miscellaneous pains on one side only + pain when urinating without a UTI = bonus pants-free u/s with complimentary probe action. Result? Pain is, as I predicted, most likely absolutely normal ligament/growth pain. I think one of the things that has surprised me most about being pregnant is how many little (and big) aches and pains there are. I don't know why that comes as a surprise, but there you have it.
Also, I have marginal placenta previa. This is the part where it sucks a little.
Marginal previa is really not a big deal. It means that the placenta is growing within 2cm of the cervix. In my case it's a lot closer than that (less than 1cm) so my doc has put me on pelvic rest. Ugh. Just when sex was getting interesting again. At least I vacuumed the entire house before my appointment because I'm not allowed now. Some women who have this aren't told to restrict anything. I could just do what I want, but honestly, I like that my doctor is a little on the cautious side with these things. He seemed totally unworried, though, so that's a good thing.
The problem with placenta previa (where the placenta completely covers the cervix) (if you care and don't know) is that you are at great risk for bleeding/hemorrhage prior to and/or during delivery and the only way to deliver safely is by c-section.
With marginal previa, the majority of cases resolve themselves during/by the third trimester. As the uterus grows, the placenta is typically pulled up and away from the cervix, usually far enough to have a safe vaginal delivery. In my case, we have several centimeters to go before that could happen. 2cm is sometimes enough, though 5cm away is much better. I am of the "better safe than sorry" camp as far as this pregnancy goes, and honestly, I just don't think that a c-section is the worst thing ever (I can think of many worse things. Bet you can too.) It's still super-early for that talk though, as we have weeks and weeks to go. Just explaining, really.
(skip this part if you don't want to hear me complain about trivial things)
On measurement. I love, love, love that my doctor has an ultrasound machine and that he's very liberal with the use of it. I almost always feel confident about this pregnancy and this baby. It seems like when I get really close to an appointment I lose some of that confidence. So it's always reassuring to see the creature moving about and hear the heartbeat (still a solid 160.) However, the (yes, totally silly) peeve that I have is that the pictures suck. I've seen lots of pictures from this stage and earlier and they're so great. Clear, obvious, human babies. Ok sometimes they're alien-like, but still. Clear. I don't know if it's the machine (P thinks it's like the very first u/s ever) or if it's that the doc is a sucky photographer, but the shots are terrible. This is a stupid thing to complain about, I know.
I think one of the reasons that it bothers me is that I'm away from home. I'm very close to my family and I've not been able to share this with them. I hate that I can hear the sadness in my mom's voice when she asks me if I'm showing and I tell her yes. I hate describing "newfangled" maternity clothes to my grandma and having to explain technological advances over the phone. I just miss them. They love getting pictures and it's very disappointing to have to say, "sorry, you can maybe make out a head on this one. Let me know if you need me to tell you where it is." And having my mom reply asking for helpful arrows and descriptions because she can't see anything. Not the worst thing in the world, obviously, but kind of demoralizing for me.
(/complaint)
Next week I have my "big" hospital ultrasound. They're going to check the placenta more closely, and give my doctor a more thorough evaluation on that matter in addition to all the regular stuff they're looking for. You might be thinking that 17 weeks is too early, but I've been down that road with my doctor and he wants to do it now. What's the worst that could happen? I have to go back? No big deal. And he wants more details on the placenta and I'm ok with that.
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4 comments:
i always got sucky u/s pictures, too. minor bummer. and i will warn you that pretty soon they will get worse, not better, because the babe will be too big for a full body picture!
you know i loved my scheduled c-section, so don't waste a second worrying about that aspect!
(look! i can comment again! had to get a new account...)
Nice to hear from you. I'm sorry to hear about the placenta previa, but I am glad to hear your doc is taking precautions. I like being safe versus sorry. So, will they check for the gender at your next u/s?
I had slight placenta previa with my daughter. Though in a wonderful military hospital, when I had my 20 week U/S, they didn't tell me until I went for my 28 week checkup/followup U/S. Then I was freaking out. Now, I don't want to scare you but this might a little bit. When I went into labor, I thought that my water broke, but it was blood. I did bleed for awhile, but I also delivered vaginally and I recovered very well. The hospital had an emergency C-section team right next door to my delivery room so at a moments notice, they would take care for me. I did develop an infection 6 days postpartum and I had to be hospitalized for a week, which also meant that the baby and my lovely husband stayed with me as well since I was breastfeeding. I don't know if the infection was related to the placenta previa.
Good to hear from you! I'm excited to hear about your big ultrasound next week. Also - my sis had placenta previa, was on complete bedrest, and hers resolved itself with time. I hope your *marginal* previa resolves itself right away too. I know how it is missing family. Mine are all out of state now. Hard enough on regular days ... can't imagine when there is something so special to share and they can't experience it with you. Bummer, it is.
Be well and let us know how the u/s goes!
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