Miracle pregnancy – A growing fibroid did not stop Suman Singh from delivering a healthy baby

A fibroid in her belly was the reason for a miscarriage. Here's how Suman had a baby, in spite of the fibroid that grew along with her second pregnancy!

Suman Singh s pregnancy was filled with mixed emotions. She knew from the very beginning that her womb might not be a safe haven for her baby. A fibroid that grew as rapidly as her baby inside her belly threatened her baby s wellbeing. She delivered prematurely but her daughter Suhana today is a healthy, jovial four-year-old who triumphed against all the odds. Here is her story in her words:

To begin with, I never knew what fibroids were, I never faced any kind of symptoms that could make me aware of this condition. Of course, like all other women who suffer from this benign growth in their belly I faced the usual heavy bleeding, painful menstruation, etc. But like every other girl I thought it was just a passing problem and certainly those problems subsided within few days, every month. So I thought there was no reason to lose sleep over this. Meanwhile, I got married and settled in happy matrimony.

Not a very good news

It was in the year 2010, when I suddenly suffered from heavy bleeding. I knew that something was amiss but I didn t know what it was exactly. I was suffering from tremendous pelvic and lower abdominal pain which got tears in my eyes. My instincts said that this was an emergency and I needed medical help. Popping a painkiller wasn t an option. When I reached the hospital, to my surprise I was asked to get admitted. When asked, the doctors coldly replied, You suffered a miscarriage. Those words were enough to make my whole world go topsy-turvy and break me into bits. Sure, I wasn t planning a pregnancy. I didn t even know at that time that I had conceived. But hearing that I just lost my child was too much for me to endure. I felt helpless and hopeless. When my whole body was going numb with the news of miscarriage, the doctor and staff around told me it was time to react, which in other words meant going for a Dilation and curettage procedure (D&C) to clean my womb of the remnants of a dead fetus.

A D&C procedure refers to dilation and curettage where the cervix is dilated and the uterus wall is cleaned to scrape out. I stayed in the hospital for a day where I learnt for the first time that I had a fibroid inside my belly. Well, fibroids are noncancerous growth that could lead to problems in menstruation and also during conception. I faced problems on both grounds. I was given the option to undergo a surgery to remove the fibroid which luckily was growing outside the uterine wall (and not inside). But right at that time I wasn t able to pay for a surgery due to financial crisis. I was told that I would have problems in conceiving and even if I conceive my pregnancy would be a complicated one. Disheartened I left. And soon I forgot about the fibroid totally which measured up to 6 cm in length during that time. I learnt it only later that fibroids measuring more than 5 cm had the potential to create problems during pregnancy. Soon life resumed to normal and the fibroid stayed inside me growing at its pace.

A blessing or a test?

Out of the hospital life took the same routine work-home-family. While I decided to postpone the surgery and arrange for the finances, I realised within few months that I was pregnant again and my joys knew no bounds. But then the doctors scared me, with a fibroid growing inside me along with the baby my pregnancy could turn to be a complicated one. I was advised bed rest, but that was not an option for me at that time and I kept working and commuting. I just prayed that my child was safe inside me. When I crossed my first trimester I was a bit relieved as your chances of suffering from a miscarriage lowers.

But other problems crept up. If you have a fibroid that hasn't been removed before conception, it starts to grow rapidly during pregnancy. So there it was, I was growing my baby and my fibroid together inside me. And this was a dangerous situation as the fibroid while growing kept on pressing on the uterus making it difficult for the baby to grow inside. I was monitored very closely by my doctors to keep a check on my baby s growth and development. When I was in my 8th month of pregnancy a sonography showed that the fibroid was pressing on my baby s legs and it became necessary to get her out of my womb to save her from any damage that the tumour could do.

Becoming a mother

So it was decided that I would be operated soon to get my baby five weeks before the actual delivery date. I was wheeled to the OT on 30th September 2011 to undergo a C-section and that was how my daughter Suhana was born. She was a healthy baby weighing about 3.2 kg, while my fibroid grew up to be 1 kg in weight. Even though I was operated, my doctor suggested not to take out the fibroid at that time as it could lead to internal haemorrhage. So while my baby came out in the world the fibroid just stayed within me, I got busy taking care of my baby and recovering from the scars of my operation. And once again it was forgotten. With an infant in my lap, I forgot the difference between day and night. I developed severe UTI infection post delivery and because of my post delivery complications I opted for top feed Suhana. Apart from suffering from infantile jaundice, Suhana never had any problems health wise. Today she is a happy-go-lucky kid and the apple of my eye. As for my fibroid, yes I finally got it removed just recently. On 24th June 2015, I was wheeled back to the hospital to get rid of the fibroid finally. It grew bigger in these four years. I had to undergo a laser surgery where the fibroid was crushed into pieces and then removed from my belly. Finally, the worst is over.

Now my entire life revolves around my daughter and my new endeavour as I have started on my own with an event management company. Every time I pick up Suhana in my arms, I thank my stars, my luck and also my fibroid for not harming her much.

Image source: Shutterstock

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