Mandy Moore is opening up about her autoimmune disorder, immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).
In a new interview with Today Parents, Moore revealed she will not be able to receive an epidural when she welcomes her second child. “My platelets are too low for an epidural,” she told Today. “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.”
Dr. Ashley Roman, director of maternal fetal medicine at NYU Langone Health, told Today Parents that the two main risks associated with ITP during pregnancy are excessive bleeding during birth and low platelet counts for the mother and fetus. “The antibodies that cause the low platelets in the mother, can cross the placenta and affect the baby’s platelet count as well,” Roman said. “In really rare cases, the platelet count in the fetus can be so low that it leads to bleeding problems in the baby.”
The star of This Is Us first shared the news that she and her husband, musician Taylor Goldsmith, were expecting another baby boy in June. “One incredibly seminal chapter of my life just ended and the next one, as a mother of two, is about to start,” she wrote in the caption of a photo of her 17-month-old son, Gus, wearing a “big brother” T-shirt. “And are we ever so deeply grateful and excited. Baby Boy Goldsmith #2 coming this fall! Tour is gonna be slightly different than I expected but I can’t wait and Gus is gonna be the BEST big brother!! Xo.”
On July 28, Mandy Moore shared an update about her platelet levels on Instagram, per Today: “I am fine. I just have to continue to get my blood checked—my platelet levels checked—throughout pregnancy. They’re low, but they’ve always been low. But I’m all good. Everything’s good.”
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