12 Weeks

Stats:
12 Weeks 4 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 135
Issues: Just normal pregnancy hormones!

Well, Cody and I are back from our wonderful trip to the White Mountains. It was so nice to be in cooler weather. We got some rain up there and that really made things nice and cool. I had to actually use my sweaters and I had some hot chocolate at night too. I can't really explain how beautiful it all was. I took lots of pictures though. Too bad the fan motor in Cody's truck went out yesterday, so you know what that meant. No A/C in the truck! It wasn't bad for the first 3 hours of the trip because we were in high elevation mountains. But once we got to Phoenix....forget it! What were we doing driving in August in Phoenix with no air? Crazy.

Well, my perinatologist, Dr. Kuhlman, left two messages while I was gone. I had my blood pulled before we left because as I wrote in my last post, she wanted to have my blood tested for any clotting issues. I had seven tests done and it turns out that I have a genetic single mutation known as Factor V Leiden which makes my blood slightly more susceptible to blood clots. This specifically is what I wanted to be tested for because there is a history of blood clots in my family and I have met a few other women on the internet who had stillborn babies and afterwards had their blood tested and they too had this mutation. When I initially met with Dr. Kuhlman, she said that Brooke's umbilical cord possibly was not as strong as it should have been, making it more prone to being compressed and cutting off flow. A problem with the blood flow (i.e. blood clots) through the placenta could have caused this problem. So I don't know FOR SURE that's what happened last time, but it is all making sense to me. She said that right now, I just need to take a baby aspirin once a day to slightly thin my blood. She says there is no need for any other blood thinners at this point, unless I go into pre-term labor or anything like that.

I asked her if having this mutation in my blood means that I should not attempt a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and just schedule another c-section delivery. She said no. In fact, surgery increases my risk for developing a blood clot (jeopardizing my health) and she still thinks a VBAC will be fine. She gave all of my lab reports to my normal OB as well and said she wants to see me again between 19 and 20 weeks for my mid-pregnancy ultrasound.

So that's what's going on with my weird blood. I don't want everyone to get too excited yet....but I believe I am starting to feel a little bit of movement. I've been feeling it very slightly the last two days. They say that with your second you feel movement earlier because you know what to expect. I started feeling movement with Brooke at about 15 weeks...so maybe because I know what to look for I'm feeling it a little earlier now. Who knows?

Well, I'm going to go eat and get some rest.