In 2011, I became pregnant with my fourth child and went in for what I thought would be a normal 8–12-week doctor’s visit, but instead they told me that I was having a miscarriage.
This was confusing and devastating news that was challenging to process. I could not understand why I was having a miscarriage after I already had three prior healthy pregnancies. Fast forward one year later, I was able to get pregnant again, but unfortunately that pregnancy also ended in a miscarriage. The following year, another pregnancy and another miscarriage followed. I was at my wits end at this point. I knew that I was 35, which increased the risks associated with pregnancy, but I had no known health issues.
I discussed this with my obstetrician, who referred me to a maternal fetal medicine specialist. Fortunately, this doctor was amazing and immediately ran a series of blood tests. As a result, I was diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), which causes a tendency to form abnormal clots.
I was immediately put on blood thinners and soon become pregnant with my baby girl. By the grace of God and the help and care of my doctors, I had a healthy pregnancy and delivery. We just celebrated my daughter’s eight birthday and I couldn’t be more grateful. I weathered the storm for three years and got my rainbow at the end. Experiencing these miscarriages and being diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome has taught me a lot and has given me a greater understanding of the risk factors that women have during pregnancy, including risks for developing life-threatening blood clots.
