My name is Jennie. I'm a wife and a mother. I have been married to the man of my dreams, Trever, for 9 wonderful years. We have 5 beautiful daughters who fill our lives with joy and excitement. We just had our 6th child. Our son Caleb.

I was diagnosed with a rare condition called Placenta Accreta along with Placenta Previa. Accreta is a condition where the placenta attaches to the scar tissue in the uterus. It will often continue to grow to deeper tissue (increta) and even through the uterus attaching to other organs(percreta). I ended up having an 11 hour surgery, including a hystorectomy, and bladder repair. I received 7 units of blood and blood parts. (This is a lot of blood loss for my surgeons, but minimal blood loss to those who are not as experienced in these deliveries. I spent 36 hours in the ICU after surgery. I have also had many other complications afterwards including another minor surgery 2 weeks later. These complications are somewhat normal for the type of surgery I had.

I had a team of specialists doing my surgery. Obgyns, Gyno-oncologists, trauma surgeons, urologists and anesthesiologists. This team has specialized in techniques helping with minimal blood loss. Those with accreta , loose large amounts of blood because the placenta cannot detach naturally at delivery.

My goal is to help save women's lives by giving this terrible condition a voice. So many are ignorant to its fatal attack. Doctors and women alike, need to be educated about Accreta. Many have never even heard of it. The numbers are on the rise because of so many women choosing to have c-sections when it isn't necessary. Not all women can avoid it, but many can. Please help me give Accreta a voice, by sharing the information in this blog. (There are numerous posts with information on Accreta as well as the Accreta team who took such great care of me.)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Home Sweet Home


After being discharged on Wednesday, we went down to see Caleb for a few minutes. To my surprise, and what a blessing, I was able to hold him for about an hour. I couldn't believe my body felt great for that amount of time. He was alert and active for the first little while. We just gazed into each others eyes. Ah, it was heaven. Then he fell asleep so peacefully. I had glimpses of sitting on my rocking chair at home, and just holding him while he slept. For the first time in a very long time, I could see glimpses of the future. My life after the hospital and recovery.

I do have to admit, I was somewhat thankful, that he is still on oxygen. They were trying to wean him off, but he struggled just a bit, without any. So they put him back on with 1/2 liter of oxygen. The reason I was thankful that he was still needing the support, was because I was feeling overwhelmed with taking him home any time soon. My recovery has been so much worse than normal, that I am just not able to do for him what he needs right now. I am so thankful that he has the nurses and doctors that he needs right now. They care for him with such love and gentleness. It's so comforting.

We went home for the first time in 8 weeks Wednesday  night. I was so apprehensive about going home for some reason. As we got closer tpo home, I felt more and more at peace. My fears began to subside, and with each mile closer, I felt more and more confident. More and more weight was literally lifted of my shoulders. It's so weird and hard to explain. Unless you have gone though something like it... You just have to take my word for it. When you leave for long periods of time to go live another life, then suddenly give that all up and return to your old life, it's just a strange feeling.

The girls were so excited and surprised to see us. They immediately brought out their new artwork and treasures for us to observe. They brought out brushes and lotion. they brushed my hair and rubbed my legs and feet. it was so cute and sweet. Grandma and Grandpa had a movie night with ice cream planned out. The girls snuggled with Trever during the movie. I felt bad that I couldn't hold them when they asked. I had to tell them mommy was still not well, so I couldn't hold them. Sweet Becka kept coming to me. She would act like she wanted me to hold her. I would just touch her face and burry her face in my lap. (That is as close to a hug as I could get, without bending over) she seemed to understand completely, that I wanted to give her more but couldn't. It was as if her little spirit understood completely.

The girls have been dealing with much fear and anxiety the past couple of days. They are worried every time I talk about going to the hospital or anywhere, that I won't come back. At least not for a while. It is hard to watch them go through it. It's a natural reaction, especially with what they have been through. Lots of snuggles and lovin will help bring the feeling of stability back into their lives. They have had a rough and shaky road the past 4 months.

The longer I am home, the more I long to stay home. I knew I was supposed to stay in Phoenix that first week out of the hospital. Looking back now, I needed it for my recovery. Not to mention for the complications I had, post surgery. I'm glad we close to get those things fixed. The all of a sudden I felt like I needed to be home now. My girls need me more than Caleb does right now. I also need to allow myself more time to heal. I want to get my body ready to be able to care for that sweet baby. Right now, though I feel better every day, I'm not ready to give him what he needs. Soon though...soon
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2 comments:

  1. UnknownMarch 16, 2013 at 8:43 AM

    I think you are absolutely right. I wish you the best with your continued healing. There is no place like home. However jumping right into motherhood after what you have been through would be very overwhelming. You are an inspired women and have good instincts. Just be patient with yourself! Things will get better. Love you and admire you! You are still welcome here anytime. :) Still praying for your full recovery for you and your whole family.

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  2. Samantha PhillipsMarch 16, 2013 at 11:24 AM

    You are amazing, Jennie! You're a great example of Faith! I am 37.3 weeks along with our third and while I feel like any struggle I have is nothing compared to others, your posts have been so encouraging. I have been following your posts throughout this incredible journey! You have been such an example to me and have overcome so many obsticles with such grace!

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