Counting My Blessings

Christine’s Story

It was a sunny warm spring day.  The birds were chirping and the sun was shining on my face.  As I sat on my porch with my feet up, life seemed so good, but in reality, fear and concern took over any feelings of joy I had over the precious baby that was growing inside me.  At this point, I was home on bedrest after a 24 week major hemorrhage which caused me to almost deliver my son and require the first of several blood transfusions.  The fear was like something I’ve never felt before.  I knew if my baby was born this early his chances of survival were minimal and if he did survive, he would likely have serious complications and I would be left without a uterus since I was diagnosed with Placenta Accreta, never to bear a child again.  Luckily the bleeding subsided and I was sent home on bedrest with a goal of 34 weeks.

This was my third pregnancy and my husband and I both wanted a big family and always talked about having 4 children.  With this pregnancy, I began to experience light bleeding at 6wks.  The bleeding never stopped for the entire pregnancy.  It wasn’t until around my 16^th week that they told me I had Complete Placenta Previa.  And during a 20wk ultrasound, I was given the news that I also had a suspected Accreta.  The MFM doctor at that moment looked at me and said “I am very worried about you”.  He went on to explain that I may need a hysterectomy at delivery.  I remember leaving there that day, crying, very emotional over the news that I may need a hysterectomy.  Those feelings quickly diminished after what the next few weeks had in store for me.

Being at home on bedrest didn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.  After 3 more big bleeds at home, my doctor advised me I was at high risk for having a bleed that might not stop the next time. That was enough to scare my husband and me. We immediately made arrangements that I would check into the hospital 2 days later after my MRI apt to confirm the Accreta. I was admitted into the hospital at 27 weeks pregnant on April 17th. My mother took me and I cried the whole time while getting admitted. The day was a beautiful 70 degree sunny day. I dreaded going into the hospital, I just wanted to be home on bedrest so I can enjoy eating dinner with my 2 kids and just being home and sitting outside. I felt like I was turning myself into jail by admitting myself into the hospital. But the very next day of being there, I had another bleed which required another unit of blood. I then felt our decision was the best thing we did.

Around this time, my feelings quickly changed, I no longer was upset about a possible hysterectomy at delivery, I was now praying and hoping I would remain pregnant as long as I could.  Everyday was another milestone for me.  My doctor would often remind me that after this baby, I would have three children and that I needed to be alive for them so they would have a mother.  I needed to do whatever it was even if it meant taking my uterus out to save my life.

After 4 weeks of hospital bedrest and 13 major hemorrhages, doctors feared I would be faced with an emergency surgery possibly in the middle of the night (since most of my bleeds occurred then) and the proper people would not be available.  So, the decision to move my surgery up to 31 weeks 6 days was made.  The date was May 17^th 2013 at 1:30pm.  They decided to schedule my c section in the Main OR of the hospital instead of Labor and Delivery.  They knew my surgery was going to be complicated and would rather the surgery take place there.  I was suppose to have balloon catheters put in to control bleeding but, we never got a chance to do that. The morning of May 17^th, I experienced some mild contractions.  Looking back, I am wondering if these were caused by my nerves or anxiousness about surgery.  It just seems so coincidental that my body would start laboring the morning of my planned surgery.  After a few hours passed, I began to hemorrhage.  I buzzed the nurse call button and within minutes we had a full blown emergency in my room.  I was able to call my hubby and parents to have them come to the hospital immediately.  My exact words were ”Come now, I’m bleeding and it’s not stopping” and I hung up on them.  My mother who worked on the maternity unit for 28 years at a hospital knew how dangerous my situation was and prayed the rosary the whole way to the hospital.

I began to hemorrhage profusely and the blood was not stopping.  My nurses and Doctor ran my bed from the High Risk unit all the way down the hall to Labor and Delivery unit as I was starting to get very lightheaded.  They immediately started to transfuse me.   During surgery, my body temperature dropped to 94 degrees and blood pressure dropped to 34/16.  My uterus was ruptured and surgery went on for 4 hours in which I had my uterus and cervix removed, bladder repaired and 22 units of blood administered. My estimated blood loss was 4.5 liters. 

