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hi...this is hard for me to talk about, but I need to. At 15 weeks, I was diagnosed with a hematoma, severe bleeding, but they said my baby was fine,I rested for awhile, then was ok'd to go back to work(on my feet). Then I had my scheduled Amnio, which I asked my OBGYN if I should still do it with the hematoma,he said it was fine, the Amnio doctor agreed, so I did it. My water broke 8 hours later, went to a fetal therapy specialist right away and he said the Amnio never should have been done with a hematoma!!!! My baby boy died a couple days later at 20 weeks.
I hope the hospital and your doctors informed you of support groups that are available for parents that lost a child during pregnancy or shortly after a premature birth. Talking and listening to others that have walked your path can be helpful.
This online group is sponsored by the March of Dimes. Share Your Story
As women delay childbirth, amniocentesis will be pushed more and more by health professionals, so it's good that you provide word of warning to those considering it.
Doctors seem to consider amnio a routine test, but I don't think that's right. Anyone who has this procedure scheduled should think very hard and maybe get a second opinion on whether they want to have the test. There is a 0.25% to 0.5% chance of miscarriage--and I consider that very high.
Things to consider:
- Major birth defects can be detected by non-intrusive ultrasounds.
- Some indications of birth defects can be detected by skilled ultrasound techs/doctors. Be sure to get the very best ultrasound you can before doing any invasive tests.
- Read the list of birth defects amnio can detect. Decide if you're willing to abort, or do other--more risky--procedures if you know your child will have that defect. Compare your % chance of that defect against the 0.5% chance of miscarriage. Then decide if the test is worth the risk.
- I think amnio may be riskier for multiples.
- The doctor is almost always going to be biased in favor of testing. If they don't know, they can't do anything. In their eyes, a 1 in 400 chance of complications is very small (and it is) so they disregard the danger in favor of determining if there are any problems they can proactively fix.
- You have the right to say "no", and you should consider exercising that right. Amnio is not like immunizations. The benefits are not as clear-cut, and the risks are very real, studied, and documented.
+ On the other hand, if you are in a risk group for detectable birth defects, you should feel very confident about getting amnio, and use the results to do what is best for your family.
Nature is incredibly cruel when it comes to babies. If they do not form correctly in the womb, if the pregnancy is even slightly disturbed, even if everything goes perfectly, their lives can be snuffed out terribly easily, often with horrific pain and suffering. We cannot shrink from using every tool we have at our disposal to fight against the cruelty of troubled births.
I had a somewhat similar experience...hard for me to talk about even 7.5 years later. Only, mine was at 37 weeks. My child was near death when he was delivered a few minutes later. 2 weeks in NICU. 1/3 of his brain was dead.
Amnios are very scary, and I am so truly sorry that you had to go through this.
hi...this is hard for me to talk about, but I need to. At 15 weeks, I was diagnosed with a hematoma, severe bleeding, but they said my baby was fine,I rested for awhile, then was ok'd to go back to work(on my feet). Then I had my scheduled Amnio, which I asked my OBGYN if I should still do it with the hematoma,he said it was fine, the Amnio doctor agreed, so I did it. My water broke 8 hours later, went to a fetal therapy specialist right away and he said the Amnio never should have been done with a hematoma!!!! My baby boy died a couple days later at 20 weeks.
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