The Expecting Father - MTHFR gene mutation and pregnancy

MTHFR Mutation Concerns for Men and Women

2011-08-31T09:47:00.001-04:00

My Treat Results Post received an interesting comment relevant to all those who carry the MTHFR mutation regardless of gender. It is a reminder that there are more health concerns here than just pregnancy issues. I thought I'd share it with you:

"(my daughter) found out that she had (an MTHFR mutation) from both sides of the family... I am in my 70's and feel for all of you as my ambition when young was to have a happy healthy family... Since finding out more about this condition I would like to help others to know that it also causes other problems among which are heart, stroke,and other blood related problems. Looking back on mine and my husbands family history that certainly bears this out! Everyone on my maternal side died of heart attack or stroke. His side all heart disease.You got this mutation from someone older and being the caring people you certainly would like your parents to know the dangers. Dr. rec. one baby asprin and 1 ml. folic acid taken at night (most h/a start early am). I am so surprised at the number of doctors and others in the medical field who do not know anything about this easy to remedy mutation, which is so potentionally dangerous. I am wondering if this doesn't cause cleft pallette and other birth defects! Couldn't some of you youngsters get this attention in the newspapers or on the TV news? You could possibly save many heataches and even little lives."

Kaden Michael is Born

2010-04-01T18:33:00.000-04:00

We came into the hospital Tuesday night. We began patosin to induce labor on Wednesday morning but wouldn't dialate past 2 cm. Thursday morning, the water broke but still only dialated to 2 cm. The baby was now breach so the decision was made to have a c-section. This morning at 7:17 AM, Kaden was born. He weighted 7 pounds 8 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long.

3 days and counting...

2010-03-28T22:24:00.001-04:00

BJ's doctor instructed her to stop taking her blood thinners today (Sunday) in preparation for birth. Tuesday evening, BJ will check into the hospital. On Wednesday morning they will begin giving her Pitocin.to induce labor. Sometime on Wednesday or, God help us Thursday, our baby will be born.

Below are some of the pictures from a photo shoot we did in a local park.

Just a quick update.

2010-03-03T16:45:00.000-05:00

This is just a quick update to let everyone know that things are going fine. We return to the doctor March 15th and may make a decision then about when we'll induce labor. The baby is almost here and we have no idea what to name him...

Life is Moving Fast

2010-02-19T12:19:00.000-05:00

This is my bitch session... if it stresses you out, quit reading.

Right now, I'm insanely busy. My wife is pregnant. The baby is due mid April but we may take him out a bit early. So at home we are getting the house ready. My home office has moved into the master bedroom. The 3 year old has moved into my office and we are trying to turn his old room into a nursury. My 3 bedroom, 2200 square foot house once seemed enormous to me but now seems way too small. I'm thinking of buying my parent's house in Cincinnati when they move into a new house that they are currently building. In the meantime, at work my 5 year information systems project is coming to a head with our first North American implementation going live next week at one manufacturing plant in Mexico and one in Indiana. My company originally asked me to be in Mexico the entire month of March, which I refused. I absolutely will not be out of the country during my wife's 3rd tri-mester. At the same time, we are preparing to role the new systems out in 6 more plants in July. So, I am on the road more than ever. After July, I don't have any idea what I'll be doing at work. My project will be done. They want me to either work in California or Canada both of which would suck as I'd only be home on the weekends. I'm sick of being on the road. Anybody know of any good paying ERP or logistics jobs in Cincinatti?

I'll be working from home next week and in Indiana the following week. When I return, they will make a decision on when to induce labor on my wife. And I am taking off a week whenever the baby is born.... plus it'll be hard for the company to get me out of my home office for a while.

But anway, the point I am trying to make is that my life is crazy busy right now. I've got more work on my plate than any normal person plus more than I can get done at home on the weekends.

And throughout all of this, I am dieting.

