At about 24 weeks, we had the 2nd ultrasound.  Assuming everything would be routine, we brought our son to see his baby sister for the first time.  They did the regular part of the scan and she was beautiful.  Growing great, healthy, big, etc.  Then they started the vaginal portion of the ultrasound to look at the placenta, and my husband took my son out of the room since the process was a little gross for a little boy.  The doctor’s voice changed after he looked at the monitor and he told the nurse to go get my husband.  He informed us that I had a bi-lobed placenta with a huge blood vessel extending right across the cervix.  He recommended immediate bed rest and referred me for steroid injections.  I had never heard of this condition, and was confused.  I actually didn’t trust him because he wasn’t my regular OB and I said I wanted a second opinion.  After 5 minutes on the internet that afternoon, I had found the IVPF website, and it all started to become crystal clear.  Thus began the roller coaster of the rest of the pregnancy. 

     I was transferred to a high risk OB who did not seem to take the condition seriously enough.  He told me I could return to work, and that he wouldn’t hospitalize me or deliver me until 36 weeks unless there was an indication that we should go earlier.  I reminded him that if there was any “indication” it would probably mean that it was too late, but he was adamant that he did not want to deliver a premature baby.  Our son was healthy and huge, so we wanted to take our chances with the prematurity rather than gamble with a rupture of the vasa previa. 

     We had to become our child’s advocate, pushing the doctor, questioning him, and demanding proper care.  He said there was no reason for hospitalization because it wouldn’t matter if there was a rupture—they wouldn’t be able to save the baby no matter what.  That directly contradicted the many stories on the IVPF website where the babies had lived through rupture.  This very experienced neonatologist had only seen 4 cases of vasa previa before—the IVPF has 90 stories on its website!
 
     Anyway, I went on bed rest on my own and we convinced the doctor to admit me to the hospital at 35 weeks.  However, at 34 weeks, I had one little spot of blood.  We had prayed and prayed that God would give us some sign or warning that it was time to deliver.  We knew that the only warning most people get is a gush of blood, and then it is usually too late.  That little spot of blood saved our daughter’s life.  I was admitted to the hospital and monitored daily beginning at 34 weeks.  Every time they monitored me, I was having contractions, but they were irregular, and the nursing staff could get them to stop by giving me narcotics, so they said they must be Braxton Hicks.  Knowing the vasa previa risk, I was beside myself with worry. 

     Finally, on the third night in the hospital, I had non-stop contractions, and the narcotics did no good.  My entire family was ready to pounce on the doctor at rounds the next morning and demand that the baby be delivered immediately.  However, when he came in my room, he had already scheduled me for a c-section later that morning. 

     The c-section went beautifully, and our little miracle baby was born just before noon.  She weighed 5 pounds, 13 ounces almost 6 weeks early!  Our instincts that our baby could survive prematurity much better than she could survive vasa previa were right.  The doctor mentioned that the placenta looked “terrible,” and that he couldn’t figure out how she had even been able to grow at all, much less thrive.  Her apgars were 9 and 9.  She spent just about a week in the NICU before coming home.  She’s had a few preemie issues, but overall, she is huge, healthy, beautiful, and truly, a miracle. 

Keira Aine McEvoy, born 12/13/2006