Stillbirth Support Group
This community is dedicated to those who have been impacted by a stillbirth. A stillbirth occurs when a fetus which has died in the uterus, during labor, or during delivery exits a woman's body. For help and support, share your experiences and learn how others coped. Don't forget that you are not alone.
I found this when I was researching on the web I thought I would share. Thanks
NBC -- It was a mother's worst fear realized, delivering a stillborn baby.
And now a little more than a year after her infant died, a California woman is about to deliver another baby girl.
But this time the nervous mom is relying on technology to give her the early warning she might need, to save this child's life.
A tiny pink cap, footprints, a lock of hair.
These are memories Jennifer Smith clings to.
Reminders of her stillborn angel, baby Lola Marie.
"It was quiet. She was really a beautiful, beautiful girl," said Smith.
She was born last May.
Jennifer had no warning signs.
She had a normal ultrasound one day, and just three days later,
"They put an ultrasound on me and it was very obvious she had passed away and was gone," Smith said.
Now Jennifer is pregnant again, with another girl, and she's hoping this fetal monitor will warn her of any trouble, like the twisted umbilical cord that robbed baby Lola of her blood supply.
Dr. Jason Collins, with the Pregnancy Institute says 25 percent of all pregnancies have some sort of umbilical cord problem.
"Our hope is eventually that every mom will have a fetal monitor in her purse. A basic way to follow these babies is to look for changes in behavior. The babies will signal you if they're uncomfortable," said Collins.
Jennifer started monitoring at home every day at week 28 and will continue until she delivers.
She checks her own contractions, and her baby's heartbeat to make sure it doesn't drop dramatically for an extended period.
She then e-mails all the information to her doctor.
She does all her testing at night.
There's a reason for that.
"Our research suggests after conducting 1,200 interviews with parents of dead babies that were due to cord accidents, that all these babies died between midnight and 6am," said Collins.
It's a heartbeat of hope.
But as she gets closer to delivery she admits she's scared.
"It's getting harder and harder. I really want this little girl and I don't want to have to have another funeral," said Smith.
Right now, the Pregnancy Institute in Louisiana one of the only centers offering these home monitors for pregnant women.
NBC
NBC -- It was a mother's worst fear realized, delivering a stillborn baby.
And now a little more than a year after her infant died, a California woman is about to deliver another baby girl.
But this time the nervous mom is relying on technology to give her the early warning she might need, to save this child's life.
A tiny pink cap, footprints, a lock of hair.
These are memories Jennifer Smith clings to.
Reminders of her stillborn angel, baby Lola Marie.
"It was quiet. She was really a beautiful, beautiful girl," said Smith.
She was born last May.
Jennifer had no warning signs.
She had a normal ultrasound one day, and just three days later,
"They put an ultrasound on me and it was very obvious she had passed away and was gone," Smith said.
Now Jennifer is pregnant again, with another girl, and she's hoping this fetal monitor will warn her of any trouble, like the twisted umbilical cord that robbed baby Lola of her blood supply.
Dr. Jason Collins, with the Pregnancy Institute says 25 percent of all pregnancies have some sort of umbilical cord problem.
"Our hope is eventually that every mom will have a fetal monitor in her purse. A basic way to follow these babies is to look for changes in behavior. The babies will signal you if they're uncomfortable," said Collins.
Jennifer started monitoring at home every day at week 28 and will continue until she delivers.
She checks her own contractions, and her baby's heartbeat to make sure it doesn't drop dramatically for an extended period.
She then e-mails all the information to her doctor.
She does all her testing at night.
There's a reason for that.
"Our research suggests after conducting 1,200 interviews with parents of dead babies that were due to cord accidents, that all these babies died between midnight and 6am," said Collins.
It's a heartbeat of hope.
But as she gets closer to delivery she admits she's scared.
"It's getting harder and harder. I really want this little girl and I don't want to have to have another funeral," said Smith.
Right now, the Pregnancy Institute in Louisiana one of the only centers offering these home monitors for pregnant women.
NBC
deleted_user
Thanks for sharing. I will definitly try to contact Dr Collins, when i get pregnant again. I read about him before, but I was overwhelmed because it was only a few weeks after I lost Faith. I just wanted to believe that it was rare and will never happen again. I owe it to Faith's memory and to my future baby to do whatever I can to prevent this from happening again. And just maybe help in the research process to make changes in how we are cared for in the third trimester.
deleted_user
This is great information. Thanks. I live in TN but I would like to see what he does to monitor at home and talk to some doctors here in TN to see what they can offer. I'd be willing to relocate if need be to get the treatment we deserve. Thanks for sharing this information with us.
deleted_user
Dr Collins has actually accepted me as a patient and he has a link to his e-mail address through this website. I am 15 weeks now and I e-mail him about once every 2 weeks. The baby is starting to move around more so I am keeping up with patterns of movement. THis is very important to do. I will travel to see him in Jan at 27 weeks to see him. He is a very smart man who truely cares for all of his patients. I will let you know more when I meet him in person.
deleted_user
Ahayes That is wonderful and please do keep us updated
BabyWyatt
I really hope that the Drs. in our areas will support this resarch. Please keep us posted Ahayes if the dr. lets you know if any drs are joining him in the research in other areas. Thanks
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