- We will be sharing graphics about accreta everyday. Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram and share in your circles.
- We will be sharing informative articles.
- We will be sharing birth stories and pictures of accreta moms.
- On October 15th, we will be remembering and honoring the moms and babies that we lost to accreta, a very real risk with this condition.
Day 11 – Stephanie’s Birth Story
I went in for a routine mid-pregnancy scan at 20 weeks and was sent home after being told everything looked good. The next morning I got a phone call from my OB telling me that it looked like I had complete placenta previa and possibly vasa previa. I was told not to google (I did) and that I was being sent to the major hospital for a more in depth ultrasound to diagnose.
At my appointment two weeks later, I was given the news that I for sure had CPP and that I was facing accreta. I was told that all of my care would now be at the University of Iowa hospital, that I would likely lose a lot of blood, require a hysterectomy and deliver at 32-36 week gestation, if I made it without bleeds, and that this diagnosis carried a 7% risk of death. I would also be put on bedrest, pelvic rest and to plan for the possibility of hospital bedrest. It wasn’t the happy ultrasound where everyone is smiling and excited, it was grim. I left that appointment devastated, calling my husband bawling (he was away at job training) and sure that I was going to die.
At 26 weeks, they confirmed percreta. The placenta was through the uterus, in the bladder, cervix and who knows where else and I was sent for an MRI to get clearer images of the monster we were looking at. I was fortunate enough that my pregnancy, despite being terrifying, went smoothly. I made it to 35 weeks as planned, no bleeds, no further complications and even managed to get to a good head space as I prepared for surgery. I went from “I’m going to die. My oldest son (who was almost 6) is going to blame his baby brother for this. My daughter (who was 2) will forget me, and this baby will never know me,” to “I have the best team, the best hospital, early diagnosis. Let’s do this.”
My surgery was in the regular OR with 25-30 nurses/doctors/surgeons. I had my first bleed on the table and so they had to act quickly. I was awake for the cesarean, and my husband cut the cord. I got a quick peek before the baby was whisked away to the NICU. He wasn’t breathing on his own and needed his own support. The usual protocol is to deliver baby, stitch uterus, and deliver with the placenta in situ. The placenta ended up being much more invasive than anticipated – on my bladder, around my ureters, tubes, into my cervix, and actually heading into my vagina. They had to reopen my uterus and start delivering it in pieces because they couldn’t see anything. I quickly began to bleed out and had to be put under general.
I woke up around 2 am, about 12 hours from the start of surgery, intubated in the ICU. I was extubated around 8 am and stayed in the ICU for 27 hours. I learned I had lost my uterus, tubes, cervix and had needed 19 units of blood. I was given pictures of my son and told we wouldn’t meet until I was moving around, so I got up and started walking myself to the bathroom and back. Around 4 pm, I was wheeled to the NICU to meet my son. I was only able to physically hold him for a few minutes. It’s very warm in the NICU and I still had a lot of drugs pushing through my system.
I had a quick recovery and was released from the hospital on day 7. On day 10, I went for staple removal and my wound opened back up. The open wound required cleaning and packing twice daily; it took three months to close. Alexander, my son, needed 16 days in the NICU. He couldn’t breath on his own for a few days, and lived in an isolette for 14 days because he couldn’t maintain his body temperature, wasn’t gaining weight, had an infection, a heart murmur and jaundice. Milk production seemed to be a large concern, but Alex is 16 months now and steadily nursing. I call it my percreta gift – I was truly concerned about it and it wasn’t a huge issue.
The entire experience was the worst thing I’ve ever gone through. I lost friends and family because they couldn’t cope. Every day I woke up unsure of what was going to happen. I walked around feeling like a time bomb that could bleed to death at any moment. It was awful. But now, man do I appreciate life. I faced death and won. I now volunteer with red cross, am a chapter leader for the accreta support group, an active member of HfA and advocate as much as I can.
