Scared to stop baby aspirin!

[kazine]

I took it of my own accord after 2 miscarriages. Never told any midwife I was doing so. I planned on telling at 35 week appointment but ended up not because of my MW thinking I'm mental so I didn't want her to just stop taking it because she thinks the only reason I'm doing so is because I'm mentally ill (long story...)

Advice everywhere says stop at 36 weeks and that was my plan! Until I started approaching 36 weeks and chickened out in case it was the only thing keeping baby alive. Have heard stories of very late stillbirth due to blood clotting disorders, very scary . Now I'm 37 weeks tomorrow and still taking it. I talked to a midwife online who recommended stopping, as even if I'd been diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder, I would be told to stop taking at 36 weeks. But usually people with blood clotting disorders are taking something alongside of aspirin, right? So they're in a better position than me who could very well have one and not know about it (2 miscarriages 3 years apart, with no aspirin, followed by one very healthy very normal pregnancy a month after miscarriage).

I don't want to stop I am so nervous. People say I need to stop due to increased risk of bleeding out but equally I've seen from medical sources that there is no increased risk as the dose is so small? So much conflicting advice! When it comes down to it I would rather take that teeny risk of me having issues at birth rather than risking my baby... If I had to pick between my life and hers I'd pick hers any day...

I've also read that NHS sometimes prescribe baby aspirin up until birth for pre-eclampsia. And have read stories of people giving birth and even having c-sections on baby aspirin, telling their doctors they were taking it and the doctors didn't seem concerned? If they're willing to prescribe up until birth it can't be that bad I don't think?

Really just me trying to wrestle with whether I should stop taking it or not. Anyone taken until birth or been advised to?

 

[ItsJana]

I took it of my own accord after 2 miscarriages. Never told any midwife I was doing so. I planned on telling at 35 week appointment but ended up not because of my MW thinking I'm mental so I didn't want her to just stop taking it because she thinks the only reason I'm doing so is because I'm mentally ill (long story...)

Advice everywhere says stop at 36 weeks and that was my plan! Until I started approaching 36 weeks and chickened out in case it was the only thing keeping baby alive. Have heard stories of very late stillbirth due to blood clotting disorders, very scary . Now I'm 37 weeks tomorrow and still taking it. I talked to a midwife online who recommended stopping, as even if I'd been diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder, I would be told to stop taking at 36 weeks. But usually people with blood clotting disorders are taking something alongside of aspirin, right? So they're in a better position than me who could very well have one and not know about it (2 miscarriages 3 years apart, with no aspirin, followed by one very healthy very normal pregnancy a month after miscarriage).

I don't want to stop I am so nervous. People say I need to stop due to increased risk of bleeding out but equally I've seen from medical sources that there is no increased risk as the dose is so small? So much conflicting advice! When it comes down to it I would rather take that teeny risk of me having issues at birth rather than risking my baby... If I had to pick between my life and hers I'd pick hers any day...

I've also read that NHS sometimes prescribe baby aspirin up until birth for pre-eclampsia. And have read stories of people giving birth and even having c-sections on baby aspirin, telling their doctors they were taking it and the doctors didn't seem concerned? If they're willing to prescribe up until birth it can't be that bad I don't think?

Really just me trying to wrestle with whether I should stop taking it or not. Anyone taken until birth or been advised to?

This is not true in Canada, I had pre e and have been on baby asprin for all subsequent pregnancies. I had to stop taking it at 34 weeks, I was told this by my OB, a specialist and my family doctor. There is a reason you need to stop taking baby asprin before you deliver and you need to get the correct information from your doctor/OB....not Dr Google. You should never take any medicine without your midwife/doctor knowing about it.

 

[ginny83]

I am on baby aspirin for both recurrent miscarriages and also I have high blood pressure. Ive been told to stop it as 36 weeks as well. if you're going to keep taking it I would at the very least tell your midwife/dr they might even be able to reassure you or at least be aware that you're on it. I was told part of the reason I needed to be on it was to help all the vessels form correctly si not even something that occurs during the last few weeks

 

[Sunseal]

I would definitely let your midwife know you're taking it, even if you decide to stop, it's important that she knows that you have very recently stopped taking it

 

[Kiamaria83]

I took baby aspirin due to multiple mcs , my consultant advised to take it but was adamant I should stop at 36 weeks which I did and I am now 39+3 and all is well. You can have major complications if you take it to the end and your care giver should definitely know you're taking it

