Here's the scoop

I went to my doctor yesterday because i had so many more questions about this blood clotting disorder and WHY i needed to be put on blood thinners.

He said in making his decision he looked at 4 major factors, and the results were that 3 out of 4 were not good. The first factor was good, and that was that i have never had any problems. The other three were not so good. Pregnancy was one of them and it increases the risk of blood clots. My family history was another factor, and with my mom, aunt and grandma all with a history of blood clots that wasn't good either. The final factor he considered was the genetic make up of my blood. I have two deformed genes that together can cause blood clotting. The tricky thing about the genetic factor is that we NEVER know when it will happen, it could cause a clot now, or when I'm 60, or never, we just don't know.

So after considering these 4 factors he told me that it wasn't up to him to gamble with my life and it was his recommendation that i take a very low dose of blood thinner. The doctor also went over a scenario of what would happen if i took my chances and chose not to take this medication, and then got a blood clot. It would be VERY bad for me and baby. I would have to be put on high levels of blood thinners, that would not be safe for baby, delivery, breast feeding, or surgery. Not only would we have to deal with this, but my job at walmart would not be safe(working with all the knives) and they would make me take a leave of absence, until a position opened up for me. After hearing his horror stories of what blood clots can do to me and the baby, Billy and i needed very little convincing.

The blood thinner I'm on is Heparin and i only take 1cc a day, split into two shots. The only blood thinner that comes in pill form is Coumadin and it is toxic to the baby. The good news about heparin is that the molecular weight of it is so big that it cannot pass through the placenta, so baby doesn't get any of it. The major side affect for me is low blood platelet counts which the doctor is going to monitor. I will take Heparin for the rest of my pregnancy and 6weeks postpartum. Compared to other blood thinners, Heparin is safe to give birth with, breastfeed with, and safe to be on if i need surgery.

I did my homework mama, I love you and thank you for being concerned :)