Previa

    My midwife called me first thing yesterday morning.  She had just seen my ultrasound notes from the previous day and wanted to brief me on the implications.  Baby boy looks perfect, no need to worry about anything with him.   I, on the other hand, have a slightly bigger problem than I realized.  The radiology tech didn’t give anything away the day before during the procedure. 

     The midwife explained that placenta previa is a legitimate concern.  Previa means the placenta is growing over my cervix.  In some cases, the placenta partially covers cervix.  In my case, it’s completely covering it.  The visual that pops into my head is a washcloth covering a drain.   A lot times, this issue resolves itself as the uterus continues to grow.  However, because of my placenta’s location, my midwife is fairly certain it’s not going to go anywhere.  She told me to start psyching myself up for a C section. 

Diagram taken from babycenter.com

      

     With my complete previa comes some restrictions.  Mainly, I need what the nurses call pelvic rest.  My midwife told me to give Chris her apologies for that.  We don’t want to risk detaching the placenta since it’s right there.   In fact, she told me I couldn’t even get checked by medical staff for dilation, etc., for the same reason.  She went on to explain that bleeding is more likely with this type of placenta placement.  And if bleeding does occur, it’s a big deal that will likely lead to bedrest.  You can read more about it here. 

     It’s funny how a little bit of information can make you feel so different.  Suddenly, I feel more fragile.  Coach Mitch asked the obvious question of me that I didn’t think to ask the midwife:  Should I stop running?  I called her back to find out, fighting back tears at the prospect of not running for 28 weeks.  That’s more than half a year!   Surprisingly, she said running is still okay.  What a relief!  Not only for my mental and physical health, but I took it as a good sign that things are not as bad as they originally seemed.   If I can still run 25 miles a week, how bad of a complication can this be?  (Unless you’re Chris.)

     If things stay on course, I will probably curb my running at the beginning of the third trimester.  As of yesterday, I’ve given up my hope of running until my due date.  The risk is not worth the gain.  It’s during the third trimester that bleeding is more likely with complete previa.  I don’t want to provoke it.  As Coach Mitch says, not being able to run is nothing compared to being stuck in bed.  I believe him. 

     In the meantime, I’m trying to decide what Baby’s birthday should be.