Oh Baby! (20 weeks)

Yesterday marked the half-way point in my pregnancy. Yay! Today, however, marked a scare that I wasn't prepared for. Last night I slept miserably. Does this matter to my story? No, not really. But for the record, I seem to struggle sleeping through the night. I often wake up to go to the bathroom, or just to toss and turn in general. Frequently when this occurs, it is very difficult for me to fall back to sleep - even if I am exhausted. I took Unisom for three nights in a row (which helped tremendously), but decided that I should try to sleep without it. Last night I tossed and turned for an hour and a half from about 3 - 4:30 AM. I finally decided to get up and read. Around 5:30 AM after reading for an hour, I thought I'd try to go back to sleep. I was finally starting to doze off, when Miles's alarm went off and he hit the snooze. Repeat scenario 3 times. Ugh. I think I finally got to sleep around 6:30 or 7 AM when he left for work.


Back to my story. So I was exhausted this morning when Owen woke me up at 10 AM. Thank goodness my sweet baby slept in and played in his crib so late! I got up, played with him for a bit and read him some stories in the big chair. While sitting there, I sneezed a couple of times. As I did, I thought, "Great. I think I just peed." (Thank you weak muscles due to child birth). We then went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. I thought I seemed especially wet, so I thought I would check. I was shocked to find a decent amount of blood in my underwear. I tried not to freak out and remain calm while I called the doctor's office.


I spoke with the nurse who told me that spotting can be normal, especially with placenta previa. I knew this, but didn't really feel that what I had merely constituted spotting. She talked with the doctor and said they wanted me to come in today just to make sure everything was ok. I again tried to remain calm when I called Miles and told him what was going on. I also called my Mom (who didn't answer) and my sister Kim, who gave me good words of encouragement.


I ate an orange and cereal to see if I could get baby girl to move, but didn't notice any movements. I got Owen and I ready and went to the office. We saw Lisa Stubbs. We talked it all through and she said she thought it might be a subchorionic bleed/hematoma. She said that while she wasn't concerned, she would like me to get an ultrasound just to make sure things are ok. She sent me to the perinatologist at UVRMC so that I would get to talk to "the gurus of ultrasounds" (as she referred to it) and get any questions or concerns answered.


Miles came home from work early to stay with Owen so I could go to my appointment that afternoon. An ultrasound tech did a very comprehensive ultrasound measuring all of baby girl's major body parts and organs, and the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. (Basically it was a repeat of the US I had last week). She said that everything looked good but was sending the doctor in to talk with me as well.


Dr. Glen Schemmer came in and reviewed her report and measurements. He then basically repeated a lot of the ultrasound while explaining things to me. He said, "It's not that I don't think she did a good job, it's just that I like to do it myself." Whatever. I wasn't going to complain if he wanted to play it safe. I thought he was very thorough and did a great job explaining everything. He talked to me about my partial placenta previa and what that meant. As I knew, there is a chance it will resolve itself which is why I'll have an ultrasound later in my second trimester/early third trimester. He talked about the closest the placenta could be to the cervix while still feeling comfortable delivering vaginally. He said that if it's within 2 cm, it's considered a greater risk, but still a possibility. Within 1 cm, we would have to do a c-section. While none of this really matters right now, it was nice to hear some of the hypotheticals for the future.


Basically, he told me that everything looks good. He did not see any sign of a hematoma, but could neither confirm nor deny that was the reason for the bleeding. He wasn't worried about it and talked to me about possible scenarios if I were to bleed again. Obviously he doesn't know whether or not it will happen again, but said to call my doctor if I was concerned. I felt like he was very kind, friendly, patient, and understanding, and did a great job of explaining everything to me. He told me to take it easy and not do any heavy lifting, intercourse, or exercise for a minimum of the next three weeks until I see my doctor again, and probably not until my next ultrasound in 5-8 weeks. However, I of course still have to be a mom, but I'll try not to be a jungle gym and trampoline for the next month or so.


I know bleeding is common and normal in pregnancy, but I certainly wasn't prepared for a large gush of blood. In my defense, there were no tears and I stayed in control of my emotions. However, I'm also very grateful that the doctors were willing to alleviate my concerns and take necessary measures to ensure baby girl's safety. Geez pregnancy can be stressful!


As per my sister's request, I asked Miles to give me a blessing. It gave me a lot of comfort and peace of mind. I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father that is looking out for me and my family and I'm grateful for a worthy husband who can give me blessings and reassurances from above.


To end on a brighter note, here are some adorable pictures of Owen from a while back when he was using my friend's dopler to hear the "baby" in his tummy...or knee? :)