PGAL question for those with unexplained late losses

[snowbigdeal]

*Trigger and siggy warnings (JIC, not sure if it's necessary on this board)*









Hey all, I'm hoping over from A15 and PGAL boards. I have a question for those of you who went on to have rainbow babies after an unexplained stillbirth.

I lost my son Henry last April at 33 weeks, he simply stopped moving one day and U/S confirmed there was no heartbeat. We had every possible test done (bloodwork, autopsy, placental pathology, fetal karyotype) but there was no indication of any reason for this. We did not see a genetic counselor or perinatologist, as there are not any in our area and the nearest is an airplane trip away.

Fast forward to now: I'm 31 weeks pregnant, working with the same OB, and we've begun to talk about L&D plans. My understanding is that the statistical risk for having another stillbirth is still relatively low, and my pregnancy is otherwise low risk. However, my doc has suggested that we should induce around 39 weeks, and definitely no later than 40. We're having another conversation about this later today, since I'm not 100% clear on what her reasons for recommending induction are. She has also said that she is open to listening to my and H's wishes on how this all goes down.

I'm just wondering, for those of you who have rainbow babies after an unexplained stillbirth, did your provider treat your L&D any differently than otherwise? Did you induce, and if so when? What was the reasoning behind whatever your final decisions for L&D were?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences you can share here.

[chknma]

II do not have experience with late loss, but wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss of Henry.

i have had two inductions (39 w and 37 w) and feel confident in my decision to follow the advise of my providers (midwives and MFM) They made recommendations based on clinical information and I had good confidence in them.

I struggled with giving up my natural birth plans and feeling like it wasn't fair needing more interventions after experiencing loss, but with time that faded away for me.

Sorry you are having to make these tough decisions. Good luck!

[snowbigdeal]

Thanks for your responses, ladies!

[princezjk]

I am so very sorry for the loss of your Henry. I lost my daughter Izzie at 34 weeks 2 years ago this May. The cause was suspected to be severe, rapid onset PreE. So, a little different situation. With my rainbow I was scheduled for an indication on my due date, but ended up going on my own 4 days before. The plan to induce had a lot to do with peace of mind, but also to avoid risk of the placenta crapping out. I hope this helps, please feel free to reach out if you want to discuss anything else. Wishing you all the best!