 

[kazine]

https://www.ouh.nhs.uk/patient-guide/leaflets/files\5052Ppreeclampsia.pdf

This NHS leaflet is where I found that they prescribe it to birth. It also says theres no evidence of it causing such complications. I know I should tell mw but have had horrible experiences with them, there's no way they will take my concerns seriously

 

[ginny83]

I'm sorry, but do you even know when that leaflet was published? How do you know it's not out of date? Or that might be just an example of when they prescribe aspirin for some particular cases because I know lots of people who are prescribed it much earlier than 12 weeks. People that are increased risk of pre e also have extra monitoring.

I think you're putting yourself and your baby at risk by taking something without telling anyone. Even if you want to keep taking it they should know so it can be on your records - who knows what might happen and you might not have a chance to tell them. Aspirin can interact with other meds - which you might need in an emergency situation.

 

[emeeorevan]

Aspirin can also thin the blood which is one of reasons to take it to decrease clotting BUT that being said, if you were to go into labor or require emergency surgery and no one knew you were taking aspirin then you Could have severe bleeding due to the thinner blood. ( I believe that this is one of the main reasons that patients are asked to stop taking it after 36 weeks) even heart patients here who are required to take aspirin are told to stop within 48 hours of surgery due to the risk of uncontrollable bleeding. If you insist on taking it someone needs to know. Labor can happen anytime after 36-37 weeks and you could require blood transfusions for excessive blood loss or worse.

 

[kazine]

Published in 2013, it says so at the bottom. Think I'd tell them in labour.

Personally feel like I'm risking my baby by coming off it as this has been my only successful pregnancy and the only one I've taken it during. I didn't take it on a whim I did lots of research, wrestled with it and decided that if it caused harm to my baby I would have to learn to live with it based on me feeling like I did what I thought would help.

The reason I never told MWs is because I knew they'd tell me to stop. I have a personality disorder but it also says on my notes (by an error) that I have schizophrenia. I'm sure the midwives think I'm lying, I had my midwife changed but not before she insisted it said on my gp notes that I have schizophrenia (there is no way). They wouldn't take me seriously if i told them why I take it.

OH has strict instructions in case anything in labour gets out of hand to tell them that I am taking it if i can't.

I didn't post to feel judged... Were all doing what we think is best for our babies. I wouldnt take this if I thought it was causing any risk to her. No where has showed baby aspirin is a risk to baby, only to mother. And if the NHS are prescribing it to people up until labour and saying it doesn't have evidence of increased risk, I think I'm happy with that...

If something happened to me or baby as a result of taking this. I could live with it more than if I stopped taking it, feeling like I shouldnt stop, and my baby died..

 

[emeeorevan]

I understand. I don't think anyone here is purposefully judging or criticizing you. I can only tell you what would do, however I've never had a mc before. Can you talk to your primary care physician? Or an OB? Just to help ease your mind?

 

[Mrs Dragonfly]

If you don't feel you can tell your midwife could you tell your primary care doctor? Or perhaps make an appointment with a different midwife or OB to run over your history and your concerns over stopping it to get a second opinion?

There's a lot of risks in this and I can see that you're finding information but it would be so much safer to get it from a trained professional than anything you could find on the internet.

 

[ginny83]

I just think it's a risk in itself going off medical advice that isn't actually for you and not telling your drs what medication you're on.

I have done heaps of researching on trying to avoid having another miscarriage - look at my signature. Yet, I would still never go against medical advice - especially now that've made it this far.

Good luck to you and hope everything turns out fine either way

 

[Ladylinks]

Why post anything if you're ademant about not asking your medical caregiver for advice? A bunch of pregnant ladies who are sharing their experiences with you trying to help you can certainly shrug off their concerns, but not telling your midwife seems rather foolish to me. The nhs website is highly trusted for medical information in general but it does not state personal situations. If that were the case we could all go there instead of seeing/speaking to our midwives. Please just talk to your midwife she won't judge you!

 

[lauraemily17]

I can back up the pre-eclampsia and taking it through to birth. I was told to take it through to birth in my last pregnancy when it was suspected. In the end it was just pregnancy induced hyper-tension. As it happens I was already taking aspirin, just like you to avoid another miscarriage. My recurrent miscarriage doctor knew and initially advised to stop at 36 weeks. Obviously the suspected pre-e over-rode that advice and I was told to stay on it.

