We lost Soren at 39+wks. I say "39+wks" because he was born on 39w5d, but I'm not exactly sure when he died. All the tests afterward indicated he died a few days (2? 3?) before I went into labor. The cause was asymptomatic preeclampsia/ uteroplacental insufficiency-- as in, preeclampsia is thought to be caused by abnormal placental development which, in this case, caused the placenta to not function/ grow well and, eventually, Soren's needs outstripped what the placenta could provide and he passed away. Most women will experience outward symptoms of preeclampsia that tell them something is wrong long before the baby is impacted, in my case in hindsight the first clear symptom I had was Soren's death. During his birth, I went on to have a seizure (eclampsia) and when they did a 24-hour urine collection afterward, I was spilling enough protein to qualify as preeclamptic. Prior to finding out he had died, the pregnancy had been without complication.<br><br>
I know what you mean about being concerned about movement, then reading or being told by others that babies slow down at the end. People gave me (and I read) the same reassurances at the time. I have a really hard time not panicking when people post threads here saying they are concerned about their babies' movements in late pregnancy because the overwhelming response seems to be to tell other women it is normal. And, most times, it is, but we have been on the losing side of the statistics and, although it can be normal, it can also be a sign that something is wrong.<br><br>
I am now 37w1d with my "rainbow" baby and PAL is so hard for so many reasons (not that I need to tell you that). Having had a late term loss, until he's here and alive and breathing, I won't ever feel "safe" in this pregnancy. And, actually, just having reached term yesterday (and knowing that if I really wanted to, I could be induced at any time), it is now a little harder for me not to panic when he has his normal periods of rest during the day. What's helped me is individual counseling and couple's grief counseling (my DH and I have been seeing a counselor every other week). For individual counseling, I was referred to a counselor who, among other things, specialized in pregnancy and birth loss and who, herself, had a loss at ~24-26wks. It was really important to me to find someone who really understood what going through babyloss is like. Also, even though I haven't posted here a whole lot through this pregnancy, I have been reading along and jumping in every now and then. Just know there are others out there who "get it" helps. Seeing other mamas who managed to make it through a pregnancy after a full-term loss with their sanity relatively intact has helped. And, even though our experiences are different, I find that much of the concerns and feelings I have about this pregnancy are very similar to those who've had earlier losses and so hearing from the mamas who've had miscarriages helps, too.<br><br>
Anyway, you are not alone Idigchaitea. We are here <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/hug2.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Hug2">.
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