8 Months

Well, a few weeks overdue with this post but you know, the tummy is generally doing the same thing, just getting bigger. I am experiencing all of the typical 3rd trimester irritations like insane heart burn, unable to sleep comfortably, lot's of peeing about a thimbles worth of pee every few minutes etc. so I take it as proof I am having a normal pregnancy.

A few months ago we went in for our family medical stuff to get what we needed before we moved. The dr. called to tell us everyones blood work looked great except mine. He said my platelets (they help your blood to clot) were quite a bit lower than they should be and that my OB needed to know. So then my OB starts testing my blood regularly and the plateletes continue to drop every week and the CA dr. tells me I have some gestational something or another where basically your plateletes drop. Long story short, pretty much the only negative consequence of this is surprisingly not bleeding to death after delivery, but just that I can't have an epidural. I guess the risk of someone hitting a vein and having their be blood pushing on the nerves of the spine increases the risk of permanent damage too much and after a certain point they won't do it. About a month ago I hit that point. I was mostly frustrated that I wouldn't have a choice and I had no idea what that would mean for labor and delivery in Taiwan, besides pain of course.

I was seeing Dr. West for the month we were in Boise and the last time he checked my plateletes before we left he called me himself to tell me that my plateletes are up, way up!!! So now I am just trying not to worry about whether or not they have fallen again but I am cautiously optimistic.

*picture by Tara Lynn photography