By Whitney Jodry
Throughout the rest of my pregnancy, I took Lovenox (a blood thinner) shots twice a day in my stomach. I was told not to do anything that would put too much weight or pressure on my leg. The doctor also advised that I not be sedentary. So, I went back to work and tried to be diligent about my shots and my activity level.
As we were nearing delivery, I began to ask if I was going to be able to have an epidural. Several high risk physicians were unsure that we would find an Anesthesiologist who would be willing to give me an epidural while I was on blood thinners. I stressed about the idea of having to have natural labor without pain medicine. So, I began looking into my options.
I had a long discussion with my OB about this and she knew and honored my wishes to have an epidural. We agreed after much discussion with a team of physicians that we would induce at 38 weeks and come off the blood thinners in plenty of time so I would be able to have an epidural.
Thirty-eight weeks rolled around and we set a date for delivery. Prior to going in for delivery, I had to get off my blood thinners 24-hours in advance and was admitted into the hospital the night before they started induction. Nervous and excited, we began the process to bring our little baby into this world.
Stay tuned for more on the delivery in weeks to come.
