My 2020 Baby Story by Libby Hernandez

During my third pregnancy in 2020, I suffered a placental abruption at 11 weeks 2 days pregnant. 

I remember this night so vividly. It was just before 8pm, my husband was away at school, and I was just about to log into my own class online. I stood up from the couch to grab my laptop and as I went to grab it, I felt a gush of liquid. I of course ran into the bathroom and immediately assumed I was having a miscarriage and began sobbing. I called my husband and he rushed home. I began bleeding so much that we felt it was necessary for me to go to the ER. I spent the night there with lots of blood tests and ultrasounds, and the doctors and nurses told me that there was a 50/50 chance it would go either way. A threatened miscarriage, or no miscarriage but the possibility of defects from loss of blood or placental issues. All this information is just being thrown at me and it felt as if no one was really concerned about the baby since at the time, she was only 11 weeks. Even I had just assumed the worst. 

The next morning, I went in to have another ultrasound and laid on the table just in numbness and shock. Then I heard the completely unexpected loud heartbeat and at the same moment, I burst into tears. I had fully accepted that I had lost the baby with the amount of blood lost and no one mentioned her still having a heartbeat at the hospital. Of course, I was happy to hear the heartbeat, but at the same time, having been told all the negative things at the hospital, I felt hopeless. 

I was put on high risk and bedrest with no activity. I couldn’t lift my other two children (1.5 and 3 years old), I couldn’t be intimate with my partner, not that either of us were even thinking of that, but at the same time, I couldn’t sit still all day due to the blood clotting in my uterus. My husband, from the grace of the universe, was able to be put on telework and was able to completely take over all my duties. I was monitored much more than a normal pregnancy due to the subchorionic hematoma from the abruption and they needed to watch for the clot interfering with the blood flow from the placenta to the baby. I also bled like I was having a period from 11 weeks until 22ish weeks. 

Around 32 weeks, I went to have an ultrasound with my high risk specialist, during COVID, so I was alone for all the ultrasounds and scary talk, the doctor saw that my clot had been completely reabsorbed! I cannot express in words the weight I felt leave my body as I knew my baby was going to be okay. She was a fighter from the very beginning. Her heartbeat never faltered, she stayed strong through all the uncertain and horrifying times. We named her Natalia Snow, after my late father who passed on Christmas morning. Natalia means Christmas Day, and Snow is for all my most cherished memories with him. 

My point in sharing this is to shed hope in what can sometimes feel like hopeless scary situations. I held my belly every single day to let her know I would hold her in any situation, I sang to her, I talked to her about what it would be like to meet her, for her to meet her sisters. I had my 2 other daughters talk to her and give kisses on the belly. I felt like the placental abruption really took the joy of being pregnant away and left me as a stressy blob, but when I look back, it really put things into perspective for me and made me appreciate the ability to have these babies and how fortunate my story turned into a beautiful one. 

Xo- Libby.

My name is Elizabeth, i am a 27 year old momma to 3 beautiful girls! Living on a small farm in Virginia with 3 dogs, 2 cats, and a horse! My husband and I are both Marine Corps veterans, lovers of animals, adventure and the beautiful chaos that comes with a big family!