Getting Answers

I thought now would be a good time to tell you all about the aftermath of Tater Bug and leading up to getting pregnant with Stink Bait!

After the issues that followed Tater Bug's birth, I needed some answers. I did a lot of research on infections and blood clots. Finally, after a year, I made an appointment with a group that included a perinatologist (a high risk specialist) to get some answers. My chart was 3 inches thick and it took a while for the OB and the Peri to go through it all. I told them both my story and I heard the words that I had been wanting to hear.... "I know exactly what happened to you!"

The Peri believed that I had an infection before my water even broke. When I was admitted for preterm labor, they gave me antibiotics. Those antibiotics were to "prevent" infection. Well she thinks that they helped the already present infection but didn't knock it out. That is why it took 10 days for it to bring me back down enough to go to the hospital. (Usually an infection will present itself in about 5 days after birth.) She also believed that the infection contributed to the blood clot. Where I got the infection, we will never know. Luckily, my body did what it was supposed to do.

So there were a few things we knew for sure... I would have to be on blood thinner the entire duration of any future pregnancy (Lovenox shots) and I would have to be monitored closely for infection and preterm labor. But she felt that she could get me through a full term pregnancy. This was music to my ears. I knew I wanted more children but I was too scared to even entertain the thought. So was Golf Man. But hearing it from her and getting some of those answers put our minds at ease for possible future growth of our family.

So she told me to seek her out when we wanted to start trying again. By the time Tater Bug was 18 months old, I was ready. I had to convince Golf Man. We agreed that by his 2nd birthday we would start trying again. After all, it took us 5 months to get pregnant the first time. So it was reasonable that the baby would not be here before his 3rd birthday.

I started taking folic acid and prenatal vitamins 3 months before Tater Bug turned 2. I made the appointment with the Peri and she added baby aspirin to the mix. A plan was laid out. I was to call as soon as I got a positive pregnancy test and would start Lovenox shots once per day. At 20-24 weeks, I would start progesterone shots to keep from going into preterm labor. I would monitored closely and every appointment would be made with the Peri.

We were ready....