Thursday, September 5, 2019

Carlin's Pregnancy Health Struggles

Carlin Stewart
Carlin Stewart

Yesterday, we shared the happy news that Carlin and Evan Stewart are expecting their first child in February 2020! With Erin Paine and Whitney Bates, Carlin's business partners, also pregnant and due before the end of 2019, the Bates Sisters Boutique trio will have babies who are very close in age.

Via People Magazine, Carlin shared the health problems that she has struggled with during her pregnancy. At her first obstetrics appointment, the expectant mother was informed that she has something else in common with older sister Erin. Like Erin, Carlin also suffers from a blood clotting disorder and has to receive two shots daily, administered by Evan. The Stewarts say that they are thankful that their baby is healthy.

If you enjoy this blog, be sure to visit Ellie's other blogs (NashvilleWife.com and DuggarFamilyBlog.com).

Photo credit: Darian Kaia

75 comments:

  1. They should start making baby clothes in their boutique

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  2. Is that maybe a reason why Michaela can't get pregnant? How is she doing with family stuff?

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    1. I don’t think so, because as I understand it, the blood clotting disorder Erin and Carlin have leads to miscarriages (Erin had 3 before giving birth to Carson), not trouble conceiving. Michael hasn’t been able to conceive at all, so it’s probably a different issue.

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    2. As far as we know Michaela has never been pregnant. I think the last time we saw her getting a test to see if her Fallopian tubes were blocked and they were. I don’t know if they ever had this corrected or if it could be corrected.

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    3. 7:39, one of her tubes was blocked and was “unblocked” I guess you could say when they did the procedure. But as she still hasn’t gotten pregnant there must be more underlying issues.

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  3. I’m so happy for you and Evan 😊 So grateful that the drs found out the problem and that it was an easy fix!

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  4. Congratulations, Dear Ones. We wil be praying for a good pregnancy and quick delivery.

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  5. What struggle? She conceived easily on her honeymoon. A medical situation was discovered early and corrected.

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    1. Any issue with a pregnancy whether know before hand, discovered early or found out during is a struggle both mentally and physically.. I have been there, had to take fertility drugs to have my daughter who was 8 weeks early, then pregnant with my son I had to give birth at almost 6 months as they discovered after 9plus ultrasounds there was a problem and he would not live after they cut his umbilical cord..your statement is uneducated, uncaring and just downright rude... Pretty sure you have never had children and or you have never faced uncertainties in any pregnancy..Maybe you think of others before you post..would you like someone to say this of you ?? Tania

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    2. It can't be very nice to have 2 injections a day every day and know that if you forget, you could risk losing your baby. That does not make for an easy, stress-less pregnancy !

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    3. Having to give yourself two shots a day is still a struggle🙄

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    4. As someone who's actually struggled to have a baby and still lost one. I don't see this as a struggle. She got the test done and needs to add in blood thinners. I also took them.

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    5. 7:46, ok? Just because YOU don’t see something as a struggle doesn’t mean someone else can’t. Most people don’t like getting shots, so to have to give them to yourself (or have your spouse give them to you) twice a day IS a struggle. Don’t diminish what other people are going through because you think you’ve had it worse. A victim mindset will get you no where in life.

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  6. I also have a blood clotting disorder that caused an early second trimester miscarriage with our first child, a son. Taking those shots twice a day throughout both of my next two pregnancies was initially difficult, but I quickly learned to administer them myself. My husband is a firefighter/EMT so I had to do it myself when he was on shift. It was always such a relief when he was home to administer the shots. The shots can cause a lot of bruising, which makes it a little difficult to find a bruise-free place to administer them. I'm glad for Carlin that she has Evan around to help her. That supportiveness makes a BIG difference. Also, I'm glad Carlin was tested and found out with her first pregnancy that she has the same issue as Erin.

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  7. I will definitely be keeping Carlin in prayers.

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  8. Since both Erin and Carlin have this disorder, it would be wise for the younger bates girls to get tested for it as well. There is a pretty good chance that one of the younger girls has the disorder as well.

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    1. Doctors typically won’t test you for it until you’re 18.

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    2. Would it make a difference if they knew ahead of time that they had the disorder.

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  9. Glad they were able to figure that out(about having the clotting issues) before something bad happened.

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  10. Please take care! You are both strong enough to do this.

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  11. Praying for an easy pregnancy and a healthy baby! 🙏🏻❤️

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  12. Carlin, Evan, and their baby are in my prayers! Hope to see a healthy baby in February 2020! ❤️

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  13. Praying for Carlin🙏🏻

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  14. Will be praying for healthy mama and baby!

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  15. Happy that Carlin was able to catch this earlier than Erin. I feel bad that Erin had to go through heartbreak at the beginning of her motherhood journey but thanks to modern medicine, she has numerous children now and seems to be embracing motherhood.

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    1. I don’t think 4 is numerous.

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    2. 4 is more than most families so it is numerous.

