A lot of people say that they never heard of this condition. Neither did we. It's not in any of the pregnancy books. We're hoping this will change soon.
Some of the risk factors include a low-lying placenta, placenta previa, multiple pregnancies, in-vitro fertilization pregnancies, a history of uterine surgery, painless bleeding or a D&C. A D&C is considered a risk factor as this procedure has the potential to cause uterine scarring. Anything that can cause uterine scarring can potentially cause a low-lying placenta which is the main risk factor for vasa previa as velamentous cord insertion and multi-lobed placentas are thought to develop as a low-lying placenta moves up.
The reduction in the fetal mortality from this condition depends on prenatal diagnosis; this is the key to a baby’s survival. When vasa previa is found before labor, the baby has a 100% chance of surviving. Vasa previa can be detected during pregnancy as early as the 16th week. It can be seen with the help of a trained technician and the use of transvaginal sonography. However, strongly suggest to your doctor to send you to a location, such as a hospital, where they can combine the use of a color Doppler as this increases the chances of detecting it immensely.
Unfortunately my sister wasn't considered high risk even though she was carrying twins. A very bad judgement from her OB.
There is nothing we can do to bring back Matthew. Instead we honour his memory and we are doing everything possible to bring awareness to this condition.
We created a site: http://www.ourangelmatthew.com
Here you will find the full story of what happened.
The site has been very successful and we are getting hits from around the world, just to name a few: Canada, US, Netherlands, Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Cayman Islands, Germany, Argentina, Philippines, Brazil, Norway, Seychelles, Italy, Sweden, China, Hungary, Israel, Taiwan, United Kingdom.
Please spread the word of Vasa Previa, we have so much medical advancements at this time, this condition shouldn't be taking the lives of innocent babies. If we can save just one baby then we have accomplished our goal.
We miss you lots Matthew! May the angels in heaven be loving you and taking care of you.
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A child that loses a parent is an orphan.
A man who loses his wife is a widower.
A woman who loses her husband is a widow.
There is no name for a parent that loses a child,
for there is no word to describe the pain.
- Author Unknown -
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