High risk pregnancy club - come and calm each other as we get to 40 healthy weeks!

[MichaelaS]

Hi all

I thought that i'd start a special club for our special bumps, rather than scaring all the people on the normal antenatal threads. Anyone else out there with a high risk pregnancy?

What is your care plan and how are you doing so far?

I'm 6+2 with baby number 2 after delivering DS1 at 24+1 in May 09. He was very sick and in hospital for 5 months, then came home on oxygen and is still struggling with bad lung damage and some developmental issues. I really realy want to avoid it all again. I had a pre-conception appointment with an obstetrician who promised me a stitch at 12 weeks and progesterone. But now i've found out that the obstetrician no longer sees antenatal women and i'm very worried i might not get the care i was promised, on which i based my decision to become pregnant.

i'm likely to be on bed rest for a week or 2 after the stitch, and possibly for the rest of the pregnancy. I'll be 24 weeks exactly on new years day, so that will be something to celebrate - viability in 2012. I'd be happy with anything over about 30 weeks - but obviously 40 would be great.

So, who wants to join me? What's your history and how is yoru pregnancy going?

love Michaela

Hi Michaela,

What a good idea. I saw your post on the April thread but I think it got a bit lost as everyone was showing their sympathy for whenskies - I did mean to reply there but here is even better.

My friend had cervix issues with her second pregnancy (waters were bulging out at 18w) and with her third she managed to see someone at Chelsea and Westminster who did a trans-abdominal circlage. Basically she was cut open like a caesarian whilst pregnant with baby number 3 and they tied off the cervix above the cervical os rather than below it as they do with the regular kind of stitch. She posts here and I can get her to give you more info if you like? You do have to fight for the correct treatment, unfortunately.

I am high risk for Pre-eclampsia/IUGR and also have a bicornuate uterus so hopefully I'll be seen by the same team at King's as I did with my DS (born by elcs at 35 w exactly, weighing 4lb 5 - no issues, just 2 weeks in SCBU with tube feeds to get his weight up before coming home).

I am 7 weeks now, trying not to really think too much about it until the 12 week scan but it's hard. Last time I knew at 12 weeks that I was high risk for placental issues as one of the blood tests they do (PAPP-A) was very low. Am really hoping for a normal or even slightly higher level this time.

I'm so sorry you had such a traumatic time and that your son still has some problems as a result of his very early birth. It must have been such a frightening time for you all.

Hi Bearcrumble thanks for your reply. yes, my other post did get a bit lost but rightly so, there was a lot going on!

I've heard about the TACs but apparently its better to attempt a macdonald cerclage (i.e. within the cervix) if possible as it can be done with local rather than general anaesthetic and doesn't require an open surgery - but i'll see what the doctors say.

Sorry to hear you had a difficult pregnancy last time - sounds like your DS did great though, 4lbs 5 is a great weight for a 35 week IUGR baby. Hope this time you get better bloods. Good luck! A friend of mine had a 26+6 baby due to eclampsia. we were on the NICU together. she had another baby almost 2 years later but unfortunately found out she had that form of lupus that rears its head in pregnancy, and she had pre-eclampsia again. luckily this time it was really well managed and she got all the way to 38 weeks in the end. I hope your story can have a similar happy ending!

Hello just spotted this thread.
I'm 8 weeks after 2 missed miscarriages. I have had a positive blood test for lupus anticoagulant so I am now on low dose aspirin and daily clexane injections. Am at high risk of preeclampsia, premature delivery, and IUGR. Oh, and of course high risk for miscarriage. Had a 6 week scan which was apparently fine. Still early days though...

Hi Kat and welcome. God, it sounds like you've had a hard time. It must be so hard to stay sane after two miscarriages in a row . I'm sure this will be the one for you as you're on all the right treatment.

Are either of you going to have another scan between now and your 12 week one? I had one at the EPU at 6 weeks too just to see the heartbeat etc, wanted to know early on as if they see one then it does cut your risk considerably. I am thinking of paying for one at 9 or 10 weeks just to stop myself going (more) mad. But then there's that stuff about increased number of scans doing odd things to the baby's developing brain that I'm not sure if I believe or not. I dunno. I still haven't got my appointment date for the neuchal scan yet. I think if they keep me waiting to 13 weeks then I'll have to have a private one.

I wish I could just take each day as it comes and be happy but in reality I just want to wish the whole of September away and be out of the first trimester. Not that that's out of the woods of course!