May Induce Early

2010-02-17T08:47:00.000-05:00

We went to the specialist doctor on Monday. Everything is looking good. We are to return on March 15th. At that time they will check on the baby's development and potentially schedule a date to induce. The plan is to take BJ off of the blood thinners a week before she gives birth and to induce so-as to have more control over timing.

By the way, her 16 year old sister was checked for the MTHFR mutation and has it on both X chromosomes. Needless to say, she is a bit worried. But we are glad to know now so that if she ever decides to get pregnant later in life, that she will be able to treat the condition.

It's Going to be a Boy!

2009-12-13T19:49:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy lately that I've not taken time to post an update. A couple of weeks ago, we had another ultrasound and found out that it's another boy. Everything seems to be going well. They say that all measurements are exactly as they should be right now. BJ continues with the blood thinner shots, vitamins, and baby aspirin. The "high risk pregnancy" doctor told us that he doesn't think we should induce birth early as we did with the last one. This makes both of us a little uneasy as I want to be sure not to be traveling when the baby is born. I have been on the road a great deal.

Other than 2 weeks off at Christmas, I probably will be away, in Nashville, 3 nights a week until late summer or fall. I have been asked to go to Mexico for February and March but have said "no". I feel a bit guilty about being gone so much. I guess this winter I'll start sending out resumes and looking for some work that doesn't require so much travel. I love my work but the travel is starting to get to me again. Plus our first son, Skylar, will likely be playing sports next summer and I don't want to miss my children growing up.

When I'm not traveling, I work out of my home. I'm losing my home office to make another nursery. It seems we are outgrowing our home. If we don't move up then I'll have to actually drive across town to use my cubical in the Lexington plant. I love working form home but can't do it without a private room in which I can hide. On the bright side, my parents up in Cincinnati may be buying a new house soon. My wife and I are thinking about buying their old house. This would give me space to work from home as well as put me closer to family. My brother's kids are almost old enough to babysit and it'd be really nice to be close to them.

An Update

2009-11-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

We're somewhere around the middle of the pregnancy. The spotting for the most part went away. She still spots occasionally which makes us uneasy. Also, BJ reports that it is harder to give herself the shots than she recalled it being with our other baby. The needle is harder to push into the flesh and it often burns. You can feel some knots under the skin from where she has given herself shots. Her belly is bruised badly from the blood thinners. But the doctor's continue to report that everything appears to be going well.

When we did the last ultrasound, we were unable to tell the gender. But they said that the heart rate was fast and in the range for a girl. At the last doctor's visit, they said that the heart rate was in the range for a boy. On November 30th, we'll lay the gender question to rest. On that day, we'll be getting a 3D ultrasound. We're so excited!

BJ's actually lost some weight. When not pregnant, BJ suffered from severe migraine headaches the source of which we were never able to determine. Once again, during pregnancy the headaches have almost all gone away. She has them occasionally but not nearly as badly as before. I'm still convinced that they are somehow related to the MTHFR mutation. My theory is that there is something in the prenatal vitamins or folic acid itself that is preventing the headaches. I wonder how many others with the MTHFR mutation have experienced migraines and whether or not they've gone away when taking vitamins.

Time Traveler's Wife, etc.

2009-09-26T22:22:00.000-04:00

BJ & I recently went to see the movie The Time Travelers Wife. I read the book long ago and had forgotten about the importance of miscarriages to the plot. She cried through much of the movie. Regardless, it was well worth seeing.

By the way, we're still pregnant! We are just about to enter the 2nd trimester. We go for another doctor's visit a week from Monday. I'm taking off of work to go with her. I'm hoping that this time we'll get to know the gender. BJ thinks it's a girl because she says that she feels very different than she did the last time.

Still Spotting

2009-09-13T13:21:00.002-04:00

Still spotting slightly off and on. But doctor doesn't seem too concerned. We didn't have this problem with our son Skylar. It's nerve racking and makes it very difficult to relax. BJ's continuing with the vitamins & blood thinners. We go for another doctor's visit this coming Friday.

