Hello browneyedbeauty, i have just found
this forum, i have been looking for one
for a long time now, for the same reasons
as you, to try to get some answers.
I have been through the same thing as you,
placental abruption, and i will tell you a
bit of my experience and the answers i got
from doctors, midwives, and
gynaecologists.I hope i don't upset you or
make you think of unnecessary upsetting
things.
I had early bleeding in my pregnancy, i
had several early scans and they had told
me when it stopped, everything would be
fine now and that i could put it down to
implantation bleeding.they said this
happened to alot of women and that some
women like you bleed all through pregnancy
but they have perfectly healthy babies.
So i went on, and i had a perfectly
healthy, no complaints pregnancy.Up until
movements suddenly stopped at 35 weeks.i
was induced and Adam was born sleeping. He
was a great weight for his gestational age
and perfect from head to toe.
When my placenta was delivered i had never
seen one but i knew that it was not right,
something was wrong with it. there was a
blood clot as big as a closed fist between
the cord and the placenta.
I had tests done, Adam went for a post
mortem and they also examined my
placenta.
When i went back for the results, they
told me i was in perfect health and so was
Adam.so if i wanted to pursue another
pregnancy that i could knowing that
genetically we were fine. It may happen
again if there is something wrong in the
blood or something else genetically
otherwise there is a very slim chance that
it would happen again. it only occurs in
1% of all pregnancies worldwide!! then
they spoke of the abruption, they said
that it was unfortunate that it had
happened on my first pregnancy, usually it
happens to women with a few children, they
said that high risk cases would be women
who suffer high blood pressure,
pre-eclampsia and diabetics should be
especially careful.also they said usually
there is alot of bleeding and pain when it
happens, and that i experienced none of
this. my placental abruption was hidden
behind the placenta and somehow when the
placenta half broke away the blood clot
formed instead of me bleeding.so adam was
sustained and growing so no one could have
known.if i had bled then i could have gone
to hospital before the clot blocked the
tube.also they told me that if i bled
there would have been a chance that i
could have died. the mortality rate for
baby and mother is 40% in bleeding cases,
mum and baby pass away. they thought this
would make me feel better, but all i
remember saying is i would rather be dead
too, or dead and have had my baby saved.
its not better that at least i lived.
I do not know if what i am saying will
upset you or help you in some way, i hope
it helps you somehow.
it happened to us, me adam and brian 3
months ago today. its still fresh and our
lives have changed, and i can say time
does make it a little easier to cope.
i spent the first month looking for
someone to blame, me, my partner the
hospital. i asked why they had not picked
up on it or kept a closer eye on me when i
had early bleeding or why i only had one
scan at 17weeks when the baby was
developing....all these things were
answered by the doctors.
I hope some of these things help you a
little. i know when it happened to me
people thought they were helping by
telling me about all these other people
who had gone through the same thing...when
they had finished telling me the story, it
was not the same at all. im not saying
placental abruption is worse than say cot
death but they are all such different
circumstances. they are different feelings
and regrets and pain. the worst things
people have said to me without thinking
are,
1. well at least you are young and you
can have more.
2.wouldnt it be worse if you had him and
brought him home and bonded.
what exactly do people think a growing
baby is in our tummies, my baby was part
of me so we bonded more than i have ever
bonded with anyone else in my life.
something else my doctor said was the only
way she could see me getting over it was
to get pregnant again as soon as i am
healthy, that having a pregnancy that gets
seen through right to the end with a
healthy newborn to take home is the only
way to really start to get on with life
again.
the pregnancy and 9 months would be the
toughest bit though.at least next time
around i will have this experience and be
more fearful maybe thats actually a good
thing.i am not ready yet but when i am i
will be on the high risk list and the
hospital have assured me they would keep
more of a watchful eye on me.
i hope some of this is a help and i would
love to have someone to talk with and if
you want to just talk at me too thats ok,
everyone needs someone who wants to
listen. so my ears are open if you want
that.
take care and best wishes to you xxx
after what you have and are still going
through you are a very brave strong woman.
