No one who is expecting a child wants to hear the horror stories that other women have experienced during pregnancy. I’m sharing some of my horror stories in the great hope that should you ever suffer from any of these conditions, you will have first hand advice from someone who has been there. With our fourth child, I experienced a condition known as a placenta abruptio; literally ‘abruption or tearing away of the placenta’. I began to hemorrhage profusely and had to be hospitalized. I’ve written a separate article about placentio abruptio. In this article, I am going to discuss amniocentesis a procedure that I underwent, as a result of the placenta abruptio.
What is an amniocentesis? An amniocentesis is a procedure in which a large needle is inserted into the amniotic sac. A small amount of amniotic fluid is drawn out. The fluid is analyzed for information about fetal development. Amniocentesis has been a controversial procedure. First, an amniocentesis can be very dangerous to the fetus. Possible complications include pre-term contractions and labor, miscarriage, Rhesus Disease, breathing problems, spinal problems and fetal trauma. I can say with certainty that an amniocentesis is traumatic to mommy and daddy, too.
Imagine a huge needle, being inserted into your belly where baby is comfortably napping. You must lay perfectly still to avoid hurting baby. Mom, dad and doctor watch the baby on an ultrasound machine. Mom and dad watch with bated breath, praying that baby stays still and away from the needle. The needle is quite painful and can cause the uterus to contract and cramp. It is very difficult to lie still when your uterus cramps.
Most people are familiar with the amniocentesis as a procedure used to determine genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. Amniocentesis has been a used as a precursor to help prospective parents decide whether to terminate a pregnancy (aka to have an abortion based on the fact that their baby has or may have health issues indicated by the amniocentesis). Opponents of the amniocentesis claim that the danger to the fetus outweighs the benefit of any information gathered. Others believe that it is unethical to abort a baby because he may or may not have a deformity. They believe that genetic counseling is ‘playing God. My husband and I share this belief.
So why did I have, not one, but three amniocentesis procedures? In a complete Placenta Abruptio, the fetus has only moments to live and unless he is rescued immediately he will die. I had two partial placenta abruptions. Baby survived both. We discussed the risks with our perinatal physician; would it be safer to induce labor early and avoid another abruption? Babies who are born prematurely run a high risk of respiratory problems, however, because their lungs are not fully matured. The amniocentesis can determine if a baby lungs are strong enough to breathe if birthed early.
So there was the dilemma. The first two amnios showed that our little daughter’s lungs were nowhere near strong enough to breathe alone. Home again to wait, worry and pray. Finally on the third, her lungs were developed. Emma Grace was born, safe and sound. Mine is a happy ending; I’m thankful for the amniocentesis so that we could make the best decision for baby. But an amniocentesis is not a pleasant experience. I say that the amniocentesis should only be used for emergencies, not for random amniotic sampling or genetic exploration.
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