Today I’m officially 36 weeks pregnant and so I thought I’d give you an update on how everything is going. I can’t believe we’re in the homestretch and our baby boy will be here before we know it!
I’ve been blessed with such a great pregnancy, that overall I’ve felt great the entire time and haven’t had many of the “typical” symptoms I’ve heard about. With that being said, I wanted to come on today and give an update on what’s been going on lately because I hit a little bump in the road. This online space has always been a place where I can open up and share the good times and bad, and over the years being able to look back at how much I have overcome with my health is really therapeutic for me. And most important, the community we’ve built here is something I’ll forever be grateful for.
If you follow me on Instagram, I shared a little bit about this last week after taking a little break from social media to focus on taking care of myself.
As I’ve shared before, going into this pregnancy we knew that my platelets were on the lower end to begin with, but they were staying stable. A couple weeks ago I was notified by my doctor that my platelet count had dropped to a level of concern for him this late in my pregnancy (I’ve mentioned this before but platelets are what help your blood to clot, so with low platelets bleeding is a concern), and he informed me that I would need to start medication to raise them.
If you know me, then you know that I’m not one to jump to medicine. I always try natural remedies first and am a big believer in diet and lifestyle. Needless to say, this news caught me off guard (although I shouldn’t have been surprised because I was feeling abnormally tired- more so than just normal “pregnancy tired”) and of course being who I am- I researched everything about the medicine and read the good, bad and ugly- which stressed me out more.
After having a serious conversation with my doctor, Erik and I weighed out the pros and cons of taking the medicine vs not and we decided it’s in the best interest of mine and baby’s health and safety for me to take it.
Times like this remind me that I am grateful western medicine does exist and that it should raise my platelets so I can have a safe delivery.
Something else those of us with celiac/dietary restrictions need to be aware of is gluten and dairy being in medicine. This was a big issue with the medicine I’m on- I contacted many different pharmaceutical companies and I couldn’t find one that was both gluten free and dairy free, so my doctor sent over a prescription stating these needs to a compounding pharmacy.
Luckily they were able to make it and now I’ve been on it almost a week and feel confident things are going to get better from here!
We saw the doctor last week and baby is doing well and growing, and next week we will see him again and will get actual measurements of how big he is!
Besides being tired and having some side effects from the medicine, I’m feeling great and trying to continue to have a positive mindset. I fully trust my doctor, am blessed to have a great support system in Erik, family, friends and my doula, and can’t wait to hold our baby in a few weeks!
I’m not one that likes to sit around, so it’s been a little bit of a challenge to take it easy (per my doctor’s recommendation), but I am still going on daily walks (just shorter now) and exercising in moderation. Although now I am trying to rest each day and elevate my legs since swelling is a symptom of the medication (in addition to normal end of pregnancy swelling).
With that being said, I wanted to let you know that I probably won’t be sharing as many recipes as I normally would (but be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook where I share many of my favorite recipes from the past or simple ideas on meals I throw together). I plan on sharing more lifestyle/baby/personal posts with you. If there is something specific you’d like me to post about, please let me know!
Since I’m supposed to be resting more, I asked over on my Instagram Stories for TV show recommendations and the most recommended show was “Schitt’s Creek”- Okay… I started it and I’m unsure?! It seems very odd haha. But, since it was the most recommended show, I’m going to continue with it! At night Erik and I have been watching “Billions” (I really like it!), but I need something light and cute for during the day when I’m resting. Please share any recommendations you have!
Thank you SO much for following along with our journey and I can’t wait to share our baby boy with you!!
xo, Kristina
To see my other pregnancy posts, click below!