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#ICANsavelives
Read about ICAN’s Accreta Awareness Month.
NOVA Chapters of ICAN and Hope for Accreta Hold Blood Drives
Most people have heard of a cesarean birth but few have ever heard of the life-threatening pregnancy complication called Placenta Accreta that is a potential risk of future cesarean births. The Northern Virginia chapters of ICAN and Hope for Accreta Foundation are hosting two blood drive events to help save the lives of these mothers. Both organizations are coming together to educate those with risk factors for Accreta and to encourage people to donate blood. This gift of life could save mothers with Accreta and anyone else in need of a blood transfusion. More details can be found on Hope for Accreta – Northern Virginia’s facebook page, and the event page’s for April 1st and April 2nd.
There are several Accreta survivors in Northern Virginia who experienced one of the most dangerous pregnancy complications and they will join the blood drive efforts. Most of these survivors lost blood after childbirth and required blood transfusions. Placenta Accreta is a condition in which the placenta embeds into the uterus wall and grows through it, sometimes attaching to other organs. Placentas are supposed to just hover over the wall of the uterus and then detach after birth. But some have a mind of their own and decide to cause a whole lot of trouble — life-threatening trouble. Life-threatening because it can cause catastrophic hemorrhaging putting the life of the mother and child at risk.
When Accreta is either diagnosed prior to birth or found surprisingly after birth, physicians and blood banks must be prepared. If the placenta will not detach they must do everything they can to prevent hemorrhaging and the mother’s death. Hospitals typically gather a large group of experts to handle the situation, usually performing an emergency hysterectomy, and blood donations must be available in case of massive blood loss and a blood transfusion is necessary.
There is no explanation for Placenta Accreta but most physicians believe it happens because of previous trauma and scarring to the uterine wall. This could be caused by uterine surgery such as a cesarean section, dilation and curettage (D&C), hysteroscopy, in vitro fertilization (IVF), or the placement of an intrauterine device (IUD). Placenta Accreta now affects 1 in 333 pregnancies and the rates are increasing, according to the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believes the increase of Placenta Accreta seems to parallel the increasing cesarean delivery rate. This rise in Accreta cases puts great pressure on local blood banks and they must be ready to handle the increased demand for blood.
The community blood drives will be held at the Inova Blood Donor Center in Sterling, Virginia on April 1 from 10-4 and American Horticultural Society’s River Farm in Alexandria, Virginia on April 2 from 10-3 in partnership with Inova Blood Donor Services. Local mothers, blood recipients, and survivors of Placenta Accreta will share their birth stories, answer questions, offer support, and help educate men and women about the risks of uterine surgeries.
All donors and volunteers will be entered to win door prizes from generous donors and businesses including AuPairCare, Bathologie, Team Beachbody, DRP Belle Haven, Greenplicity, Jamberry, Lemongrass Spa, Stella & Dot, Soupergirl, Sugar Shack Donuts, Usborne, Wegmans, and Zoobooks. Both events are family friendly — the Alexandria blood drive will feature a crafts table, hosted by Arts on the Horizon, for children to keep busy while parents donate blood. Additionally, diapers and essential baby care items will be collected for nonprofits My Grandmother’s House and It Takes a Village, Baby to help provide health and happiness to mothers and babies in need.
The goal is to attract at least 60 donors at the blood drives. By donating just one pint of blood, donors have the potential to save up to three lives. Anyone who is in generally good health and meets the eligibility conditions can donate blood. The entire process takes about an hour, and all blood types are needed. Donors should bring a photo ID. To schedule an appointment to donate blood call 866-256-6372, or visit www.inovabloodsaves.org and use sponsor code: 8131. The events are free.
Most do not realize or understand that massive blood loss during and after childbirth is a possibility. However, we can be prepared, and we need the community’s help and generosity to ‘Give Local, Save Local’. Find your local blood bank today and donate blood to save a mother’s life! You can also find other Accreta blood drives here.
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