle, grand finale little boy. I am excited and nervous for his birthday. I’ve been on bed rest for 5 months and in the hospital just over a week. I’ve entered the world of the high-risk pregnancy and I feel blessed for the perspective this experience has given me.
This pregnancy has given me skills. I’m amazing at finding heartbeats for a non-stress test, seriously, they should hire me when I’m out of here. I can walk a nervous nurse through the saline/heprin flushing of my central line. I’ve read more books than an English major, more journal articles on Placenta Accreta than a resident, and I am just about an expert Ultrasound reader… I can find bladder, cervix, and umbilical cords just as fast as the best Sonographer (still trying to figure out those ovaries though). Even though my blood pressure is always too low, I really think I can make my heart beat faster just by thinking about it. One last skill, I’m an expert room service orderer—I hardly ever forget to ask for salt, sugar, milk for my oatmeal or salad dressing anymore. Take that bed rest!
Everyone should sit through a few doctor appointments where they are told they could die. It changes things. I hope that you are not put in a position that you have to defend your right to choose LIFE for a baby in your womb, but if you are, you will know completely where you stand on that controversial topic and you will know what your choice is. The hardest thing about being diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy is that people view pregnancy as optional. I believe they spend more time on worst-case scenario because you can choose to terminate your pregnancy. I almost shouted to them, 10% chance of mortality is still 90% chance of living a long, healthy life. Isn’t the life of a baby worth the risk?
Every pregnant woman should give themselves a few days of complete bed rest. It only takes a few days for the aches and pains of inactivity to creep in and for your body to crave movement. Oh, I am so excited to pick up my toddler and run up the stairs with her in my arms again someday.
Yes, I have a very serious and extremely rare case of Placenta Percreta. My placenta has not only gone through my uterus into my bladder, it has gone down into my cervix and possibly back into my bowels. Your placenta pumps about one unit of blood per minute. So, if your placenta ruptures, you could bleed out in 5-10 minutes. My risk of hemorrhage is high. This is what makes me extremely high-risk and why I’m here at the hospital. Although I disagree with the resident who explains I am their “sickest” patient (I’m pregnant, not sick), I completely understand the seriousness of my condition. I will be on hospital bed rest until my scheduled surgery (in 31 more days) or until I bleed and am rushed into emergency surgery before then. I meet with different specialists every day who explain new, risky outcomes of my impending procedures.
To prepare for my surgery I have had many, many intense ultrasounds, an EKG, an Echocardiogram, Cystoscopies, blood tests to test my clotting factors. They have scheduled an MRI closer to my delivery. I have a central line inserted so they can give me blood fast if I hemorrhage. My doctors are working closely with the Red Cross to be sure they have over 40 units of blood on hand from now until I deliver. They cross type and check my blood every 72 hours to be sure they have blood ready and waiting. This team of doctors I’m working with are ready and waiting. I feel confident that I am in the very best of places with the very best odds of survival. I am so grateful for all the care and expertise that is being focused on me and my son.
Although I’m being treated at one of the best hospitals in America (Oregon Health Science University, in Portland, Oregon), they haven’t seen many cases as intense as mine. But, as the Attending reminded me this morning, I am not the first. Each successful deliver gives them another experience to learn from, they are prepared for me and I will receive the best care available.
Yes, my condition is very rare and very scary. I could die. I could spend months in a very difficult recovery. My baby could die. He could be born very early and be very sick. This is NOT an ideal situation, but these are the cards that I have been dealt… and, I’m going to play this hand the best I can.
Honestly, there isn’t much a mother can do when presented with a high-risk pregnancy. 1- you can choose to abort your baby, 2- you can choose to feel sorry or afraid your whole pregnancy, 3- you can accept your situation and make the best of it. My doctors are the ones that have the hard part—they have to save my life and the life of my baby. I just have to make the best of an interesting situation.
Placenta Accreta is rare, it affects 1 in 2,500 pregnancies. If you have had previous C-sections or uterine surgery your risk increases to 1 in 500. Of those with Accreta, only 6% have Placenta Percreta. I’m one of the lucky 6%. It is good to be aware of this condition. As doctors learn more about it, early detection (like mine) will be more common. Abortions, C-sections, D&C’s, and any uterine surgery do increase your risk for this condition.
I did not choose to have Placenta Percreta. But, I am choosing to be grateful for the baby that is attached to this placenta!! His life is a gift. This experience is a gift. My doctors are going to see and work miracles, and if not, I am still grateful for this journey. Life is beautiful.
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