Vasa previa? - in need of support

[AnonymousCAT]

Hi everyone,

I have been tentatively been diagnosed with vasa previa - a condition where fetal vessels develop outside of the cord and placenta and are imbedded in the amniotic sac around the area covering the cervix. It is a very serious condition because if the membranes rupture the baby will likely lose it's blood supply and bleed out quickly. I have been referred to a high risk pregnancy unit for them to investigate this further and am just playing the waiting game to get an appt time and date. Just looking to see if anyone has any experience with this? And if so, how was it managed? Hoping to find some support from others who have or are currently going through a smilier situation, or just support in general! I have already read a quite a bit about the condition. I am very anxious and stressed out from all this waiting, the unknowns, and the lack of control that I have throughout this situation. I am just praying for a healthy baby and normal pregnancy.

Thank you for the support

 

[beagleowner]

I was diagnosed with velamentous cord insertion but the insertion and placenta were in the upper area of the uterus so we just watched growth and then did BPP towards the end, and when my amniotic fluid got kinda low when I was a week overdue, they induced. Baby grew fine--more than fine--she was 9.5lbs and a normal vaginal birth. Turned out her insertion was marginal, not velamentous, after all.

As you know, vasa previa is a lot more involved. If you do indeed have vasa previa, they will need to give you a c-section, and likely an earlier one. Congratulations on your prenatal diagnosis. When a diagnosis is done prenatally, the mortality rate for vasa previa is pretty much the same for a baby without any complications. So that is GREAT news. Since you had a prenatal diagnosis, your baby will almost certainly be absolutely fine! And you will get to see him or her on many more ultrasounds than you normally would because they will monitor growth, as they did for me.

I let my diagnosis ruin my pregnancy, something I really regret. Don't let the same happen to you!

 

[AnonymousCAT]

Thank you so much for your reply. That's fantastic that you had such a great outcome. If VP can't be ruled out, my OB has talked about me being admitted the hospital around 30 weeks with a scheduled c section likely around 35 weeks. So far I have had 2 ultrasounds that have shown likely VP, the second one they also did a BPP, now waiting for the high risk pregnancy unit to call and make an appt for yet another ultrasound to investigate. I think my OB suspects a velamentous cord insertion, but they haven't been able to confirm it on the ultrasound yet. Thank you for the reassurance. That is good advice not to let this diagnosis ruin the pregnancy... although this is hard. I'm finding it's not so much the diagnosis that has me stressed right now, it's more the unknown about if I actually have it or not, what exactly is going on, when my appt will be (I wish it was like 2 weeks ago, but still waiting) and having my future with work and what's going to need to happen be so up in the air! I really want to know do I have only 6 more weeks to get ready, or do I have 16 weeks? and is there a risk to me working right now or is it okay to work?

Anyways, thank you so much for replying. I am finding that it is so rare that almost no one seems to have experience with it. So happy for your happy outcome.

 

[beagleowner]

Thank you so much for your reply. That's fantastic that you had such a great outcome. If VP can't be ruled out, my OB has talked about me being admitted the hospital around 30 weeks with a scheduled c section likely around 35 weeks. So far I have had 2 ultrasounds that have shown likely VP, the second one they also did a BPP, now waiting for the high risk pregnancy unit to call and make an appt for yet another ultrasound to investigate. I think my OB suspects a velamentous cord insertion, but they haven't been able to confirm it on the ultrasound yet. Thank you for the reassurance. That is good advice not to let this diagnosis ruin the pregnancy... although this is hard. I'm finding it's not so much the diagnosis that has me stressed right now, it's more the unknown about if I actually have it or not, what exactly is going on, when my appt will be (I wish it was like 2 weeks ago, but still waiting) and having my future with work and what's going to need to happen be so up in the air! I really want to know do I have only 6 more weeks to get ready, or do I have 16 weeks? and is there a risk to me working right now or is it okay to work?

Anyways, thank you so much for replying. I am finding that it is so rare that almost no one seems to have experience with it. So happy for your happy outcome.

It turns out Velamentous Cord Insertion is actually not really as rare as we thought. It's just that it was rarely diagnosed prenatally until recently, when color doppler ultrasounds became more prevalent. Typically, until recently, it was simply noted as a variation of normal after birth happened, and only reported when something went wrong (as it occasionally does in any birth). The "Up to Date" report on the condition shows that this is probably why it's supposedly associated with some higher-risk issues...that it's not reported unless something goes wrong, so it appears that it is commonly comorbid with other negative conditions. It is likely just as common in healthy pregnancies.

What I worried about was, like you said, is it OK for me to be doing x and x things during the pregnancy...like laying on my left (my placenta was on the left side), etc. What if I crushed the umbilical cord?! That sort of concern. Really, that was an unrealistic worry, but it seemed scary at the time. You will be OK....and I bet you don't have vasa previa! But if you do, you'll get the care you need and your baby will be great!

 

[AnonymousCAT]

Hey, I just wanted to thank you for the support and let you know the outcome of my latest ultrasound at the high risk pregnancy unit. Turns out I do have vasa previa. The plan is for me to be admitted to hospital at around 30-31 weeks with a scheduled c section around 35 weeks. I feel so much better knowing what the plan is. I am having 2 more ultrasounds before that time to check on baby, the vessels, and my cervix length. Feel like I can finally relax a bit now that I am not waiting for a phone call and information. I don't have too many restrictions it seems so I am able to keep working. Plan to work about 4 more weeks... until I am 29.5 weeks.

 

[beagleowner]

Thanks for the update! I'm so glad you have a plan. Thank god we live in this modern world...your baby will be totally fine, but if we had been having kids 20, 10 or maybe even 5 years ago it could've been really dicy! Treasure that little child! The perinatologist assured me that no work restrictions were necessary for me either.

 

[AnonymousCAT]

I came across this old post I made about vasa previa while searching for posts on my latest conditions with my current pregnancy: placenta previa and possible placenta accreta and vasa previa. Thought I would update how everything went with the birth of my son and my experience with vasa previa.

My son was born at 35 weeks via elective c section for vasa previa. I had steroid shots to develop his lungs at 28 and 29 weeks. I spent 5 weeks immediately before his birth in hospital in a high risk pregnancy unit. When he was born he developed respiratory distressed and needed to be on a ventilator for 24 hrs, then was moved onto CPAP for 4 days until he was stable and moved to special care nursery to work on feeding. I was able to breastfeed my son successfully and exclusively until 18 months with much stress and persistence on my part. It was honestly the hardest thing I have ever done. Now my son is 2 years old and thriving. He is very smart and super special.

I am now expecting baby #2 and face different challenges. I am staring down another 35 week delivery via elective c section with possible hysterectomy and a recommendation of no future pregnancies afterwards no matter what. Hoping I will be blessed with 2 miracles. It is quite the journey this mom thing, I had no idea.

 

[beagleowner]

Wow, that sounds like a journey indeed! I have a friend who just had her baby. She had placenta accreta which was really severe, the most severe case the team at Stanford had ever seen. It was actually placenta percreta. Her bladder was involved.

The birth went fine, she and baby were fine, and she is now doing wonderfully. But it was a really big event. I think she said there were over 20 doctors in the room when her daughter was born.

She did have to have a hysterectomy, unfortunately. I hope you don't have accreta!