I didn't want one at 6 weeks as it is too early to tell. But I had to have one anyway before I could start drugs as they don't want me to be injecting myself for a non-viable pregnancy. I wanted a scan at 8 weeks which is what I am today. The consultant said I didn't need another one until booking at 12 weeks unless I had any bleeding. However, I am planning to twist the midwifes arm on Tuesday and get one around the 9 week mark. I'm not worried about the safety issue and if this pregnancy gets past 20 weeks I will need monthly scans from that point anyway. That ought to break things up a bit. It's even worse that I have no bloody morning sickness and my boobs aren't even hurting now. I also would like to wish away the whole of this month, it might not be out of the woods but it will be over 95% out of the woods!

If it's any reassurance I had no symptoms whatsoever with DS in early pregnancy.

Hi Kat and welcome. Sorry I've been off the grid for ages! Must be very had to keep yourself sane after two mc. :-( as you say, most of the risk is in the first month or two. Of course once you stop worrying about that you will start worrying about PE and IUGR.

Hopefully you won't develop it though, or not until a great gestation. The longer you go the better, and as I said above my friend had the same thing and got to 38 weeks.

I went for a private scan on sat (6+6) and they saw a heartbeat so that's great. Have been hassling NHS for early consultant appt to no avail until today when I went in to ask face to face and got one for Tuesday! Hooray!

Am still petrified though.

How are you both feeling?

Well, got some good news for you today. 9 week scan went really well, baby measured spot on with an excellent heartbeat. Clearly the clexane is working!

Glad you have seen the heartbeat michaela and well done for bullying the NHS into giving you an appointment. I had to do pretty much the same when I found out I was pregnant. I think the secretary just wanted to get me off her case after a while!

Oh fantastic news, Kat! So pleased for you.

Great news on you getting the consultant appointment too, Michaela - and of couse seeing the heatbeat. That's a real milestone.

I've got a private scan booked next Wednesday when I will be 9w2d by my reckoning or 9w0d going by the measurements they did at 6 weeks. I didn't want to clog up the EPU when there are people going along with genuinely worrying symptoms just because I need to have another reassurance scan before the neuchal scan.

My midwife booking appointment and neuchal scan appointment came through. Unfortunately my GP had put 21st July as my LMP rather than 11th on the referral - I guess his finger slipped between the 1 and the 2. When I rang King's they were able to make them a bit sooner but I still have a bit of a wait.

Midwife is Weds 21st Sept (I'll be 10 weeks) and neuchal scan is October 5th (when I'll be 13 weeks). I really couldn't wait that long without having another check, hence the private one next week. I will ask the midwife when I can see my old consultant's team although maybe it won't be until (or should I say 'if') my blood pressure starts to go up. My GP's surgery (which is just round the corner from where I live) have a blood pressure machine in the waiting room so I can check it myself every day when I get near the danger zone.

Morning sickness has come and gone. At 7 and a half weeks I suddenly felt back to normal, no fatigue, no sickness and I got really worried that something was wrong. Since then though the sickness has come and gone although I've had a bit more energy. The first 7 weeks I just needed to sleep whenever DS did. I'd go to bed and start reading and drop off with my glasses and the light on.

I'm looking big already. My jeans are too tight and I've got a right old belly. Can't believe it has happened so soon as I was this size at around 20 weeks last time.

bearcrumble I think a private scan would be well worth the expense if it gives you peace of mind and breaks up the waiting period. The anxiety is really really hard to deal with. I wouldn't have been able to wait from 6 to 13 weeks either.

I'm looking big but I think it is too many jaffa cakes and not enough exercise as I have been taking it very easy on my sofa for the last month.

oh great news kat!! hooray! and good to hear you're ahving a reassurance scan too bearcrumble

i was looking in boots and you can get blood pressure monitors for home for about £30 now - might be an idea? not sure how good they are though?

I am also feeling very fat - but then I am pregnant shaped without actually being pregnant due to all the weight I gained after having DS. i'm definitely feeling bigger in the bump department and i'm not even 8 weeks yet!!!

Kat - I have lupus anticoagulant and raised anticardiolipins so have Hughes syndrome like you. I am on fragmin and aspirin. I took clexane with dd but hospital have changed drug for some reason in the meantime.

My plan is same as with dd - from 20 weeks 2 x injections per day and monthly scans and ob appointments. Induction at 38 weeks. This worked well last time so am optimistic.

Nice to find some fellow high Riskers - rl friends don't understand. I repeatedly get told how lucky I am to have so many scans...

It's not lucky! I mean, it's nice and all that to see the baby more. But what about the night of sheer dread that comes before the scan. They don't get that at all. If I could have a low risk pregnancy, I'd rather have that and the two routine scans that go with it.

Me too! I don't think they understand that the constant talk of miscarriage, stillbirth, stroke and blood clots during antenatal care is less than ideal pre baby chat...

hello hello - can I join too? (Hello MichaelaS - i've just posted a congrats msg on your bliss post!)

