Sunday, August 9, 2015

Summary

It may be helpful to include a summary of our story at the top of our blog. Losing 3 babies was so sad for my husband & I. And yet, thanks to treatment and supportive doctors, we were lucky enough to overcome our history & deliver 2 healthy, beautiful full-term babies after diagnosis. Some doctors don't believe Factor V Leiden (FVL), or other clotting issues, warrant treatment in pregnancy unless the mother has a current or previous clot (usually DVT or PE). I'm not a doctor, but I am grateful that my OB & the 1st MFM specialist were in the camp of "we've seen this work". I know FVL is a common gene. I know it doesn't cause problems for most people who have it. But, it caused problems for me and other FVL women who share the heartache of multiple pregnancy loss. Other than low birth weight, our 1st 2 pregnancies and babies were healthy. BUT, the next 4 pregnancies resulted in only one living child. 3 of those 4 babies died-- two of which were 2nd trimester losses. That's not just bad luck. That's a maternal factor. That's a problem that needs correcting. My OB ruled out bacterial infections and fibroids (I have one, but it is fundal, not where implantation occurs). He drew blood to check hormone levels and clotting factors. That's how it was discovered that I am heterozygous FVL. For the next pregnancy, I took a low dose aspirin until I was within about a month of delivery. I also gave myself a daily shot of anti-coagulants (also a low, prophylactic dose). It worked & our beautiful miracle baby was born at 39 weeks. We could not believe our luck! We were so thrilled that the treatment worked that we had the confidence to try for one more baby. For another 9 months, I did my daily shots and prayed that she too would grow. Again, the blood thinners worked & we held another little miracle in our arms. While no treatment is guaranteed, I strongly believe that treatment with blood thinners gave us the best possible chance for a baby to keep. May God bless you to find answers and hope on your journey as well.