What is a Placental Abruption?
Placental abruption was the cause of Franklin's death. When we recently visited the maternal fetal specialist, J and I learned a lot about the anatomy of pregnancy, specifically related to placental abruption. Although devastating, I thought it would be a really interesting topic to share. Hopefully you agree 🙂
Per The American Pregnancy Association, placental abruption is defined as "the separation of the placenta from the uterine lining."
There is a lot of information on their site (which I have referenced below). However, I would like to summarize it, and include a few other things that I learned at my appointment. The information I am summarizing is more related to my specific case. There are many different types of complications that can occur.
The Placenta
When we become pregnant, the body develops a placenta, which is a "lifeline" for the growing baby. The placenta attaches to the uterus, with tiny little "cobwebs" (as my specialist described them. She actually said, they are so thin, that if you were to swipe your finger across them, they can just pull right off, like a cobweb would). A little later into pregnancy, the placenta will attach itself more strongly to the uterus with blood vessels. The placenta allows mothers to provide their baby a nutrition source, oxygen source and pull waste away from their blood. The umbilical veins and arteries are what carry the blood back and forth from baby to mama.
Causes of Placental Abruption
About 1% of pregnancies result in placental abruption. There are a number of causes for this, including:
Use of cocaine
Use of cigarettes
Pre-eclampsia or high blood pressure
Infection in the uterus
Any trauma to the abdomen (car accidents)
Age 35+
Water breaking before 37 weeks
Blood clotting disorders
Problems with uterus or umbilical cord
Fluid around the baby, more than normal
Abruption in previous pregnancy
Being pregnant with more than one baby (at the same time…so twins, triplets, etc)
What happens?
(For a number of reasons, as mentioned above) -- The placenta can separate from the uterine lining TOO early. When this happens, the baby is not receiving the proper nutrients and oxygen, which can lead to an early delivery of baby, growth problems or stillbirth.
Interesting fact from my specialist again…I never knew that when blood is transferred back and forth between baby and mama, that this cannot be regulated. Meaning that if the blood pressure of the mama is increased, baby's will be increased as well. It is the same for low blood pressure too. Mama's low blood pressure will cause low blood pressure in baby, preventing good oxygen/blood flow.
*Specifics that I learned about my pregnancy* - When I went into the doctors office on June 29th, my blood pressure was about 160/110 which is VERY high. I was sent immediately to labor and delivery. Here they gave me high doses of IV blood pressure medications. During this time I started having horrible kidney pain - and horrible is an understatement. I was pretty sure that my kidneys were about to come exploding out of my back. -- Soon, Franklin's little heartbeat began to slow. Because my blood pressure was so high and not responding to medications, placental abruption occurred. With babies in the womb not having the ability to regulate blood pressure, it caused placental abruption and he was not able to survive.
Symptoms
Vaginal bleeding (common symptom)
Sudden belly or back pain
Rapid uterine contractions
Less baby movement than usual
**The March of Dimes also says that "Sometimes, these symptoms may happen without vaginal bleeding because the blood is trapped behind the placenta." I think that is super interesting, and likely what happened to me.
Reducing your risk
There is nothing that can absolutely prevent placental abruption. Here are the suggestions per March of Dimes, Mayo Clinic, and The American Pregnancy Association.
Don't smoke or use drugs. Stay clear of others who smoke.
Manage any type of high blood pressure
Make sure to keep your health care appointments throughout pregnancy - so they can check labs, test for infections, take blood pressure regularly.
Wear your seatbelt.
Here are some of the sources I used...
https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-complications/placental-abruption-925/
https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/placental-abruption.aspx#
https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/blood-circulation-fetus-and-newborn
https://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/health-and-safety/placental-abruption_1425791
Also, FYI, I made it through writing this entire page without crying. Go me!!
