We told you earlier this week that ‘This Is Us‘ star Mandy Moore was forced to cancel her music tour due to the troubles of being pregnant. She thought she’d be able to handle it, but turns out being pregnant while trying to raise a toddler on a tour bus is a little too much for her.
The 38-year-old actress/singer is set to give birth this October, but during a recent interview with TODAY Parents, Moore revealed she’ll have to do it without any pain relief.
She suffers from a rare autoimmune disorder known as immune thrombocytopenic purpura, or ITP for short.
“My platelets are too low for an epidural,” she revealed. According to Dr. Ashley Roman, director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYU Langone Health, there are two major risks associated with ITP during pregnancy.
For the mother, there is a risk of bleeding around time of delivery, whether delivery is vaginal birth or cesarean. The risk of bleeding depends on the platelet count. There is also a risk to the fetus. The antibodies that cause the low platelets in the mother, can cross the placenta and affect the baby’s platelet count as well.
As for the epidural? Well, it can cause serious injury around the spinal cord if the platelet count is very low, so it’s a bit of a gamble to take.
Moore says that while painful, she’s done an unmedicated birth before, so she can do it again.
It was awful. But I can do it one more time. I can climb that mountain again. I wish medication was an option — just the idea of it being on the table is so nice. But we’ll just push forth like we did last time.
By the way, Moore has been keeping her 5.4 million followers updated on social media, letting them know that while she does have ITP, it’s manageable and she’s constantly getting her numbers checked.
Here’s to hoping she has a safe and healthy delivery in October!
