…the placenta. Rapid acceleration or deceleration, or when a mother’s belly is hit may cause the placenta to detach early, placental abruption.
During a placental abruption, a mother may experience cramping, full out contractions, or may notice what doctors call uterine petani, in which the uterus is really hard and not contracting in the way it normally would during normal contractions where it would get tight and release – it’s tight and it stays tight.
“Also, keep a lookout for “any kind of bleeding. It could be heavy bleeding, spotting, it doesn’t matter,” he cautioned.
After arriving to the hospital, an ultrasound will be performed to assess the placenta. While you can’t always see a placental abruption, there are also blood tests they can do, called the Kleihauer-Betke (KB) test, which looks for how much of the baby’s blood is circulating in mom’s blood. “There’s always going to be a certain amount. But if it is above the threshold, then there could be a possible abruption.”
“Regardless of whether you’re hit from behind, head on, or side swiped – if your air bag goes off and hits you in the belly or if you’re air bag doesn’t go off and you hit your belly on something like the steering wheel — anytime time there’s direct abdominal trauma, regardless of how many weeks you are, you should definitely go to the hospital.”
Even if it’s a “minor” accident, the expert advice is to call your doctor immediately and they will tell you what to do. It’s also a good idea to carry an emergency contact list on your person. It should contain names, phone numbers, and medical information pertinent to your pregnancy in the event of an emergency.
For more helpful tips or to answer more of your urgent OB/GYN questions, check out Dr. Idries and his brother, Dr. Jamil over at TwinDoctorsTV.com or on social media, @TwinDoctorsTV.