👣 When Alicia McGrew gave birth to her first child more than a decade ago, the doctor said her son was “perfect.” ❤️ But soon, tiny red dots developed on his skin and excess bleeding followed routine shots and circumcision. A complete blood count showed that his platelet count was dangerously low. 🩺 He was rushed to the NICU. After blood transfusions and infusions of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), he stabilized and got to go home a few days later. Alicia and her husband, Patrick, were relieved and happy.
But when Alicia became pregnant for the second time, they started looking more closely at what had happened and why. They learned about FNAIT (fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia) and started to understand that it’s caused by a mismatch between Alicia’s platelets and those of the babies. In utero, maternal alloantibodies bind to and then destroy the fetus’s platelets. The mismatch can cause mild to severe consequences, with uncontrolled bleeding in the gut or into the brain.
Often parents of babies experiencing FNAIT are unaware of the danger. But it’s not just parents. Alicia encountered an OB/GYN and a hematologist who had not heard of it. Luckily, she established a relationship with several maternal-fetal medicine specialists who were familiar with the condition and were able to support and advise her through her pregnancies.
Today, Alicia and Patrick have four healthy boys. Learn more about the challenges they faced while dealing with their FNAIT pregnancies.
