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Koby David |
Koby was born at 34 weeks on October 23, 2005. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks trying not to have him until 37 weeks. But bleeding changed that. He was in the NICU for 10 days. Vasa previa deaths are so preventable yet nothing is done to diagnose it routinely. I want to do my part to try and make it a routine test. |
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My last pregnancy was
unusually great, with my other two boys I was in and out of the hospital with
preterm labor then being born premature. So I was happy this time until I went
in for my ultrasound at 20 weeks which showed a low lying placenta. My doctor
wanted to do a follow-up ultrasound at about 31 weeks to check placenta
location, but it was still the same. My doctor was concerned about a large blood
vessel over the cervix which he thought could possibly be a vasa previa, he had
never actually seen one so he was sending me to a perinatologist to find out
for sure.
At 32 weeks one week before my appointment with the perinatologist I went into preterm labor. When I got to the hospital I told the OB nurses that I had a possible vasa previa, they had no idea what that was. Luckily my doctor was at that hospital delivering a baby and came in and checked on me. He ordered meds for me to stop labor, nothing was working. Finally they gave me magnesium sulfate and morphine, then transferred me in an ambulance to UVRMC where they have a NICU. The contractions stopped but they wanted to monitor me over night. Bright and early the next morning they got me in with the perinatologist at the hospital for a transvaginal ultrasound. The diagnosis was vasa previa with a velamentous cord insertion. I would have to stay in the hospital until he was born at 36-37 weeks. But at 34 weeks I awoke to a gushing sensation; I felt with my hand, it was blood. So I unhooked myself from the monitors and rushed to the bathroom. There was more blood lots blood. I called for the nurse, she quickly got me back into bed and called my doctor. I was prepped for my c-section faster than I could ever imagine and within an hour I had my baby boy Koby Anderson on October 23, 2005 They rushed Koby to the NICU, then checked things out with me. They told me had I not been at the hospital when it happened me and Koby would have bled to death. They showed me my placenta with the velamentous cord insertion, oh how I wish I would have had my camera. It was so interesting, how the umbilical cord even stayed attached is a miracle. My doctor was Dr. Cameron Anderson. He had never dealt with a vasa previa, but he took every precaution and didn't just blow it off because he didn't know how to treat the situation. I owe my babies life to him. Words can not express my true appreciation for everything Dr. Anderson did for me and my baby. Every doctor needs to have the same concern for their patients. Anger overwhelms me that too many families are faced with the heartache of losing their precious babies. ~ Kristy Anderson |
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