So, why am I here.

I have an abnormal condition called vasa previa and velamentous cord insertion. Vasa previa (vasa means vessel, previa means crossing the cervix) is a rare condition, it occurs in one in 5,200 women. If it goes undetected, it has a high fetal mortality of 50% to 90% because of the hemorrhage that occurs when the vessels are torn when the fetal membranes rupture, either at labour or delivery. When this happens, the baby looses blood and oxygen very quickly. And you have only minutes to save the baby. Velamentous cord insertion is when the umbilical cord inserts into the fetal membranes, then travels within those membranes to the placenta. The exposed blood vessels are not protected and vulnerable to rupture. Most cases of velamentous cord insertions do not result in infant death, whereas vasa previa is very dangerous unless it has been diagnosed and managed early on. In this case, success rate jump to around 90%. I can only be thankful that we were told about our condition early on. 

A lot of people have asked me what the difference between vasa previa and placenta previa. They sound a lot alike, but are very different. A pregnant women who bleeds that has placenta previa the blood comes from the mother or is maternal. With vasa previa the blood is not maternal, it is all fetal blood loss. And this can be fatal.