After the last miscarriage and all the tests came back normal, my doctor just looked at me and said "You can try any voodoo magic that you want." She understood that even if the only helpful side effect was psychological, it would be worth it. So I did. I didn't research a whole lot of things but if something came across that seemed to make sense then I did it.
1. Baby Aspirin
My doctor prescribed a baby aspirin a day which I have taken up until week 27. The only reason I stopped was because I felt safe enough at that point. Dr. Mini explained that there are no medical studies that absolutely prove that this method prevents miscarriages. There is enough anecdotal evidence and the risks are so low that she felt like it was a good place to start.2. Folic Acid
Dr. Mini also doubled my folic acid intake for the same reasons stated above. No medical proof that this works but you can't overdose on folic acid so you might as well try.3. Chiropractic visits
2 weeks after losing Henrietta, I injured my back and ended up fainting from the pain, giving myself a nice huge abrasion on the side of my face and messing up my neck right in time for my birthday. I was in so much pain that I decided to give the chiropractor a try. When he was going through my x-rays with me, he pointed out that I had a very interesting pattern in my spine. In each part of my spine, the number 4 disk was out of place. He said that was very unusual but it made perfect sense to me. He explained that especially the alignment issue in my lower back could cause a decrease in blood flow and cause nerve interruption to the reproductive system. I remembered that after the other two miscarriages I also had experienced back pain. Not enough to cause me to faint but enough for me to remember. Coincidence? Side effect from DNC's? Maybe. I wasn't taking any chances though. So now I see him and the massage therapist from the same practice twice a month for a one-hour therapeutic massage and chiropractic adjustment. Since insurance covers both services then why not?
Something else interesting the chiropractor said was that he was surprised that my alignment issues caused me so much pain. He said those particular places don't usually cause pain, the issues would usually manifest themselves in other ways such as recurrent miscarriages. Perhaps it is a good thing that I fainted when I did. Maybe my body was just trying to get me on the right path. Or not. It could be a coincidence and I probably won't ever know in this life. For now, I just enjoy my massage and thinking that maybe this was the difference.
4. Water Purification System
We were walking through Home Depot one day and an employee approached us to complete a survey about our water at home. Since Reed and I were both curious about the state of our water we completed the survey and agreed to have a water test done in our home with the company. I was astounded with all the things wrong with our water. The only level that was within normal range was our ph. I could not believe how much chlorine was in there or how hard it was or how many particles were found. You may say "Oh, it was just a magic show" but I already knew city water is bad, I just didn't know HOW bad. We bought a basic purification system to the tune of a pretty penny. This is probably my most expensive change and I am happy we did it. It took about 3 weeks for the system to flush out and run through our entire property and after that I could really see a difference. I drink more water now and can feel a difference when I shower. Reed, always the skeptical one, even said that he could tell a difference. Funny story- he was talking with a co-worker and mentioned that I was newly pregnant. She looked at him very seriously and said "Do not let her drink tap water." So I am not the only one who thinks this is a great idea!
4. Increased ultrasounds
I am not classified as "high risk" with my doctor which surprises some people. I have never asked why because I trust my doctor, whom I have been with since I was pregnant with Lara, and I figured if she thought it was necessary then she would tell me. She did recommend a couple visits to the Maternal Fetal Medicine department at Riverside Hospital for some additional Level 2 scans. I really don't think these scans could have prevented future miscarriages since my babies have just died and I already knew that, at least with Henrietta, everything developmentally had been normal. But again, might as well do it and get great pictures!
Like I have said, I don't know if any of these things have fixed the root problem of my miscarriages and I will probably never know in this life. Psychologically, these things have made ALL the difference. I didn't want to sit back and do nothing. Doing something was better. And now I am 33 weeks pregnant.
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| The little stinker was not cooperating for my last ultrasound and had an arm slung across the face. The technician tried to get him or her to move but to no avail. It just made me laugh :) |
