A mom was worried she would miscarry her second child after doctors were unable to remove her IUD during her pregnancy.
Heather Hinson, 33, found out she was expecting her second child on May 17, 2023.
The news came as a shock to Heather and her husband, Jon Hinson, 34, a photographer, as she had an intrauterine device (IUD) – a small, T-shaped piece of plastic inserted into the uterus to prevent pregnancy.
After finding out she was expecting, Heather went to the doctor to get her IUD removed but they were unable to take it out – because the strings on the device broke.
Doctors told Heather they would have to wait until her son was born – which increased the chance of miscarriage – and she worried she would lose her baby.
On January 15, 2024, Heather gave birth via c-section and doctors were able to remove the IUD successfully at the same time.
The proud mom snapped a photo of her little boy with her IUD in his hand to mark the occasion.
Mom-of-two Heather, a photographer, from Orlando, Florida, US, said: “I was shocked and in denial when I found out I was pregnant.
“Our second son was not planned – that was a huge shock that I did not expect at all.
“When I found out I was pregnant I went to the doctors to get the device removed but they were unable to remove it.
“They told me to wait until I had given birth, I felt very upset and thought I was going to miscarry.”
Heather and her husband, Jon, were shocked to find out they were expecting their second child – 11 years after their first child.
Heather had an IUD fitted nine and half years previously and the device is supposed to prevent pregnancy by releasing copper into the womb.
Heather said: “I was in shock and denial for the first trimester – I had a hard time feeling that it was real.
“At first, I thought it was a mistake and the test was wrong.”
After finding out she was pregnant, Heather went to the doctor to get her IUD removed.
During the procedure, the strings on the device broke and the doctor was unable to remove the IUD with Heather told it would need to be left in until she had given birth.
She said: “Doctors tried to remove it but the strings broke so they couldn’t remove it and they told me to wait.
“I was very upset, I was crying. I called my husband on the way home distraught.
“I Googled it and it said there was a 50 per cent chance of me losing the baby.
“I thought I was going to miscarry.”
The UTSouthwestern Medical Center says leaving the IUD in during the pregnancy can increase the risk of miscarriage or preterm birth.
Heather said: “I had a couple of issues during the pregnancy, it is rare to still have an IUD during pregnancy and doctors don’t have a lot of information to go off when they leave in it.
“I had blurry vision which I struggled with a lot during the pregnancy.”
On January 15, 2024, Heather gave birth to her second son – who was born at 10.28am, weighing 7lbs 2oz, at AdventHealth Daytona Beach – via c-section.
Heather said: “They scheduled the c-section a week before my due date.
“They took the IUD out as soon as they delivered my son.
“I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw him for the first time – we cried a lot.
“He came out and he was super healthy.
“He is 11 months now, he is doing great and thriving – we love him so much.”