In this pregnancy I had to take aspirin from the start, to prevent high blood pressure, blood clots & miscarriage. I was told from the outset to take it through to birth even though I'm also on blood thinning injections to prevent a blood clot (I had blood clots on my lungs 2 weeks after giving birth last time, pregnancy hates me it seems )

Anyhow. I actually stopped taking the aspirin at 36 weeks but 2 separate consultants were not at all happy with me doing so. The reason I stopped was due to some health issues my eldest was born with (resolved quickly & no lasting damage thankfully, but scary at the time) which may of may not be related to taking aspirin. (Different Drs who dealt with it at the time couldn't agree!) I think it probably wasn't related but don't want to risk it when on blood thinners which do just as good of a job, which 1 consultant did concede to in the end.

If you therefore want to take it through to birth then I don't see why you shouldn't. But you really should make sure all medical personnel know as it may interact with medication you might need I take in labour or increase bleeding risks.

 

[petitpas]

I have a blood clotting disorder, have suffered life threatening clots and had six miscarriages. I also have a healthy son where I stopped the aspirin at 36w. In my opinion, the medication has done its job by then and the risks start to outweigh the benefits at that point. To you and your baby.
I personally think it is always best to disclose what medication you are taking to your medical team. Even if they disapprove, but that's by the by now. I'm sorry you seem to have such an unsupportive team. I have heard of special mental health midwives and think it would have been so beneficial to you to have someone like that who understands what you might be going through rather than labelling you and not listening to your concerns. Maybe with the next baby?

You mention that people with clotting disorders can stop the aspirin as they are on other blood thinners. While I am also on heparin injections they don't work the same way. Heparin does not cross the placenta so has no influence on the baby. The reason I take it is because the increases oestrogen levels in pregnancy make my blood more likely to clot. I am at high risk of developing a DVT and/or clots in my lungs. I will continue with the injections for six weeks after the birth, too. As for the birth itself, it can be quite complicated. I am scheduled for a planned c-section (same as with my son) and will stop with the injections 48h before the birth. I still suffered some blood loss with my son but thankfully it was within acceptable limits.
Anyway, that's a bit beside the point. I also took aspirin and stopped at 36w as per the NHS guidelines (google green top guidelines on recurrent pregnancy loss and green top guidelines for prevention of VTE for the most up to date information).
I was given a 40% chance of developing pre-eclampsia, btw, and they still stopped the aspirin at 36w.
I have to admit, I get a little worried whenever I stop any medications (I was also on progesterone and steroids earlier on in pregnancy) but there is a,lot of research that goes into when the best time to take them and to stop them is. All I can suggest is to give it a go. Get yourself something to distract you and keep you busy for a day and don't take the pill. Feel the movements your baby makes. If anything concerns you at all, head up to the hospital to get checked out. You can do it!

 

[swampmaiden]

Im on aspirin.. and I plan on taking it up until I go into labor. My midwives know about it too, but they havent counseled me one way or the other about it. You should definitely get a doctors advice tho

 

[cazi77]

I have the blood clotting problem antiphospholipid syndrome and take asprin a clexane. I stopped asprin at 36 weeks with my dd and have been told to do the same this time.

 

[kazine]

I kinda posted because I was still in 2 minds about it, wanted to hear from people who had taken it up until birth. I'm torn between mentioning it now and dealing with the opposition (I don't do opposition and assertiveness very well...) or just waiting until labour and telling them then.

Pretty much decided to continue taking it now that I've heard from a few different people who have been prescribed it up until birth and all was fine. In my mind if they prescribe it up until birth (for WHATEVER reason) the risks simply can't be that great.

As it stands I don't know if I have a clotting disorder or not and if I do I don't know what it is, I'm certainly not in a position to guess. If something were to go wrong I'd rather feel like I had done what I did because I felt like it was right, rather than because I'd been told to stop by a doctor and did it against my gut feeling .

 

[hopefulfor1st]

I also was taking it for 2 miscarriages in the 6 months prior to this pregnancy. I was tested for clotting disorders and none found.
My c section is booked for 39 weeks and they told me stop taking it at 34. It increases risk of bleeding in delivery, so they said just take it up to the point where they would stop a spontaneous labour