Anti-Kell antibodies, along with the other red cell antibodies during pregnancy, can be very confusing and scary, especially when you are newly diagnosed and trying to figure out what is going on. Since the disorder is very rare, medical professionals don’t encounter it often and sometimes have to rely on their memory of what they […]
Well, Nora is officially DONE with transfusions and blood checks and has been released from her hematologist! A couple weeks ago she had her blood drawn for the last time at Children’s Hospital and I was so excited that it was the last time I would have to drive all the way to Birmingham and […]
Anti-Kell antibodies, along with the other red cell antibodies during pregnancy, can be very confusing and scary, especially when you are newly diagnosed and trying to figure out what is going on. Since the disorder is very rare, medical professionals don’t encounter it often and sometimes have to rely on their memory of what they […]
I’m emotionally and physically exhausted so I’ll make this as quick as possible. Today we got some really bad news and some really amazing news. The bad news is that our amniocentesis results came back and Nora is kell positive like her Daddy and her big brother Asher and big sister Lucy (Asher was safe […]
Losing a baby turns your world upside down. Everything feels wrong. There’s nothing right about a baby dying before her parents. One of the hardest things to understand is why people like drug abusers and child molesters get to have healthy babies but my babies die. Sometimes, I feel like I’m being punished for my […]
Isaiah 41:17-20 When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the […]
Transfusion number four is done and now we only have one left before our Nora girl arrives! The procedure went very well and was the easiest one yet. Nora was in a great position for the procedure and tolerated the needles and extra blood well. She still isn’t making her own red blood cells (which […]
Today Nora is two weeks old. Last week she had her first check up at the pediatric hematologist. Her numbers looked good but she is heading toward being anemic. Her bilirubin was great, less than 1. It looks like she won’t be dealing with jaundice at all, which is a huge blessing. I was expecting […]
16 months ago we went in for Lucy’s second intrauterine blood transfusion, but instead, we helplessly watched her heart stop beating and a couple hours later we were inducing labor. I have lived 16 months without my baby. It’s like going 16 months without food, or water or air or sunshine, but worse. Seriously, think […]
It’s amazing how dates cement themselves in my mind. As I get closer to Lucy’s birthday, I feel all the things I was feeling a year ago. Sometimes it feels like no time has passed and it was just yesterday that I was losing my daughter slowly, day by day, waiting until her heart stopped […]
I just got back from Indianapolis, where I was donating plasma. And yes, I did fly all the way from Alabama to Indiana just to donate plasma! Since last summer I have been part of a red cell antibody study that helps pregnant women. They use my plasma to create test kits that help doctors […]
I’m emotionally and physically exhausted so I’ll make this as quick as possible. Today we got some really bad news and some really amazing news. The bad news is that our amniocentesis results came back and Nora is kell positive like her Daddy and her big brother Asher and big sister Lucy (Asher was safe […]
Today was my 26 week check up and pre-op appointment. I had prepared myself for bad news at today’s ultrasound. Nora’s movements have noticeably decreased over the past few days. I do a kick count every day to monitor her movements. It usually takes her about nine or ten minutes to get ten kicks in, […]
Today Nora is two weeks old. Last week she had her first check up at the pediatric hematologist. Her numbers looked good but she is heading toward being anemic. Her bilirubin was great, less than 1. It looks like she won’t be dealing with jaundice at all, which is a huge blessing. I was expecting […]