Woman battling rare pregnancy complication and COVID-19 at the same time
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Nashville, TN (WSMV) — A Midstate mother to be is in the hospital battling a rare complication. On top of that, she has COVID-19 and worries about the unknowns that may bring.
The pregnancy complication is called Vasa Previa. It’s so rare Vanderbilt treats only two to four patients per year. At 33 weeks pregnant, Kelly Macfarlane is already in the hospital. Earlier in her pregnancy, doctors diagnosed the 31-year-old with Vasa Previa.
The rare condition involves fetal blood vessels going through the membranes close to the cervix. It’s considered very high risk.
“I’m just trying to take it day by day. It’s really the best advice I’ve gotten from my physicians here,” Kelly Macfarlane said.
Macfarlane admitted herself to the hospital last Monday at the recommendation of her doctors. After taking a coronavirus test, it came back positive.
“Just sheer fear. You don’t know how your body is going to react to it and there aren’t a ton of cases out there with pregnant women out there getting COVID,” Macfarlane said.
It’s that fear keeping her on edge until her baby boy arrives.
The positive COVID test is making an already complicated situation even more stressful.
Right now, Macfarlane said she can’t have any visitors including her husband.
“It’s hard. It’s hard to be dealing with a diagnosis like this that is already so scary and a virus that still has so many unknowns about it in isolation,” Macfarlane said.
Doctors at Vanderbilt said if a woman has this diagnosis and her water breaks, there’s a risk of rupture to the blood vessels. That could lead to rapid blood loss from the baby.
In cases like this, women with Vasa Previa get C-sections. For Macfarlane, that’s supposed to happen early next week.
“My OB team and I are all hoping that this is incredibly boring for me until December 1,” Macfarlane said.
Macfarlane lost her job during the pandemic and can’t work with this condition. A GoFundMe has been started to help with medical expenses.
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