A friend of mine called me today to ask what I knew about having a natural birth under her circumstances. She is a doula and I am a beginning Bradley teacher, but we both need to research her condition and I wanted to start here. What can you all could tell me about a heart-shaped (Bicomuate) uterus and placenta abruptio. Actually, I'm reading about those, but what can you tell me about guiding or encouraging a couple in completing the pregnancy with the natural birth they desire?
The mother had heavy bleeding at 17 wks pregnant. That is when they determined that she had a heart-shaped uterus. The placenta is attached in a "good" place (up high near the center). However, last week she started seeing bright red blood and feeling regular braxton-hicks (non-painful, tightening) contractions. Concerned about the light bleeding (three wipes on tissue paper in one day), she went in to the hospital. They hooked her up to monitors, acted alarmed about "eminent" birth, and gave her a shot of steroids for the baby's lungs and magnesium sulfate through an IV. They did a U/S and saw that the baby had swallowed some blood and saw two small "rivers" of streams where the placenta was bleeding on one part. The bleeding seems to have stopped, but they kept her in the hospital on bed rest for a week (she's still there). She says she never felt any pain or powerful contractions - just tightening, and she still feels those get more active if she stands up to go to the bathroom or exert herself.
How does this sound to you all? She is resigned to a hospital birth and spending as much of the labor in there as possible instead of the home birth she hoped for. She is feeling very unsupported by the medical staff regarding her natural birth plan. They want to switch her from magnesium sulfate to another drug to slow or stop labor and keep her for another week until she reaches 36 weeks so that she can deliver early.
Can she still have a natural birth? What would you advise? Thanks for any advice you can lend!
The mother had heavy bleeding at 17 wks pregnant. That is when they determined that she had a heart-shaped uterus. The placenta is attached in a "good" place (up high near the center). However, last week she started seeing bright red blood and feeling regular braxton-hicks (non-painful, tightening) contractions. Concerned about the light bleeding (three wipes on tissue paper in one day), she went in to the hospital. They hooked her up to monitors, acted alarmed about "eminent" birth, and gave her a shot of steroids for the baby's lungs and magnesium sulfate through an IV. They did a U/S and saw that the baby had swallowed some blood and saw two small "rivers" of streams where the placenta was bleeding on one part. The bleeding seems to have stopped, but they kept her in the hospital on bed rest for a week (she's still there). She says she never felt any pain or powerful contractions - just tightening, and she still feels those get more active if she stands up to go to the bathroom or exert herself.
How does this sound to you all? She is resigned to a hospital birth and spending as much of the labor in there as possible instead of the home birth she hoped for. She is feeling very unsupported by the medical staff regarding her natural birth plan. They want to switch her from magnesium sulfate to another drug to slow or stop labor and keep her for another week until she reaches 36 weeks so that she can deliver early.
Can she still have a natural birth? What would you advise? Thanks for any advice you can lend!
