Go offline with the Player FM app!
IUI to get pregnant, In Utero Heart Condition, C-Section & Immediate Open Heart Surgery - Paulette Kamenecka S7 E35
Manage episode 441919858 series 2896608
* had a hard time getting pregnant, and despite going through the "infertility gauntlet", the "problem" was never identified
* did get pregnant with an IUI and assumed whatever had been the obstacle was now resolved (who in retrospect is bonkers optimistic)
* 25 weeks into the pregnancy my doctors find a too slow fetal heartrate
*drs find life threatening heart condition for the fetus, created by an autoimmune problem I didn't know I had
*12 weeks in limbo, with drs saying fetus would not survive pregnancy or birth
*scheduled C section at 37 weeks...after she is born alive; next day has open heart surgery to implant a pacemaker
*after surgery drs say whether she lives or dies "is up to her"
*creating a strong sense that this life is "hers"
*that baby just graduated college
*learn about the very hard limits of my control over my child (whose life was "in her own hands", and my body
ABOUT
I am a writer. I write essays about women's health focused on pregnancy and autoimmunity and have a manuscript about pregnancy, family history and the history of autoimmunity research and I run the What you Didn't Expect in Fertility Pregnancy & Birth Podcast, and am about to launch a new pod on the future of pregnancy (focused on research)
FIND HER HERE:
345 episodes
Manage episode 441919858 series 2896608
* had a hard time getting pregnant, and despite going through the "infertility gauntlet", the "problem" was never identified
* did get pregnant with an IUI and assumed whatever had been the obstacle was now resolved (who in retrospect is bonkers optimistic)
* 25 weeks into the pregnancy my doctors find a too slow fetal heartrate
*drs find life threatening heart condition for the fetus, created by an autoimmune problem I didn't know I had
*12 weeks in limbo, with drs saying fetus would not survive pregnancy or birth
*scheduled C section at 37 weeks...after she is born alive; next day has open heart surgery to implant a pacemaker
*after surgery drs say whether she lives or dies "is up to her"
*creating a strong sense that this life is "hers"
*that baby just graduated college
*learn about the very hard limits of my control over my child (whose life was "in her own hands", and my body
ABOUT
I am a writer. I write essays about women's health focused on pregnancy and autoimmunity and have a manuscript about pregnancy, family history and the history of autoimmunity research and I run the What you Didn't Expect in Fertility Pregnancy & Birth Podcast, and am about to launch a new pod on the future of pregnancy (focused on research)
FIND HER HERE:
345 episodes
All episodes
×Welcome to Player FM!
Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices.