Looked good for a few days, with baby now head first, mom could look forward to a vaginal delivery (she has enough problems without having to recover from an operation). But the baby turned around, and the doctor on call that day was concerned that another "external cephalic version" (the process of apply gentle pressure on the abdomen to turn the baby) could disrupt some uterine-placental vessels, allowing mom's HIV to transfer to the baby. Helena's viral load (the technical term for the amount of HIV in her blood) was very low, her HIV well controlled by medications. Low but not zero, so the doc's concern was justified. So he recommended and performed a cesarean. A tough call.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
157. Update on Helena: a tough call.
Looked good for a few days, with baby now head first, mom could look forward to a vaginal delivery (she has enough problems without having to recover from an operation). But the baby turned around, and the doctor on call that day was concerned that another "external cephalic version" (the process of apply gentle pressure on the abdomen to turn the baby) could disrupt some uterine-placental vessels, allowing mom's HIV to transfer to the baby. Helena's viral load (the technical term for the amount of HIV in her blood) was very low, her HIV well controlled by medications. Low but not zero, so the doc's concern was justified. So he recommended and performed a cesarean. A tough call.
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