Longtime Hallmark star Alexa PenaVega shared in a video on Instagram from her hospital room on March 18, 2024, that she has been in the hospital for almost a week due to a significant issue with her pregnancy.
The mother of three, who is married to fellow Hallmark actor and Big Time Rush member Carlos PenaVega since January 2014, is in the final months of her pregnancy that has been filled with challenges such as severe morning sickness, painful varicose veins, and a four-centimeter tear which caused bleeding in her first trimester. After dealing with these complications, the family decided to move from their houseboat off the coast of Florida to a house in Tennessee, they revealed on March 15. Alexa expressed thankfulness for moving to Tennessee and being under the care of exceptional nurses and doctors after numerous tests revealed that she has suffered a partial separation of the placenta from the uterus. Their decision to move from Florida to Tennessee was sudden. In her recent post, Alexa talked about how grateful she is for moving to Tennessee as she is now under the care of great nurses and doctors.
After undergoing several tests, her medical team found out that she has experienced a partial separation of the placenta from the uterus.
She mentioned that every day she remains pregnant in the hospital is a miracle and that it's a waiting game for all of them.
Here's what you should know:
Alexa PenaVega ended up in the hospital after experiencing severe bleeding.
On March 18, Alexa mentioned in her video that she had been in the hospital for five days and had hesitated to publicly share her recent ordeal. “Never Too Late to Celebrate” hinted at a recent hospitalization on her Instagram Stories, but did not specify at the time that she was still in the hospital.
She posted a picture of herself in a hospital bed, surrounded by Carlos and their kids — sons Ocean, 7, and Kingston, 4, and daughter Rio, nearly 3.
Over the photo, she praised some great nurses from two hospitals in Tennessee.
Alexa mentioned that it has been quite a journey and expressed gratitude as the baby is still developing. She also appreciated the prayers from her supportive friends.
In her video on March 18, Alexa provided further information about her hospitalization.
She recalled starting to bleed slightly about a week and a half ago and seeking medical attention after experiencing unusual bleeding again in her final trimester.
The bleeding stopped initially, and she was discharged, but things took a turn when she woke up one morning and experienced a significant amount of bleeding.
She explained that after going to the bathroom, she had a concerning amount of bleeding, which made her realize the severity of the situation.
Alexa said she yelled for Los and when he hurried into the bathroom, the scene obviously scared him a lot. They put their kids in the car, she said, and they hurried to the hospital.
Alexa PenaVega says she cannot imagine what would have occurred if her family had not relocated to Tennessee weeks ago.
In her video, Alexa shared that the most difficult part of the ordeal is that she could not feel her baby kicking.
“I was just praying over my stomach and still, like, doing everything I could to just push baby, to get, like, a little bit of movement,” she remembered. “And by the grace of God, on the drive over, baby finally started kicking and moving and squirming around, so I think it was just asleep…but that was definitely very scary.”
Alexa said her condition, a partial separation of the placenta from the uterus, has stabilized to a place that can be maintained and monitored, but no one is sure for how long.
She said, “Now it’s just a matter of, like, ‘How long can we keep it like this? How long can I keep baby in my tummy? How long do I have to be in the hospital for?'”
According to the Mayo Clinic, the situation Alexa described — formally known as placental abruption — is an “an uncommon yet serious complication” that occurs when “the placenta partly or completely separates from the inner wall of the uterus,” which can cause heavy bleeding for the mother and decrease or block the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the baby.
Alexa said that she had already been “taking it very, very easy” at home, so it’s unknown why she developed the complication. She hopes to be released from the hospital so she can finish out her pregnancy at home, she said.
The coincidence of this crisis occurring weeks after the PenaVegas decided to sell their houseboat and move their family to Tennessee is not lost on the actress.
“I just laugh at like, even God’s timing with us,” she said in her video. “Deciding to leave the boat — which was a really, really hard choice because we were so dedicated to that journey — but then arriving here and like, literally within two weeks experiencing this. I can’t imagine what would have happened had we been on the boat or in, like, the middle of the Bahamas or on some island. Like, thank God we were here and that I’m getting the care I’m getting. I’m just so thankful.”
Alexa concluded her video by expressing how grateful she is for people’s prayers and added, “I’m just gonna cherish every extra day that I get with little baby. Thank you for your prayers and just keep on praying because we still have a little ways to go and this baby needs to cook!”
