My journey through pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes

Posted On Wednesday, July 06, 2011  by winter

I got pregnant when I was 19 years old. I had a perfect pregnancy, until one day i woke up and couldn't recognize myself. I went outside for fresh air and put my feet down and they wre so swollen my toes didn't touch the ground.

• My next doctor's appointment was 3 weeks away. When I went in for my monthly checkup, they did all the usual tests and did not say a word, just looked at me as if they wanted to say they were sorry and that they knew what was laying ahead for me. When my nurse practitioner came in she rechecked my urine and bp, then gave me a prescription and told me to take it with me to labor and delivery along with my test results. i was sent home about 8 hours later with no explanation. At 22 wks gestation, I went into preterm labor and they were able to stop it and sent me home on a 3-day bed rest. then at my next doctor's appointment once again they had the same looks on their faces and once again I was rushed to labor and delivery. This was at 26 wks gestation and it was then they told me i had preeclampsia.

I had no clue what it was, so I did a lot of research when they sent me home on meds. i was put on high risk and was going to the high risk clinic twice a week and my ob once a week. Each appointment I was taken back to labor and delivery. Then when I was 31 wks pregnant, I went in for my high risk and noticed something wasn't right i could barely breath and my baby girl was no longer moving.  i didnt feel her move for almost 3 days but i was so scared they would take her out if i said something i just kept quite and would sit in a hot bath until i could get her to make some type of movement.My high risk nurse said nothing to me except to keep changing the way I was lying down. Then she rushed back in after two breathless hours and put me on oxygen (thank god i wanted to ask for it but was too scared too)  then i asked her to turn it up and then she took me into the next room for fetal monitoring and she failed all four tests. I was once again rushed into labor and delivery, this time in a wheelchair, and my nurse frantically trying to call my doctor and when he answered i could hear her saying we need you here asap  and telling him my test results and then say the o.r. is prepped and ready to go I was put into a delivery room and all the nurses started rushing in and were awestruck by how swollen I was. i could litterally push my finger into any spot of my body and it would go almost all the way in and stay indented like that for an hour!

They started pumping me with IVs and steroids. Then finally when my doctor came in, he looked at my monitors and said let's do it. i said do what? and he replied with the heartstopping news: "that baby needs to come out now." I immediately started having a panic attack. and crying my eyes out i remember the woman accross the hall who was in active labor stopped screaming from her pain to listen in on what was going on with me .The hospital i was at did not have the propper care to save my baby girl's life if i were to let them take her out I told the doctor I wanted to go to county, where they have a NICU and a great NICU team and the proper care. So he called the other hospital and requested an emergency flight over and was turned down because they did not want to be responsible for either of our deaths.

My bp at this point was at 227/117. My boyfriend then made it back into my room and they told him if i denied surgery that either me or the baby would die. Right before I signed the papers to leave, a nurse grabbed my hand and said please don't leave; wouldn't you rather risk losing your baby so you could get better? I wanted to slap her.i then started pulling out my own ivs and ended up leaving against medical advice and made it to county. They put me on all different types of medications and monitored me for 24 hours before they decided to deliver. They tried vaginal when they realized I was in labor already, but it was too much stress for the both of us and my babys heartbeat dropped with each contraction. and they had the O.R. and NICU team waiting for me. I had an emergency c-section due to severe and worsening preeclampsia and gestational diabetes that was uncontrollable. My baby girl came out silent and within ten seconds (which felt like a lifetime) the NICU team had her screaming it was the sweetest sound ive ever heard and i immidiatley started crying with joy. she weighed 3 lbs 4.6 oz. and was 15 3/4 in. long and thanks to the diabetes she was able to keep her weight instead of the pre- eclampsia draining it out of her. i didnt  get to touch her cause my arms were strapped down to the surgery table.. I was hospitalized for seven days to recover. My baby girl was only there for three weeks; I brought her home just before what would have been thirty five weeks gestation she weighed 4 lbs 15 oz and was 17 in. long. My doctor came up to me and said me leaving the other hospital was the smartest choice i will have ever made for my baby girl. That was one of the best things I was ever told. I can't thank the NICU team enough for saving my baby girl's life. She is everything to me and without them she may have not made it home with me. So to the NICU team, I am so greatful for you guys: you are absolutely amazing in so many ways and I appreciate everything you did for my daughter and others. My baby girl is now a healthy 2 year old only needing glasses due to her prematurity: she is the happiest child i know and so smart. Thanks to the NICU team i get to wake up to her beautiful face everyday