Good Monday Morning! Today is LAZY DAY for the boys and I. This pregnant momma did a bit too much Thursday through Sunday and this week won't prove to be any different so I'm taking a down day today. The twins are playing and I'm sitting and relaxing in the couch. This week is the last week Erik will be reporting to an office Monday through Wednesday. God continues to bless us and give him the desire of his heart to provide for his family from the comfort of his home. He will be taking over the marketing services for the treatment center he's been working for and most of his job will be done from home, he'll only have to report in maybe once a week. It will be a good change to go backwards. It's also the last night of BSF for him until the Fall. He desperately needs to catch a break somewhere so I'm praying for some peace and rest for him while still getting all his tasks accomplished. I need to see the PCP this week and also broke a filling while I was in Oklahoma so hopefully they can get me in to fix that this week and if not then definitely next week. But anyways… lets move on to the real stuff, the pregnancy updates!
This week was the 25 week mark. I met with Miriam Thursday morning and here are some updates. We discussed blood loss during birth. The number one reason I'm fighting for a VBAC is for less blood loss than a surgical procedure. But that doesn't guarantee something won't happen so I just wanted reassurance of "what if." She assured me that unless I hemorrhage, which is rare for me considering some of my history, then I should be okay. Even if I do, they are equipped with pitocin and methanogen and can give me two doses of pitocin and one dose of methanogen, 15 minutes apart. This will force the uterus to cramp at a stronger rate and stop the bleeding. They also have the capabilities to put an IV bag if I'm dehydrated and offer me oxygen if needed. I would also be required to rest for the first 24 hours post birth. It will also help drastically that we are planning to hire doulas that are educated in dealing with the placenta and can offer me a raw placenta smoothie immediately to help with the bleeding and healing process. We also discussed my iron levels. We had just run a full anemia panel at my last appointment. Gastric Bypass Patients are recommended to have their ferritin at a 100 or higher before getting pregnant. I didn't know this. When I found out I was pregnant my ferritin was a 50 and my HGB was 8.3 At that last blood work my ferritin was 60 and my HGB was 10.7! Super close to the 11 we need to get it to and keep it at for a HBAC. My platelets were also 317 which is a good strong number and that's important too! Plus my TIBC was 491 which is HIGH and shows that the infusions I've been receiving are working in my body! Miriam suggested I still receive an infusion prior to going out of town for the wedding but I couldn't get an order from my PCP before flying out so I wasn't able to get one. I just tried to stay on top of all my OTC meds while I was gone. So when I went to see her I said "since I haven't had an infusion yet, lets run my bloodwork again and compare it to see if it's maintained on it's own at all." Supposedly I had to get my levels up via infusions in order for my body to process OTC. So she did…. those results will come to the end of the post. She told me most likely I'll still need infusions though because it's about me AND the baby and that's a lot of work. Plus between 24 and 28 weeks the body starts working doubly hard to help the baby grow and usually results in a drop in blood again, even in women who don't suffer iron deficiency anemia. She said she'd look into the possibility of me receiving iron infusions at home instead of having to go to the ER each time. We also discussed my Gestational Diabetes test. That will be done using a meal plan and bloodwork versus the drink. That's what I did with the twins too so I'm pretty sure in how it all works but she walked me through their routine. Basically the night before I have to fast completely until morning and that morning I have to eat a specific meal plan (I have two to choose from) and then I have to have my blood drawn exactly two hours after I take my last bite. So it's essentially all about timing! Tentatively it's scheduled for Thursday but I might have to move it to next Tuesday 5/12. Waiting to hear back from Miriam whose currently at a birth (go momma!) I was also give then first list of items I need to start collecting/buying for the home birth. I can't believe it… 15 weeks will go by so fast, especially with how busy we are! We discussed also my pain/discomfort and it was recommended that I start visits with a massage therapist and a chiropractor. I'll be getting a referral from PCP this week also to make a chiropractor appointment and I have a prenatal massage scheduled for Sunday (GREAT way to spend Mother's Day if you ask me!). We chatted a bit about the birth and the "what if there's no one to help with the twins." And I was just reassured that the midwives and doulas would gladly help with them (get them lunch, help them in potty, etc). Seriously, can I say again, HOW AWESOME! No OBGYN would EVER do that for us! I love how important it is to them to keep Ephraim & Elijah involved in this process! We also listened to baby boy's heartbeat - a good strong 140 and measured my tummy - measuring at 25 1/2 weeks!
The boys are so excited to be big brothers. Elijah found a baby doll in the closet that was mine when I was a little girl and he's just treating it so sweet and "practicing." It totally melts my heart! BUUTTT anyways there is some bad news to go with this post. I did get the anemia panel results from Miriam on Friday afternoon. My HGC dropped to 10.3. My platelets dropped to 307. Which is still not bad but did lower. But the WORST was that my ferritin dropped to a 6. Miriam said that's not a number they monitor but I know the severity of this. Ferritin is essentially the storage of iron in the body. It's blood cell protein that contains iron. So essentially I have no storage whatsoever of iron. And if my HGB depletes I could get VERY sick and put the babies life in danger. Miriam is going to consult with Dr. Spence (who still has a final say in me having a HBAC/VBAC). I have an appointment with Dr. Fox (my PCP) on Wednesday. I will FOR SURE be requesting iron infusions through the remainder of my pregnancy but I am also going to ask for an all day infusion. A friend of mine had this done when she was not pregnant and her ferritin went from a 6 to a 124 and was able to hold over 100 on it's own for about 18 months. This essentially means about 8 hours in an ER receiving iron slowly…. about 600 mg. After that I will probably need an infusion 1-2 times a month in a smaller dose (about 300 mg). I am also going to be ordering a different iron supplement called Profferin ES (heme iron) that was recommended to me (by the same friend). It's about $60 for a 90 day supply but I don't care if it'll work for me!!! So anyways, that's the update on that. I'm frustrated but it also explains my exhaustion and headaches and I'd just love to get this under control and not have to be concerned about it. Please continue to pray for my healing and the doctor's education in dealing with my levels. I will share more details as I get them.
