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During my first pregnancy I was only 17 and trying to deal with |
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During my first pregnancy I was only 17 and trying to deal with life. I lived in a maternity home for women needing help. I got a lot of help learning what I would need after my baby boy was born but no one told me that I would be fighting for my life before he even got here! During my 7th month of pregnancy I keep telling my doctor that something was wrong. I didn't feel right! She would just tell me that this was my first pregnancy and that I didn't know how I was suppose to feel! I stayed this way until 36 weeks with slightly elevated BP's but nothing severe until the day I passed out while walking down the hall at the maternity home! When the EMT's got there my BP was 260/157 and I could not see very well anymore! I was rushed to the hospital where they told that I needed to deliver today!! I was 17 and knew nothing about what was about to happen. I was hooked up to fluids, magnesium sulfate and pitocin. I had my beautiful baby boy at 3:15. He was healthy 7lbs 14.5 oz and 21in long!! I was in the hospital for 2 weeks trying to lower my BP! It finally went back to norm and the last day I was there my doctor walked into the room and told me how sorry she was for not listening to me! Life went on. I got married to a wonderful man and we decided to have a child. After losing our first baby at 14 weeks we tried again. This one went without a hitch!! Nothing went wrong. Everything was perfect! Now my 4th pregnancy did not!! I thought I was out of the clear from any problems with preeclampsia but I was so wrong! I had problems from the start with a sub chronic hempatoma that put me on bed rest for 6 weeks from week 7 to week 13. Everything seemed great until my 7th month of pregnancy. This time with gestational diabetes. I started meds for that and visits every week there on out for testing (which is what saved both my baby girl and my life). At week 33 there was a change in my blood work so my doctor made me do a 24 hour urine test! I returned it the next day and got a call that my protein was high but not high enough to worry just yet! This went on for 3 weeks of in and out of Labor and Delivery with more 24hour urines and my doctor watching me very closely. Every week it was getting higher and higher ...but this was not what was worrying him the most. It was the fact that my platelets were dropping everytime he tested. Then June 4th and month from when I was due I went in for my usual sono and monitoring that morning at 10am. By 11am when the nurse took my BP it was 197/115. The doctor sent me over for testing and sure enough my platelets had now dropped to 110. My doctor came down to my room and looked me in the eyes and said " we need to deliver you today." My first thought was not again!! This did not help my BP at all. I was moved to an ICU birthing room where I had 3 doctors tending to every beep or odd movement!! I was in labor for 9 hours when they told me that I needed to deliver soon for my health. No one wanted to tell me but the pain I had been feeling in my right lower abdomen was not just contractions it was my liver failing!!! I was able to deliver her naturally . But she was put in the NICU for a week. I was released after 3 days. Everything had went back to normal! (Or so we thought) I went back to my doctor's office the Friday she was released to show her off to the nurses. They asked how I was feeling. I told them I was so tired and that it felt as though I had been running a marathon. They took my BP again and it was high. I have been put on meds which have been helping. I'm about to go for my 6 week appt. I'm praying for the best. I have to thank the Lord for such a wonderful doctor. If this had happened with my first I would not be here right now! It is such a scary thing to deal with. I think all women no matter what their age should be aware of these horrible problems. Be informed!!! |
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