Pregnancy Update: Placenta Previa & All its Shitty Complications

So....

A few weeks ago, I hit the 32 week mark in my pregnancy (that's 8 months out of 10 months). Even though I was on modified bed rest since week 20... it had been a rather uneventful pregnancy. I just had restrictions... no lifting, no long walks, no squatting, no sex, no orgasm, lie down most of the day. Which were tough because of the long duration... but it was going well.

If not for the Placenta Previa (grade 4), I honestly would have thoroughly enjoyed this pregnancy and found it so easy. I've gain a lot of weight but it doesn't really show, I haven't swelled up or anything, shoes and rings all still fit like normal. No aches or discomfort (except heartburn and vomiting but even that is nothing to moan about). Because my belly is so compact, there's no sretchmarks, and I don't feel clumsy etc. Like physically I feel like I could do cartwheels. But mentally, I'm so worried and know how bad things can go with my placenta.

Then recently, I got complacent with the restrictions after week 32, just felt like ah.. the end is so near now, it's going to be all fine. So I started to do more stuff, catch up with housework and ironing, went for a photoshoot, weekends out with husband. Unfortunately for me, that break from modified bed rest quickly went tits up.

At 33weeks, my amniotic fluid took a nose dive. AFI (Amniotic fluid index) was 4.7. Anything under 5 is dangerous for the baby. And if I had been 37 weeks or over, they would have just taken baby out. No explanation for the drop, but can be a sign that the placenta isn't giving the baby enough nutrients anymore (hence the baby produces less pee... amniotic fluid is actually baby's pee + maternal hydration).

I had been vomiting every day that week and the week before, and had heart burn, which put me off drinking fluids and I was not eating much either. So the doctor said simple dehydration could have caused the drop. So for 4 days, it was strict bed rest and FLUIDS all day.

Like a mad amount (4 to 5 litres a day at least). Plus isotonic to keep the salts (?) up because when you drink a mad amount of water, you can get toxicity if it over dilutes your salts. Something like that.

Anyway, after that 4 days, my AFI rose to 6.6  . Phew! Out of danger zone, but still low. Between 10 to 25 is what they like to see at this stage.

Anyway, I'm keeping up the fluids for the duration of this pregnancy. But I'm finding it so hard to eat much... there's no space for food because of all the water.

Then at my latest appointment ( yesterday)... AFI wasn't worrying anymore. Not sure the number, I forgot to ask because more pressing issues came up. FML.

Baby's weight has started to lag behind. She's only 2kg now (at 34weeks 4 days). She should be almost hitting the 2.5kg mark. She has always been spot on every month in terms of size. So now the next worry is that the placenta is indeed failing and her growth has started to be restricted in there.

So its weekly size updates, and if she doesn't grow well enough, get steroid shots for her lungs to develop and have her out even earlier than planned. This worries me greatly.

Damn you placenta. Why did you have to implant over my cervix and cause all these problems!!!

So plan of action for the next few weeks: Doctor's orders -  take bed rest seriously for the remaining few weeks, so I don't risk a bleed and need to have her out at this size.

He also said I need to eat higher calorie foods to pack in the pounds (I've been losing weight in 3rd trimester... this is after effortlessly gaining 18kg in the first 2 trimesters, I didn't even eat more than my usual non pregnant self ! My body just stored everything, which was fine, because baby was gaining good weight too).

I'll keep up the mad fluid intake (this not doctors orders anymore, but I don't want my AFI to fall back down to danger level, so I'll just continue my daily water parades).

I still feel like I can make it past the 37 week mark... and in the next 2 to 3 weeks, she will gain enough weight to hit 2.5kg at 37 weeks +. So we can have her out safely. Now I'm not even bothered about wanting to keep her in until January ( I initially wanted her to remain a 2016 baby... but in retrospect, I never expected my pregnancy to get this complicated. I feel like my placenta is a time bomb, I just want her out safe as soon as possible now).

My friend had a 2.9kg baby at full term (normal pregnancy without complications), so I reckon if she had been out earlier, she would have been a few hundred grams lighter... babies gain the most weight in the last few weeks of the pregnancy like week 36-40). I have another friend who gave birth last month, by surprise at home, 2 weeks before her due date. She was blow drying her hair and her baby just slid out! 2.1kg only... but oh so cute and healthy and well, plus her pregnancy was so smooth sailing and had no complications, so the sudden birth in the middle of the night really came as a surprise.

Can you share with me if you've had a small baby (like 2.5kg or less)?

P/s I have a 3D ultrasound of my baby's face, taken at week 28. That was a very happy day for me. I want to share it with you so you can see her, but I am kinda feeling a bit too worried and anxious right now to revel in the happy moments. So I will share it the night before I head for my csection (provided it's not an emergency Csect, in which case I won't have time to share it. Please send all positive vibes my way, so our rainbow baby can make it to 37 weeks and come out weighing the targeted 2.5kg (or more! but doubt will be more la, there's only abt 3 weeks to go. I will be happy just to hit that safe target weight).