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  16. Sorry, but why is it all about Carlin? Or Erin? Erin has had multiple babies and now the latest girl to marry is just following in her sisters footsteps.
    What about poor Micheala? I wish I had the money to give that dear girl so she could adopt a baby. If anyone deserves one, she does!!!
    No offense to the other family members, but it brings me to tears seeing her standing there with her husband while the other sisters parade their babies and she just keeps that sad smile on her face. I'll keep Michaela and Brandon in my prayers...

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    1. I agree. Hopefully Michaela will have her time soon, and it will be special. Bless Michaela for being so humble about it, I can’t imagine being in her shoes, watching my sisters keep getting pregnant. May God bless her with a baby.

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    2. With all the medical technology today, I’m surprised they can’t find some way to get pregnant

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    3. It really annoys me when people say that woman with fertility issues deserve to be mothers more than woman who get pregnant easily. I didn’t think it’s safe to assume that woman who struggle to get pregnant would be great mothers.

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    4. The Bates believe in accepting what God does and doesn’t give you. I’m sure Michaela has come to terms with her inability to carry or conceive. I feel like the two separate posts about Carlin were made in order to keep the announcement in a happy mood. This post refers to something unfortunate. I am happy that Michaela moved closer to her parents and the rest of her family and that she is choosing to keep herself busy by studying nursing. You should focus on the positive, not negative.

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    5. Why is it all about Carlin? Huh. Is it the pregnancy announcement you object to or is it that they shared her medical issue?

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    6. I doubt that Michaela expects other family members to tiptoe around her or hide their own enthusiasm about having babies. Michaela is moving on and going to nursing school. Perhaps she feels that she can use her nurturing skills in that field. I say, good for her! BTW, I don't think she looks sad in the photos I've seen. Maybe you are projecting your own feelings about it. I could never conceive and I was very uncomfortable when people would look at me with sad eyes and ask if I was pregnant yet. It was like salt in the wound.

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    7. As someone who is also unable to have a family, my heart breaks for Michael and Brandon. When I look at my five beautiful nieces, I am filled with joy over having such precious children in my life but there will always be a small part of me that yearns for what might have been. My heart, love, and prayers are always with Michael and Brandon. But that doesn't mean that I can't pray for Carlin and her health struggles that could effect her carrying a healthy child to term. Thankfully, God doesn't limit our prayers. I don't think it's all about "Carlin or Erin." I think this specific post was about Carlin (and subsequently Erin since she battles the same condition) because she and Evan just made their news public. Michael and Brandon have chosen to keep their fertility issues somewhat under wraps and I can respect that. It's certainly not an easy thing to discuss.

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  17. Carlin you are in our daily prayers for your health and the health of your baby.
    Marilyn,Joan and Marion

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  18. Why would she or any of the sisters wait for their first obstetrics appointment to learn if they had a hereditary clotting disorder? Given that Erin and at least one aunt have the issue, it would be reasonable to assume that it is medically likely that more of the sisters would have the same issue. Not knowing and going untreated would be risky and could likely result in a miscarriage.

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    1. I know right I was surprised that Carlin only found out about it after she got pregnant. Usually when a person gets diagnosed with a genetic disorder it is advised that the siblings get tested for it as well. Since this family is very pro-life I would think that they would get tested for this disorder because it causes miscarriages.

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    2. Maybe they do all get tested but no one was else was positive, so there was no reason to mention it.

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    3. I think because the clotting disorder only shows up WHEN you're pregnant.

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    4. After our miscarriage, my OB refused to do any tests, saying he would not test anything until I'd had at least 3 miscarriages because "they're normal." I was pregnant again, and my husband and I were horrified at the thought of just letting another miscarriage occur. So, I found a new OB. We insisted that she run tests -- basically talked her into it, and that's when we found out about my blood clotting disorder, when I was already 6 weeks pregnant. Turns out, a lot of the women I know had multiple miscarriages before any testing was done. What we learned is that we had to advocate for my health and our child's health and not just leave it up to the doctors' routine methods.

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    5. @12:35 The clotting disorder doesn't just show up when pregnant. A blood test will reveal it, as it was found in Erin when she wasn't pregnant (after she had several miscarriages). If Carlin is using Dr. Vick as her OB/GYN, I would think he would suggest the testing before pregnancy to be sure.

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  19. What exactly is the clotting disorder that both Erin and Carlin have.

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    1. MTHFR, I assume. Very common.

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    2. Yes, I don't think it is too nosy to ask, since Erin and Carlin have brought it up themselves. It would be interesting to know exactly what they have. I wish they would tell us.

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    3. 7:17, I don’t think that’s what it is. If that were the case Carlin (and all the other Bates kids) most likely would have been tested for it by now, and Carlin would have found out BEFORE her first appointment. There are many different types of blood clotting disorders.

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  20. I wonder if Michaela is thinking of IVF. It’s expensive but I bet the whole family would help. Or, do they think it’s against their religion? Only speculating because I feel for her and Brandon.

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    1. In one of the episodes they discussed further treatments and I think that Brandon was’nt intressted of going down that path. He wanted to leave it up to the Lord. I dont think Michael can convince him about ivf if he doesn’t want to try.

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    2. We belong to the same type of church as the Bates so I can tell you why they probably haven’t done fertility. We believe that God is in control of conception completely. Some fertilized eggs aren’t used during ivf and the time is the same as abortion in my mind.
      They will likely adopt someday

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    3. I’m going to guess it would be against their belief system since so many babies die through IVF. Also it’s not like having biological children is their only option, they could always adopt a baby or child. You know, put their prolifeness to good use.

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    4. I don't think they'd do IVF because not all of the embryos get used, but I was wondering about IUI and if they would consider that. It's nothing like IVF as no embryos are made beforehand. They might see it as going against God's plan though because you still need a fertility specialist's help and you generally have to take fertility meds.

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    5. They have not been married very long. Some couples just take a while to get pregnant. I have worked in infertility clinics and most couples eventually have a child but it can take 5-8 years for many and I've even seen a couple pregnant after 14 years of marriage! Being calm and not stressed and having enough 'marital time together' ie three times per week are all very important.

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    6. This is just my opinion, but I think that Michaela and Brandon moved back close to family because they are starting the long process of adoption. Adoption agencies are very particular, and I am sure they want to see both parents working, and close to a good support system. But this is just what I think. I am excited for the day that they announce the growth of their family:)

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    7. @8:48 If you believe that God is in control of everything, why is it ok to seek medical intervention for pregnancies that would otherwise likely end in miscarriage? Isn't that interfering with His will? As many as 25% of all early pregnancies end in miscarriage, sometimes the woman doesn't even know she was pregnant. Must be what God wants! If you have a certain set of beliefs, fine. But it appears as though some are fine with God's will, as long as it's not an outcome they don't want and meets with their own desires.

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    8. IVF isn’t forcing anything. God is still in charge of putting a soul in the joined sperm and egg. There is free will and God’s will. There is no contradiction. God wants a lot of things and people don’t always cooperate. God makes lemonade out of lemons. Adoption agencies don’t need people needing to live near extended family. You need to have a clean criminal record, be healthy enough to outlive the child, an income higher than the poverty level, a safe water source and home. If they want to parent I hope they get the chance.

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    9. I’m sure the sister just wants to be happy for her sister and for people to not make it about her and be happy about the pregnancy in front of her. Her sister getting pregnant has nothing to do with her own fertility.

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    10. 8:48- Embryos don’t have to be destroyed. They can be frozen for later implantation or even donated to other infertile couples.

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    11. Frozen embryos when thawed have a 50% death rate with that process. It’s an odd situation to have infertile people donating their children.

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    12. @7:47- If an infertile couple has gone through IVF and have completed their family, they may choose to donate any remaining frozen embryos to another infertile couple, who may not have the ability to produce healthy embryos on their own. This is happening now, with the advances in fertility treatments. It's a preferred option for those who oppose destroying their healthy embryos and wish to help another couple build a family. It's really no different than adoption. Regarding failure rates of frozen embryos, studies are showing that using frozen actually has a slightly higher success rate than those that are fresh.

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    13. 10:10- In Genesis, it's states that God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul. That contradicts your assertion that the soul is present upon fertilization.

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    14. 7:47; Yet God allows, for one reason or another, that up to one-third of all pregnancies are terminated by a spontaneous miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy and that a number will be terminated after the first trimester. Many failed embryos in IVF are genetically incompatible with life and that's why they do not
      survive, just as it happens during a natural conception.

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    15. Anon7:47. If a couple has extra embryos they don’t plan on using, why not donate them? It’s really not much different than adoption and that’s not odd.

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  21. With Carlin having the same clotting disorder as Erin, her delivery date will probably be earlier than her due date, just as Erin has had with her children.
    So this might be a January baby, instead of February!!!!

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  22. Why do the shots need to be administered by Evan? Can't Carlin do them herself? Many people who have to take insulin injection give themselves shots multiple times a day. Maybe Evan just wants to be part of the process?

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    1. Probably because Chad gives Erin her shots...they all tend to do the same things.

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    2. A lot of people don't like to give themselves shots. When you have something like diabetes, you kind of have to get used to it. But Carlin might not feel comfortable day one jumping into giving herself shots and it's wonderful that she has someone to do it for her.

      I also think these kind of shots generally have to be done in the back of the thigh and it can be a lot harder to do yourself.

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    3. Don’t fault a husband for helping his wife.

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    4. 11:39 I wasn't faulting Evan. If you read my last sentence, I said "Maybe Evan just wants to be part of the process?" That doesn't strike me as being critical in any way.

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    5. There are different types of shots. People with diabetes give themselves subcutaneous shots, which are injected just under the skin(and therefore have much smaller thinner needles!) I'm guessing Carlin needs intramuscular shots that require a longer thicker needle to be injected into muscle. You can give yourself an intramuscular injection but it's definitely a lot more difficult to do than a subcutaneous one!

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  23. I feel so bad for Carlin! I would have a really hard time with that. So glad she has Erin for support!

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  24. Quite possibly Evan wants to be part of the process, but I’d imagine that Carlin would find it too freaky to do it herself, and that Evan is more relaxed with it

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  25. Hmmm maybe its a hereditary thing. Hope she and baby continue to do well.

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  26. She is really lucky she learned about that condition early on, miscarriages have been prevented.

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