I should be doing a million other things right now…like
working on my graduate course, laundry, cleaning, preparing for my substitute
or maybe evening sleeping, but today I feel elated because I can finally count
on one hand the number of Makena injections that I have to get – FIVE!
18 weeks ago my doctor sat down with me to share in the joy
of my second pregnancy AND to lay everything out on the line. Last pregnancy, when Tommy tried to grace us
with his presence at 31 weeks, we were terrified. Although the labor was stopped and through
bed rest and medication we were able to deliver a healthy, beautiful baby boy
at 37 weeks, the doc made it clear that precautions would need to be taken during
this pregnancy. This is when he
suggested the Makena injection – a hydroxyprogesterone hormone injection that
is given in the hip once a week beginning around week 16 and lasting through
(up to) week 37. The injection can only
be given if you have had a previous spontaneous pre-term labor and/or birth and
will not work if you are having multiples.
I was a seemingly good candidate.
Since we met at the 12 week mark, I had some time to make my
decision about this injection. I attempted
to do my research, but information was difficult to find. This is still a relatively new drug on the
market and the statistics didn't do much for me. It was hard to know the variables, the
control, etc from a document (or maybe I didn't know how to read it) – so I
turned to blogs, comments, and any other forums I could find. Not many things turned up, but I decided to
stop reading what I did find. Some women
complained of serious pain during the injection and after, headaches, bad acne,
severe mood swings, difficulty walking…to name a few. All of which did not sound appealing to me.
Selfishly, I toyed with the idea of passing up the
injection. None of these side effects
seemed desirable, the anticipated cost of the Makena drug was outrageous and
some statistics showed miscarriages and still births at a higher percentage
when receiving the shot rather than not.
Luckily, the mom in me won the mental debate with my wimpy self and I
decided to suck it up and receive the injection.
After 14 weeks of injections, I can tell you this…
The pain in not unbearable.
Is it fun? Absolutely not. While receiving the injection, I often feel a
burning pain in the hip and down the leg.
The shot does take a good 30 seconds to 1 minute to administer because
it is viscous. But once you've been
poked, you feel the burning and before you know it the band-aid is being
applied.
After the shot, I notice my hip is a little sore. There are nights when I have to gingerly
sleep on that side – and I usually chose the other side to start out. Sometimes, I get a bruise and a small (small
as in the size of the eraser on a pencil) bump that is hard and lasts until the
next injection. If I push on the
injection site its sore – but why push on it?
I don’t need to. J
The day after (or sometimes a day or two later), I notice I
can be extra hormonal. Silly things make
me cry or stupid things make me angry.
Sometimes, I cry for no reason.
Although I blame it on the shot, many pregnant women could say they act
the same way without an injection.
And lastly, the most aggravating of all the side effects is
the inconvenience of the shot. It’s
preferred that the shot is administered on the same day every week (unless I
have an appointment scheduled – then I just go on that day). And in order to get the shot, a doctor has to
be in the office. The latest appointment
I can book is at 3:00 – which means arranging to leave early from work once a
week to receive the injection.
At the 30 week mark (another reason to celebrate), I can say
without batting an eye that I would hands down, recommend this injection to any
mother to be who has had a spontaneous pre-term labor/birth. The side effects (for me were few) and the
aggravation of receiving the injection are minor sacrifices to protect this
little angel growing in my belly!
Although I still have ten more weeks to go (and a lot to do to prepare
for this baby), today I celebrate the success of 14 shots and 14 weeks of
strength. With the support of my family,
friends, co-workers and the amazing office staff at the Cleveland Clinic
(Willoughby Hills), I feel so good where I am today!
Here’s to 10 more healthy weeks of growing our new addition
and spending time with my precious Pavicic boys...
