Q&A C-section fear; spot on scan
Email your question for our experts to: sharing@ypbmagazine.com
Please note that experts unfortunately cannot respond to each question personally. The answers provided on these pages should not replace the advice of your doctor.
THERE WAS A DARK SP T
I’m 34 and my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for more than nine years. We are finally 10 weeks pregnant and we were happy until I started bleeding. I had no pain but experienced big clots. My lower back is not in pain but it feels as if I am not sitting properly (like something is sitting in my lower spine). The clots only come out when I feel uncomfortable in my lower back. When I was five weeks pregnant, I had an ultrasound, and my gynaecologist told me that there was a dark spot next to the baby. Now there is no heartbeat, and my breasts are not tender. I am worried that I will have a miscarriage.
TINA ANSWERS: While spotting in early pregnancy is common and is often of no concern, this heavier bleeding later in pregnancy is worrying. If you are passing clots, you need to have a scan to see what is happening. By six weeks on a trans-vaginal (internal) scan, a foetal heart should be seen.
By 10 weeks you should see a heartbeat easily, even with an abdominal scan. It is also concerning if all your pregnancy symptoms have gone away – breast tenderness and nausea. Please contact your healthcare provider for an urgent follow-up.
I’m 35 years old and pregnant with my third child. Both of my kids were born through caesarean section. I had no complications. However, from the time I found out I am pregnant with the third, I’ve been scared and thinking of a caesar in a negative way. I need some tips to keep me sane and think of a caesar as a positive experience.
TINA ANSWERS: You do not mention the reason for your previous caesarean deliveries. It may have been for an emergency and unplanned (which I suspect that it was for you), or it may have been planned for a medical or even a non-medical reason. There may be disappointment that you have not had a vaginal delivery, or perhaps you did not have a good experience during the operation and birth of your baby. You may also be experiencing the ”fear of the known”. You know exactly what’s in store for you and that going home with a third baby is going to be taxing – especially on a body that has undergone major abdominal surgery. Whatever the reason, caesarean birth today is pretty safe. Caesarean deliveries have saved babies’ lives as well as mothers’ lives. Since the dawn of time, labour and birth through the vaginal passage have been an inevitable consequence of pregnancy, a journey through to life. There was no alternative to vaginal birth, except death. In this new millennium, we do have an alternative, one that has been provided by the wonders of modern technology – today we have choice, something that our sisters in ages past did not have. A caesarean is considered by many women as a modern way to have a baby, involving the use of technology. Modern technology features highly in our daily lives. We are at ease with it and find it reassuring. The latest and most up-to-date technological equipment is much prized and sought after in all areas of our lives. A caesarean can be scheduled. Few of us can get through a day in our modern world without a watch and a diary. Our daily lives are ruled by time and by carefully planned appointments. Choosing the date of the baby’s birthday has considerable appeal in this context for some. A caesarean is quick in comparison to most labours. We live in an age when the quicker something can be achieved, the more advantageous it is perceived to be – whether this is making a cup of instant coffee, washing the laundry, travelling from a to b, or communicating. A caesarean is perceived as pain-free. The operation is carried out under anesthetic, and therefore there are no pains of labour to be endured. Make no mistake – there is pain post-surgery, but as you know, this is managed with the use of painkillers. I hope this has put things into perspective for you, but it is important to speak to your doctor about your feelings. Ask to have your baby placed skin-on-skin on your chest immediately when s/he is born and not to be taken away from you for checks for at least 10 minutes. This is not an unreasonable request – as long as you and your baby are fine. ●