First Pictures... A Sonogram

2009-08-31T15:37:00.006-04:00

Friday, we had some minor spotting. Saturday it seemed to have cleared up. Sunday, it was back. Today, it seemed better but we still visited the doctor. We had a sonogram and were able to see the little baby's heart beating. Everything looks good. The doctor said that the spotting was coming from a blood clot "behind the placenta". I'm not exactly sure what is meant by "behind". But the doc said it was fairly common and that BJ might experience spotting for up to a week until her body absorbed it. We're a bit worried that there is any issue with clotting especially since she is on blood thinners. But for now, the baby appears to be doing well. It is due April 18.

Week 7 Update

2009-08-25T16:17:00.003-04:00

We are somewhere into week 7 now. The baby could as much as a half inch and has a heart beat and a brain. Our three year old son knows that there is a baby in Mommy's belly. He keeps asking how it's going to get out. BJ has been telling him that the doctor will take it out. So far this answer seems to satisfy him.

We're a bit concerned about how to address the baby with our three year old. On the one hand we don't want to get his hopes up in case of a miscarriage. But at the same time, we want him to know and ready for what is coming. And, we want him to understand why he can't climb on his mother --both to protect the baby and to protect his Mom who easily bruises now that she's on blood thinners.

Both of our families now know that we are expecting. They are all a little worried about us. Also, I let my boss at work know so that they wouldn't anticipate me traveling out of the country during the 3rd trimester (when my project team will be most busy).

When I'm not traveling, I work from home. My office doubles as a guest bedroom. We only have a 3 bedroom house. So, now we are in a quandary over whether to make the kids share a room or if we'd be better off moving into a 4 bedroom house. I'm hoping to maybe change jobs next summer. If we wait I might be able to get an employer to pay for moving expenses. Where ever we wind up, we want to stay within a half day's drive of our families here in Kentucky.

Next weekend, we are going out of town to a large fantasy science fiction convention. Both of us are looking forward to it. I've not been in almost 10 years. My wife hasn't ever been but is looking forward to meeting several authors and part of the Twilight movie cast. For this, we will be gone at around the 8 week mark which is where we have sometimes had trouble in the past. I'm torn on whether or not to go. We think that the blood thinners and vitamins work and are hoping for the best. So we will go regardless.

Here we go again.

2009-08-19T11:15:00.003-04:00

We're pregnant again.

On the day the when the home test showed positive, BJ started taking baby aspirin, prenatal vitamins and folic acid. She went to her first office visit on Sept. 18 and had it confirmed that she was indeed at 5 1/2 weeks. Several vials of blood were taken. The doctor prescribed daily lovenox injections. The next appointment is Sept 22. Soon after we will visit another doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies. This other doctor has a 3D ultrasound which should be cool.

BJ told her family about her pregnancy last week. I haven't told my folks yet as I want to do so this weekend in person. Due to problems in the past, I am reluctant to announce it to the world but have let it slip out to a few people at work.

Week 8 is where we had trouble prior to being diagnosed with a single MTHFR mutation. So, in a few more weeks we can breath easy.

I'm still travelling a great deal. Mostly, I am staying in Nashville 3 nights a week. This is only a 3 1/2 hour drive from our home in Lexington. So, it's bearable. At work, I was told that I'm expected to be in Monterrey, Mexico for most of March. I told them "H" no because I don't want to be out of the country during the last trimester.

BJ seems very happy about being pregnant and not nearly as worried as when we had Skylar. We believe that the blood thinners and folic acid supplements work so am expecting everything to turn out all right.

Homocysteine and Migraines

2008-01-21T12:53:00.000-05:00

Brandi has suffered from severe migraine headaches and nobody had ever been able to discover the cause. During her successful pregnancy, I noticed that she had very few severe headaches. So, I started to suspect that the lack of migraines might be related to either the prenatal vitamins or blood thinners. I recently happened upon this interesting article (http://www.patrickholford.com/content.asp?id_Content=1398) on the possible connection between the MTHFR mutation and migraine headaches.

