Thread: Here Are The Things I Worry About

~ I'm 44.

~ Just a few days before I found out I'm pregnant, I had a mammogram. No idea how much radiation this involves, but they did specifically ask me if there was any chance I could be pregnant, and I said no, because at the time, that's absolutely what I thought.

~ I was diagnosed with chronic high blood pressure back in December (it's hereditary, runs in my family, and my dad died of a heart attack at age 51) and have been taking bp meds that are contraindicated for pregnancy. As soon as I found out I was pg, I called my GP and had him switch my Rx to a med that is supposed to be safe to take while pg, but even it is a Class C drug, and for a few weeks, I was unwittingly taking meds I shouldn't have been taking.

I don't know. There's probably no reassurance anyone can offer me - it is what it is, and there's no turning back the clock. So far everything seems to be going along as it should - I have all the usual early pregnancy symptoms, and have had no signs of any problems. I guess my main concern is birth defects. But interestingly, having Finn (my three-year old who has Down syndrome - a diagnosis we did not get until after his birth) has changed my perspective on prenatal screenings, and I don't plan to have anything beyond an ultrasound to rule out obvious anomalies that would preclude a home birth. So I worry, but not to the extent that I feel I MUST KNOW, if that makes sense. I worry, but I also feel like whatever will be will be, and we will deal with it as it comes.

Anyway, just wanted to get that off my chest.

((HUGS)) Lisa. You are so smart and so level headed....I feel the same way about screenings while pg....I only want to know the information that I could do something about (spina bifida or something....) or about things that would affect my birth choices.

I don't have anything really inspirational to say about the radiation and the drugs-- except that the human body is a.m.a.z.i.n.g. and babies grow and thrive in astounding conditions. Don't underestimate the power of this bean-- it seems it was determined to be here.

I'm hoping for the best for you!

big hugs! our bodies are amazing at protecting our little beans. are you going to have an early u/s for dating? i think it's normal to worry during pregnancy, whether we are 19, 50 or somewhere in between. hopefully you can put your mind at ease and be in a place where you can enjoy your pregnancy and getting the 'girls' back (hehe, read that on your blog, thought it was pretty funny)

Kristen, yes I will have an u/s for dating in a few weeks. My mw has
reservations about early u/s, and since I don't feel in a great rush, I'll have one at the end of my first trimester (or at least my best guess as far as that goes).

No use worrying, what's done is done Easier said than done I know!
Not exactly the same but with my second child I was worried about a medication I was on (not to mention the fact that she was not planned and I had quite a bit of alcohol just a day or two before my positive pregnancy test), my dr said that at that point baby was still surviving off the yolk sac and probably didn't get any of it. Hopefully your little baby is just fine

If it makes you feel any better, I had a mammogram *and* a CT scan done in the two weeks before I found out I was pregnant with Weston. I also drank the better part of a bottle of wine many of those nights. And after 5 years of faithfully popping prenatal vitamins every morning, that was the month I ranout of them & did NOT buy any more.... you know, because I hadn't gotten pregnant after 2+ years of trying & was 43 years old so it obviously wasn't going to happen. Welcome to the club!

And ITA with Mandi, the baby lives off its yolk sac for a couple of weeks so most things in your system won't affect it. One more thing, even though I swore I wasn't & couldn't possibly be pregnant, they put a shield over my belly for the mammogram anyway so I didn't really worry about that. I *did* worry about the radioactive goop they injected into me for the CT scan, but they said it's out of your system in 15 minutes so I just hoped they were correct.

Again with the "if it makes you feel any better..." My mom had my little brother at 42, with chronic high blood pressure--I believe she was on lopressor? which is class C, but no idea what she was on before the pregnancy...But this was 18 years ago and I was 13, so. Still, happy healthy birth.

I wish you all the best! I know it's absolutely impossible not to worry, but it sounds like you're in a pretty good place, as these things go. Definitely agree about the yolk sac, etc., but really...the best thing sometimes is to let it all out, so go right ahead.

I wouldn't worry about any of that! I had x-rays taken when I was pregnant with my middle baby before I knew I was. As far as the meds go, I think you'll be just fine there as well. As Kristen said, that little baby is nestled safely inside of you. There's always cause for worry, no matter what the circumstance may be. In the end I think statistics are on your side, and you and baby are just fine!

hoping you are doing well!