SHARON'S STORY
In December of 2007, my son and daughter-in-law came bearing gifts for my birthday. One was a photo of an ultrasound. I had no idea that they were planning a family, so at first I thought that their dog was having puppies. No, they were having what was to be my very first grandchild.
They were and I was over the moon.
Several weeks later, they returned to the doctor for a regular check-up. The Doppler was hooked up in order to hear the heart beat but there was no sound of a beating heart. An ultrasound was done and though the fetus was still there, the heart was no longer beating.
Their doctor tried to console them, telling them that a lot of babies are lost in the first trimester of pregnancy. He said that there was probably something wrong with the baby and this was just natures way.
As hard as this was to accept, they tried again and had the same results.
As fate would have it, my daughter-in-law who is a TV Producer was working on a show with three high risk obstetricians. After speaking with them and sharing her experiences they were shocked to learn that her doctor did not perform or even suggest performing any tests to see what the problem was.
They immediately performed some blood tests and found that she tested positive for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). It is a disorder in which your immune system produces antibodies to certain proteins found in the blood. This syndrome may lead to the formation of blood clots in your body that may cause complications during pregnancy leading to miscarriage or stillbirths.
When she became pregnant for the third time, my daughter-in-law returned to these three doctors for her care. Since they were now aware of her condition they were able to prescribe blood thinners that she injected daily. She delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl in April of 2009. Today, this child is bright and happy. She is a true joy to all who know her.
If it weren't for these doctors that were aware of this blood clotting disorder, this child may never have been born.
I am thankful every day for the knowledge of these three beautiful doctors and my very brave daughter-in-law for going through this very high risk pregnancy.
In December of 2007, my son and daughter-in-law came bearing gifts for my birthday. One was a photo of an ultrasound. I had no idea that they were planning a family, so at first I thought that their dog was having puppies. No, they were having what was to be my very first grandchild.
They were and I was over the moon.
Several weeks later, they returned to the doctor for a regular check-up. The Doppler was hooked up in order to hear the heart beat but there was no sound of a beating heart. An ultrasound was done and though the fetus was still there, the heart was no longer beating.
Their doctor tried to console them, telling them that a lot of babies are lost in the first trimester of pregnancy. He said that there was probably something wrong with the baby and this was just natures way.
As hard as this was to accept, they tried again and had the same results.
As fate would have it, my daughter-in-law who is a TV Producer was working on a show with three high risk obstetricians. After speaking with them and sharing her experiences they were shocked to learn that her doctor did not perform or even suggest performing any tests to see what the problem was.
They immediately performed some blood tests and found that she tested positive for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS). It is a disorder in which your immune system produces antibodies to certain proteins found in the blood. This syndrome may lead to the formation of blood clots in your body that may cause complications during pregnancy leading to miscarriage or stillbirths.
When she became pregnant for the third time, my daughter-in-law returned to these three doctors for her care. Since they were now aware of her condition they were able to prescribe blood thinners that she injected daily. She delivered a beautiful, healthy baby girl in April of 2009. Today, this child is bright and happy. She is a true joy to all who know her.
If it weren't for these doctors that were aware of this blood clotting disorder, this child may never have been born.
I am thankful every day for the knowledge of these three beautiful doctors and my very brave daughter-in-law for going through this very high risk pregnancy.
