by maxs mom » Mon Dec 29, 2003 09:24 am
Hi all!
I just signed up after finding this wonderful website. I am so glad it exists. I am planning to get pregnant with #2 this summer, so decided I better get my act in gear and try to do everything I can to have as normal of a pregnancy as possible this time around. Reading your stories is really helpful.
As for my story, Max was born by emergency c at 25 weeks on 1/20/03 because I developed a severe case of pre-e. I started showing slight signs a week before, but nothing too alarming. Up to the time I delivered, I still didn't feel all that bad. Luckily the steroid shots were completed before my body started to slip into HELLP syndrome. When all of this happened, I knew very little about pre-e. Of course I had read about it in my baby books when I started swelling, but how was I supposed to know if I had high blood pressure or protein in my urine? If only the books had stated an important fact that I found out later, that swelling in your face is cause to get yourself to a Dr. ASAP, I would have been there at least 5 days earlier. Anyway, what is done is done. Thankfully, I had the shots, because with no warning, my doctor walked in on Monday morning and said it was time to deliver NOW. Unknown to me, the lab results were bad, so as soon as he saw them it was deliver immediately. Boy, did I feel like a train wreck. Max was delivered in 4 minutes flat, rushed to the NICU and intubated. He was a small 1lb 3 ozs., probably due to lack of nutrition from the high blood pressure, which must have been present for longer than I knew. He was in the hospital for just under 4 months. The biggest issue was lungs. He was intubated for 10 weeks, and even then the doctors didn't want to extubate, but I begged them because he never had a chance to even see if he could do it. Thankfully he flew, and kept doing so right until the time he went home. Besides CLD, he has pulmonary stenosis (heart murmur) that will need to be corrected through balloon valvoplasty when he gets older. He had stage 3 ROP, but it has regressed finally and his eye doctor said it appears he is slightly near sighted, but no need for glasses at this stage. He is a little developmentally delayed, but mostly due to the fact that his body is tight and certain positions are not so easy for him. He went home on oxygen, but got off after 4 months. He is still on an oximeter (recommended for his heart condition) but it will probably be pulled in February because his stenosis improved from discharge to last Drs visit. Also, he has not been sick once since he left the hospital, because I am very careful about his surroundings and visitors (or should I say lack of visitors, by choice). Honestly, I think my biggest challenge with him has been he hates to eat. Partly due to taking months to figure out he had a severe milk allergy and not reflux. He is on Neocate and breast milk now, and mommy eats NO dairy (boy this is tough, I love ice cream) He is OK with solids, but I tell you, a dream for most parents of full termers would be there child sleeping through the night early. We didn't want Max to sleep through the night as soon as he did, but I tell you, he likes to sleep more than eat, so he was sleeping through the night 8 weeks after he got home. He recently went down to just four feedings a day (3x’s with milk and solids) and he seems to be gaining OK, but he still only weighs 15+ lbs and his 1st birthday is just around the corner. I was hoping to get him to at least 17lbs. But I know what is most important is he is happy and healthy.
Sorry to ramble on for so long. What I would love to hear back is how other mommies dealt with pre-e during their 2nd pregnancy. I read a lot of aspirin therapy. Does anyone have experience with Dr. Brewers diet?
Thanks for listening to me go on!
Kara
Mom to Max, 25 weeker, 1/20/03
Hi all!
I just signed up after finding this wonderful website. I am so glad it exists. I am planning to get pregnant with #2 this summer, so decided I better get my act in gear and try to do everything I can to have as normal of a pregnancy as possible this time around. Reading your stories is really helpful.
As for my story, Max was born by emergency c at 25 weeks on 1/20/03 because I developed a severe case of pre-e. I started showing slight signs a week before, but nothing too alarming. Up to the time I delivered, I still didn't feel all that bad. Luckily the steroid shots were completed before my body started to slip into HELLP syndrome. When all of this happened, I knew very little about pre-e. Of course I had read about it in my baby books when I started swelling, but how was I supposed to know if I had high blood pressure or protein in my urine? If only the books had stated an important fact that I found out later, that swelling in your face is cause to get yourself to a Dr. ASAP, I would have been there at least 5 days earlier. Anyway, what is done is done. Thankfully, I had the shots, because with no warning, my doctor walked in on Monday morning and said it was time to deliver NOW. Unknown to me, the lab results were bad, so as soon as he saw them it was deliver immediately. Boy, did I feel like a train wreck. Max was delivered in 4 minutes flat, rushed to the NICU and intubated. He was a small 1lb 3 ozs., probably due to lack of nutrition from the high blood pressure, which must have been present for longer than I knew. He was in the hospital for just under 4 months. The biggest issue was lungs. He was intubated for 10 weeks, and even then the doctors didn't want to extubate, but I begged them because he never had a chance to even see if he could do it. Thankfully he flew, and kept doing so right until the time he went home. Besides CLD, he has pulmonary stenosis (heart murmur) that will need to be corrected through balloon valvoplasty when he gets older. He had stage 3 ROP, but it has regressed finally and his eye doctor said it appears he is slightly near sighted, but no need for glasses at this stage. He is a little developmentally delayed, but mostly due to the fact that his body is tight and certain positions are not so easy for him. He went home on oxygen, but got off after 4 months. He is still on an oximeter (recommended for his heart condition) but it will probably be pulled in February because his stenosis improved from discharge to last Drs visit. Also, he has not been sick once since he left the hospital, because I am very careful about his surroundings and visitors (or should I say lack of visitors, by choice). Honestly, I think my biggest challenge with him has been he hates to eat. Partly due to taking months to figure out he had a severe milk allergy and not reflux. He is on Neocate and breast milk now, and mommy eats NO dairy (boy this is tough, I love ice cream) He is OK with solids, but I tell you, a dream for most parents of full termers would be there child sleeping through the night early. We didn't want Max to sleep through the night as soon as he did, but I tell you, he likes to sleep more than eat, so he was sleeping through the night 8 weeks after he got home. He recently went down to just four feedings a day (3x’s with milk and solids) and he seems to be gaining OK, but he still only weighs 15+ lbs and his 1st birthday is just around the corner. I was hoping to get him to at least 17lbs. But I know what is most important is he is happy and healthy.
Sorry to ramble on for so long. What I would love to hear back is how other mommies dealt with pre-e during their 2nd pregnancy. I read a lot of aspirin therapy. Does anyone have experience with Dr. Brewers diet?
Thanks for listening to me go on!
Kara
Mom to Max, 25 weeker, 1/20/03