After surgery, I awoke in the ICU unit.  I remained there for the next 24hrs.

I quickly started to recover and was released from the hospital 5 days later.Baby Joey remained in the NICU for another 6 wks.  He was discharged June 28^th, 2013 weighing 4lbs 9oz.

Everything I went thru really made me realize that life can be short and just enjoy life’s little blessings.  Everyday, I Count those Blessings.  Although, I can never bear another child, I am so grateful I am here today to be a “mom” to my 3 precious children.

During this pregnancy, I kept an online journal capturing my journey thru this stressful, fearful, hopeful and all worth it pregnancy.

Visit at www.babycrowd.com/jr/online/sunshine_77/

Our Blessing Baby Joey, 3lbs 10oz

Joey 16 months

Joey now 16 Months on.

Johnny 5, Joey 16mths, Laci 6

Below is a link to the article written by Saint Peter's University Hospital. http://www.centraljerseyhealthandlife.com/September-2013/Special-Delivery/

Ashley's Journey with Placenta Accreta and Placenta Previa

Tummy time. 

I found out i was 3 weeks pregnant on june 8th, and everything was going perfect. My husband and I were so excited to be pregnant with number 2. Then at 13 weeks I started bleeding heavily out of nowhere so we went to the emergency room. They didn't do anything except tell me that I might have a UTI, to drink lots of water and put me on a 15 lb weight restriction.

Then my OB called me the next day to come in for an ultrasound. they found I had a complete anterior previa and told me I didn't have much chance of it moving and told me to be prepared to have a c-section. I had another ultrasound at 17 weeks with zero movement and that is when they told me I might have Accreta.


I had no idea what that was at the time and even what they were telling me. It didn't sink in how life threatening it was. So they wanted to schedule me for an MRI right after my ultrasound at 20 weeks. At my 20 week ultrasound we found out we were having another baby girl, and found out that there was a very high possibility of Accreta. They said there would be no certainty until delivery.

Then at 22 weeks I had my second heavy bleed and went back to the E.R. This time they took me up to Labour and delivery and I was monitored for 3 days until the bleeding stopped, then they had me start coming in twice a week with an ultrasound every two weeks with no movement at all on the previa.

At 27 weeks I had a mild bleed this time they didn't admit me just told me to take it easy and just kept my the appointments with no change. Then at 32 weeks I had my worst bleed yet and they helicoptered me to a different state to a better hospital. At that point I ended up getting 4 transfusions and was admitted to the hospital with my husband and oldest at home. I was told I would be there until I delivered.

While I was there they found out I had a calcified placenta as well. Where my placenta literally hardened at the size of 20 weeks pregnant but matured like I was 6 weeks past due date. Over the next 3 weeks I was monitored closely and they found she wasn’t growing. She had only gained 2oz in 3 weeks.

So the decision was made to deliver her at 35 weeks 3 days.

During surgery they gave me a spinal tap and I ended up losing another 3 liters of blood, having the Accreta, and ended up with more transfusions, 7 units of blood. They had to do a partial hysterectomy. My baby girl was 4 lbs 3 oz and 16 inches long.

"Miracle Mom," Gina Walker on Today Show

Gina Walker  - CEO & Founder of the Hope for Accreta Foundation

Nicole's Story - Accreta Took My Baby and My Fertility.

This is my story. I have two beautiful children, Tenley 6, Jagger 1 and an angel baby that I have never met physically but I am emotionally bonded to. My two previous pregnancies were normal; I didn’t have any complications but knowing what I know now I wouldn’t have had C-sections. With my first baby I wanted an all natural birth but my amniotic fluid was low and that was a risk, my second baby was a scheduled section because of concern for a rupture. Where I live there is a high percentage of sections as opposed to vaginal births and my practice also doesn’t do a lot of VBAC’s unfortunately.