I'm currently 25+ (pause while i try to get brain to play ball and count the days from Thursday to today) 4 having had DS1 at 31+4 by elcs as he was suffering from severe IUGR. He was 900g and we spent 16 weeks in the NICU at Kings.

All going so far so good - 12 week scan all fine and the baby was measuring on the 23rd percentile at the 22 week scan (compared to DS1 who was on the 6th percentile at the same point). Gaining a pound a week ish in weight so already weigh much more than I did first time around. So fingers crossed all looking ok ish at the moment. Next scan booked in for 28 weeks.

No scans between 12 and 22 weeks which I found incredibly tough but I saw the community midwife every 2 weeks and she has been a complete legend! She has referred me to a counsellor who specialises in birth/pregnancy issues and asked lots of pertinent and helpful questions when I first saw her. btw the booking midwife was next to useless! i requested consultant led care as I had been advised to do by my consultant last time and she said that she might refer me! it was only when i mentioned that I was taking 75mg aspirin daily as directed by my last consultant that she referred me. grrrr

oh and forgot but i screened negative for predisposition to preeclampsia/IUGR this time around whereas I'm sure that last time I was positive.... although i could be wrong.

bearcrumble - which team are you seeing at kings? I'm seeing Nick Kametas team (they do high blood pressure and small babies) and so far they've been good although we do have the standard hour wait for the first appt of the day.

MickaelaS - hope your new antenatal team are on the same page as you and you don't have to fight too much to get the care you need.

on to what annoys me - when people ask about the chance of reoccurrance - i tell them and they say that is not that bad... ooh have an expletive filled rant to answer that one these days...

oops written an essay - sorry x

Hi Hawthers,

Yes I saw Mr Kametas last time. He is lovely, so lovely.

A bit worrying that your booking midwife was so crap - but thanks for the warning, I will go in tough.

I'm glad to hear that things seems to be going well so far for you. Good luck for the 28 week scan (that was around the time things started to show up for me, although I had been pre-warned by the low PAPP-A reading).

How is your son doing now?

I ended up being transferred out from King's to have my DS as the special care unit was so busy and he wasn't thought to be too much at risk. Ended up having him at St Helier hospital out in Carshalton.

PS - I'm a bit worried now, because I haven't been taking low dose aspirin. Should I have with my history? I did with DS (and cyclogest) because the IVF clinic told me to, I thought it was just to prevent blood clots, didn't realise it had any helpful effect on placental issues.

HI Ladies,

I am a high risk pregnant lady too (2nd pregnancy I have DS already) but unlike most of your mine is self induced I am just plain too fat. I tried to lose weight and went to docs in July after trying to concieve for 6 months - told to lose weight started on a regime with some drug help and told to use protection. We did but had an 'accident' on 15 August which had resulted in our 'nappy' event. I have been to midwife who is good at 'tsk tsk' sounds but I don't care I just want to have my pregnancy in peace so I will ignore her.

I had to have an early scan as she did not believe me about how I got pregnant as I have had no period since March anyway 6 weeks today and I have to wait until 27 October for my next scan. I do not know how I am going to make it through the next 34 weeks I am paranoid.

I am so looking forward to it all and I had a dreadful pregnancy last time High BP and Pre-eclampsia etc so whoppee I know what is to come.

glad to hear that Dr Kametas is good - only seen his senior registrar so far and she has been good too (if late all the time!). DS1 doing well now - healthwise absolutely fine but he is on the small side and developmentally slightly behind as he was in hospital for four months and was so ill in that time that he didn't really start to develop until he came home.

Dr Flack in the foetal medicine unit advised me to take 75mg aspirin daily from when i found out i was pregnant as it helps with relaxing the blood vessels so the blood flow to the placenta should be better. Might be worth giving the team a call and telling them your history so they can advise you now. They certainly seemed to agree it was a good idea.

all started to go wrong for me at the 22 week scan so am already in a better position than before and the kicks are certainly stronger so hopefully all is going ok.

Hawthers Is that Dr Bhatia? I saw two female doctors who were part of his team but I can't remember the other one's name - they were both very good and on the ball.

So glad that things seem a lot better than at this stage last time.

It must have been very hard having your DS so little and so ill at the beginning. He sounds like a real fighter.

Welcome, Heartmoonshadowand congratulations - hope your pregnancy is easier than last time. How pregnant were you when you had to deliver?

hmm could be Dr Bhatia - i'm always pretty wound up by the time i get to see her worrying that something bad is going to be found that i completley forget to check her name - must do better next time!

Going for my 9w private scan in an hour or so...

fingers crossed - hope it goes well. let us know how you get on

Thank you - it was fine. All measuring as it should and heartbeat 173 bpm. Now just 3 week until the neuchal scan and blood tests.

good news bearcrumble hopefully this scan combined with the 12w scan will put your mind at rest a bit

MichaelaS how are you getting on?