His mother was bleeding throughout the pregnancy due to an intrauterine device that could not be removed.
The intrauterine device is considered one of the most reliable types of contraception. Its effectiveness is estimated, according to various sources, at 92-99 percent (for comparison: a condom protects against unwanted pregnancy in 60-80 percent, the fault here, however, is its misuse).
However, 27-year-old Rebecca Shepherd, who was protected by a spiral for several years, fell into that rare 1 percent of women who became pregnant.
A year before, Rebecca, who was already growing up a daughter, met her future husband. Jack also had a daughter. So the young couple was in no hurry to acquire new offspring, and Rebecca continued to wear the spiral. But one day the woman suddenly felt a long-forgotten feeling of morning sickness. On that day, she found out that she was expecting a baby.
On examination, the doctor said that the coil is dangerously close to the fetus, so it cannot be removed. Rebecca was strongly advised to have an abortion.
“Chances are 50 to 50. Most likely there will be a miscarriage,” said the doctor.
Rebecca refused to have an abortion. Yes, pregnancy came as a complete surprise to her, but she was determined to give birth. Due to the unremoved spiral, the pregnancy was very painful, but Rebecca did not even want to think about an abortion.
The first bleeding occurred in the 7th week of pregnancy. However, the ultrasound showed that the baby was fine. Further, it is more difficult. Several times the woman was taken to the hospital with severe pain and bleeding. And each time the examination showed that the baby was alive.
As a result, it all ended with such heavy bleeding that the young mother needed a blood transfusion. Rebecca gave birth in the 23rd week of pregnancy. Her little son Charlie weighed only 600 grams. He was born with many complications, sepsis, and breathing difficulties.
“Little fighter”, as the parents called the baby, was in the hospital for 5 months prematurely.
“My pregnancy was incredibly risky, and we are so lucky that Charlie survived against all odds,” says Rebecca. – Doctors said over and over again that everything will end in miscarriage. But I couldn’t just go and give up. “
“I’ve been told that not every spiral pregnancy is as difficult as mine,” says Rebecca. – That the coil can be removed, that it could be installed differently and in the future to avoid problems with pregnancy. However, I will never put a spiral again and do not recommend it to others. “
“This is a rare case when a woman, having chosen a good contraceptive, unfortunately survived an unplanned pregnancy,” says gynecologist Diana Mansur. – Therefore, before installing the spiral, the doctor must inform the woman that this type of contraception does not give a 100% guarantee and there is a risk of getting pregnant, albeit very low.
It is important to get an ultrasound scan right away to rule out the possibility of an ectopic pregnancy. In the case of intrauterine pregnancy, the coil should be removed if its threads are visible. This will reduce the risk of infection inside the uterus, as well as the risk of subsequent miscarriage or premature birth. “