The morning this nightmare began my daughter woke me up feeling ill, I will say the night before I had some cramping but I figured it was perfectly normal so I went to bed. When I got up to take care of my Tenley she is the one that saw the blood running down my legs. I immediately called my husband which works third shift and he came home. I honestly thought it was a miscarriage. I went in to see my OB that morning and of course he was on call so I couldn’t see him, they gave me a sonogram and said the baby had implanted low and that the heart rate was low. I was probably about six weeks pregnant at this point. I was told that I would probably miscarry and that if I started bleeding anymore that I should go to the ER. I was told to keep my first prenatal appointment that following Tuesday and at that appointment I would see my regular doctor. Of course all weekend long I was nervous that something was going to happen.



That following Tuesday we met with our doctor, I had more blood work and another sonogram. The heart rate was higher so my husband and I were optimistic. Then our world crashed. The doctor came in and gave us the news. He told us I had placenta accreta of course neither one of us ever heard of it. Unfortunately, we were told by every doctor we met with that termination was really the only option, because the baby wouldn’t survive and neither would I. That news was just devastating to us. Then trying to explain it to my six year old was even more difficult. He suggested to us that we meet with a specialist here in our hometown that comes up from Pittsburgh. That appointment of course was a week later so again I fretted all week long.

On that Monday we met with the specialist and he didn’t have anything good to say about our situation. He too said we needed to terminate, he suggested Methotrexate, a cancer drug. I wish I could go back and redo all of this again. At this point I’m about 7 to 8 weeks pregnant and that if I was going to do the injections it needed to be done immediately for it to be effective. Well of course another week goes by and I didn’t get in to the Pittsburgh office until the following week. My husband and I go down that following Monday, and go through the process again, blood work, sonogram, the doctors appointment. When they gave me the sonogram I had the sonographer and a doctor tell me that I wasn’t going to be able to keep this baby. The next doctor I met with was very convincing that the pregnancy wasn’t viable and that I needed to terminate ASAP. She was also very nonchalant about the whole thing and believe me, I asked my questions to her. Those two weeks of hell were exactly that….HELL. My husband I and talked and cried and cried and talked about this and we both decided that we really didn’t have any other choice other then to put our faith in the doctors. The crazy thing I told Jason was that I never felt pregnant like I had previously. I knew exactly when I was pregnant before. I never had a symptom this time.

As those days went by I figured everything was status quo. I never had imagined what would happen next. On March 12, 2014, I left for work like any other day did my kid duties; daycare and school kissed them and figured I would see them later that night. I went to work and it was a horrible fluke snow storm that day. I began bleeding uncontrollably and had to go to the hospital here in my hometown. What I find ironic is that my OB that couldn’t treat my condition is the one that inevitably saved my life that day. I immediately had a sonogram when I got there and I knew something was wrong because the sonographers were being very quiet and talking amongst themselves so I couldn’t hear. So when my doctor came in to see me he was shocked that I was still “pregnant” he immediately called the specialist in Pittsburgh and talked to her about what needed to be done, they decided on a D&C a noninvasive treatment to clean out the tissue. My husband and I decided that was the best treatment for me. I was prepped ready to go and figured I would be waking up and heading home that evening to be with my kids. Now what I heard is obviously coming from my husband but I do remember waking up briefly and hearing my doctor saying she’s bleeding too much we have to go back in. The doctor went rushing out to my husband to sign the consent forms because at that point in a matter of minutes I had lost half my blood volume and was dying on the table. I feel bad that my husband had to make such a hard to decision but it was the only decision he could make. I had to make it for my kids.

I remember waking up and wondering what had happened and that is when Jason told me I needed to have a hysterectomy because it was a matter of life and death. Of course I was so out of it I had no idea how serious it was. I needed a blood transfusion and was in the ICU. To this day I still can’t believe all of this happened. It has been a struggle to deal with all of these emotions, but I am thankful for my husband, my kids, family and friends. I am sad that we will never have any more children but I am beyond blessed with the family that I have today. I hope from my story women with Accreta will do their research and make the best decisions for them and their families. I know I may have not made the right choice but at the time it was the best I could do at the time. Peace & Love.