Homocysteine and Migraines
Homocysteine, you may recall from previous communications, has a profound effect on blood vessels, hence its link to heart attacks and strokes. Dr H Kowa from the Institute of Neurological Sciences Faculty of Medicine at Japan’s Tottori University, wondered whether homocysteine might have anything to do with migraines.
He recruited 74 patients who had frequent migraine headaches and 261 normal, healthy controls. After testing them for the MTHFR gene mutation, which indicates a tendency to overproduce homocysteine, he found that, compared to controls, more than twice as many of the migraine sufferers had the mutation. And sufferers who experienced ‘aura’ symptoms before a migraine (blurred vision, bright spots in their field of vision, muddled or confused thinking, extreme exhaustion, anxiety, numbness or a tingling sensation in one side of the body) were four times more likely to have
the mutation and high levels of homocysteine.
This study suggests that the tendency to migraines might be inherited in many people, due to the MTHFR gene mutation, and that high homocysteine levels might also be involved. That has yet to be proven, but if so it would suggest that a homocysteine-lowering diet and supplement program, including B2, B6, B12 and folic acid, might prove enormously helpful for migraine sufferers. In one study, those taking high-dose vitamin B2 for four months had substantially less migraines.
My recommendation is to test your homocysteine level and supplement with homocysteine lowering nutrients daily, including B2 (100mg), B6 (100mg), B12 (150mcg), folic acid (2000mcg), and TMG (3000mg).

A Doctor Visit

2007-11-15T14:50:00.000-05:00

My wife went to the OBGYN yesterday for a routine checkup. This is a new doctor for us. The doctor seems to agree with the treatment method that we followed before. She also warned that the risks associated with the MTHFR mutation increase with age. For this reason, she recommends that if we do have another child to do so before my wife reaches thirty. She is 27 now.

I haven't had a chance to really sit down and discuss this with my wife yet. I think that we both want another child. However, we are concerned about the chances of losing it, having to take daily shots, childbirth, etc. Also, there are the typical mundane worries regarding financial aspects such as daycare costs verses one of us not working. And, my job related travel is about to pick up. From January to June, I am likely to be spending a couple of weeks per month in Europe, half way around the world. I can hardly bare the thought of being gone if something should go wrong. If only we were the type who could just "leave it in God's hands" and shed the worry and responsibility...

Pregnancy Q & A

2007-06-14T19:35:00.000-04:00

Note: The content of this post is not original and is therefore not available for purchase via Scoopt Words. "Pregnancy Q & A" is re-printed from the Healthy Low Carb Living Blog and probably originated from somewhere else.

Pregnancy Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes , in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

Skylar turns 1 Year Old!

2007-04-20T23:02:00.000-04:00

Exactly one year ago, Skylar was born. It's so hard to believe that it has been a year already. We had a small celebration at home. We let Skylar dig into his own cake. Afterwards, we had a scare as it didn't seem that the blue frosting was washing off. I thought he was going to have a blue face and blue hands at the party tomorrow. It'd have been a good laugh but kind of sad at the same time. After some intensive scrubbing, Skylar finally came clean. Tomorrow will be the big birthday party.

Each time I tell someone about Skylar turning 1 year old this week, they ask when we're going to have another baby. We're not trying yet... but we are discussing the possibility.

Congratulations to Another Mother

2007-01-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

You might be surprised by the power of a blog. The MTHFR treatment with blood thinners is quite controversial. Many doctors adamantly deny that it works even though there is a great deal of evidence to support it. My opinion is that if it won't hurt, why risk not trying it? Yesterday, we got an e-mail from someone who had the an MTHFR gene mutation resulting in miscarriages. She learned of the treatment from our blog and recently had a healthy baby. I am excited for her and her family. It makes me feel really good knowing that my blog may be making a huge difference in people's lives... possibly even saving lives.

I would like to encourage each of you to post comments on this blog and to share your own experiences with us and other readers. Your experiences can and will make a difference.

Our Doctor Moves

2006-08-09T13:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Dr. Hosier informed us that he is moving to Birmingham, Alabama. He did a good job of assisting us during the pregnancy. Without him, we may not have had Skylar. It would have been nice to have him here in Lexington if we choose to have another baby.

Gall Bladder Attacks

2006-07-19T15:20:00.000-04:00

After giving birth, Brandi started having gall bladder attacks. They say that this is common for women who have just given birth. I'm not sure that anyone knows why. Friday, Brandi had surgery. She was in great pain over the weekend but seems to be doing much better now.

Blog Conclusion

2006-05-12T08:47:00.000-04:00

Skylar is now three weeks old. Isn't he gorgeous?

I have not had to travel with work for about a month! And, I have been allowed to work out of my house during this entire time! While I usually lock myself in the guest bedroom to work, it is nice to see Skylar and my wife during breaks and at lunch. I feel very blessed by the entire arrangement. Due to changes at work, my future travel will probably be reduced to one or two weeks a month. I will be in Nashville for four days next week and possibly in France the first week of June.

Sabastian, our chocolate lab, is also doing great. He is already very protective of Skylar. Each time Skylar makes a noise, Sabastian runs over to check on him. He's being very gentle and only steeling an occasional puppy dog kiss.

I am now going to call this blog complete. My wife and I greatly appreciate all of your e-mails and comments. It was very comforting to know that we were not alone. Please feel free to post comments and continue to write e-mails. If my wife ever becomes pregnant, I will begin posting again. For updates on how Skylar is doing, please click on this link to his new blog: http://skylarjoseph.blogspot.com/

Skylar Joseph is born

2006-04-20T20:24:00.000-04:00

Fantastic news! Our son, Skylar Joseph ___ was born this morning at 4:06 AM.

Weight: 7 lbs, 5 oz.
Length: 20 in.
Head: 33 cm
Chest: 32 cm

He is perfectly healthy. We get to take him home Saturday morning.

Brandi, my wife, is doing well also. We'll give more details in a future post.

Week 37 - Easter Photo

2006-04-16T22:45:00.000-04:00

Looking at this picture, it is hard to tell which of us is pregnant.

More Preparations...

2006-04-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we went to our doctor's appointment. Brandi is hardly dilated, so the doctor is telling us to prepare for a long induction. To help move things on more smoothly, he has recommended that she put hot compresses on her brests and to tweak her nippples. She is also told to rock in a chair as much as possible. And, we are to have lots of intercoarse. Apparently there is something in seamen that is supposed to help the cervix and labor process.

Today has been very busy. I went to Brandi's work to help pack up her things and carry them home. When we got home, I put in our car seat bases. Then, we washed the dog. And, now at 8:30 PM, we are just finishing cleaning the upstairs of our house. The bathrooms will have to wait. Tomorrow, we go to Florence, KY to see my family for Easter. I will be working from home on Monday and Tuesday. Brandi's mom will be coming up Tuesday. Wednesday morning, we have an appointment at 7:30 AM to begin the labor induction.

In all of our haste to get everything ready, we've forgotten something very important. We have not selected a pediatrician! Labor is to be induced on Wednesday. Yet, we completely forgot to ask our OBGYN for a recommendation. I guess we'll have to call him on Monday...

(some words in this post are intentionally misspelled to avoid adolt content blockers)

5 days to go...

2006-04-14T10:03:00.000-04:00

Today is Good Friday. I am on holiday, doing laundry, and cleaning house. Brandi is at work. She is a middle school teacher and is about to begin summer break one month early. We have a doctor's appointment this afternoon. Labor will be induced in 5 days. We have come a long way and are about to become parents!

This afternoon, I picked up a glider that Brandi had picked out. It isn't a perfect match for the room, but it's a nice piece of furniture.