Death a day away: 1st pregnancy

Posted On Saturday, January 28, 2012  by jackie

I am a survivor!!   I was pregnant in my 7th month and was told by an OB DR, "Welcome to pregnancy!" when i informed her about my swelling. My BP and urine samples were all normal that week. With in the next couple days I started getting abdominal pain, and thinking it was just from constipation, so I took some powder and waited for it to kick in for 3 days. The pain just got worse and started to affect my breathing. Finally, Christmas morning came around and my husband and I got up and ran to the only open CVS 30 min away and got some milk of magnesia. We got home and I took it, then immediately threw it up. I thought it just didn't mix with the juice I drank with it. I took another half dose and sat on the couch, since the only way I could sleep and breath was sitting up. 2 hrs later I awoke to go use the bathroom and broke into a sweat, I took my temp and had a fever on 99.7. So I told my hubby it was time to go to the ER.

We arrived and I took a urine test and it came out orange. Nathan (my hubby) and I were discussing how it should not be that color cause I had drank like 6 glasses of water that morning. Come to find out, that it was blood in my urine (I knew that had something to do with kidneys failing from tv). Then my BP was through the roof; the nurse actually grabbed her head in shock and said I should have had a stroke by then.  Then the DR. looked at my swollen arms and legs and left!!! It seemed like he was gone forever, but he finally came back and asked me if I knew what HELLP syndrome was... of course I said no....

Well then he explained what it is and told me I was very sick, and for my sake and the baby's I would deliver in a couple days. All Nathan and I could say to each other is that we weren't ready yet.... Well they sent us to another hospital because there they are more equipped to take care of preemies!! On the way over, my magnesium drip failed and I went 15 minutes without it. They rush me towards the hospital, sirens and all. That was my first time in an ambulance.

Well I got there and was rushed into a room where it took 9 nurses 30 minutes to stick an IV in me. I was stuck 9 different places (I have very bad veins). My husband had gone to make some phone calls and by the time he got back 30 min. later, I was being told I am delivering the baby within minutes... tonight!!!!

They put me under general because there was no time for anything else and I had baby Nora Beth at 10:20 pm on Christmas night!!! In the morning I asked a nurse how close I was to death. She said my platelet count was 30 and it is supposed to be at 160... if I would have waited another day I would have bled out and died. The scariest thing she told me was that baby Nora should have died while I was asleep on the couch... the thing is is that my hubby was waiting on me to say something the entire day; he was right beside me playing video games and Nora could have died... BUT!!!!!

We were both a Christmas miracle and Nora came out kicking and breathing on her own!!! 2 pounds 9 ounces!!! and 15 inches long!!! We are both doing fine, my recovery is a little slower than hers... but it's going along.

UPDATE: Nora is now 3.9 lbs and 16 inches.  She is breathing on her own without any tube at all, and is taking feedings quite nicely!!  I myself am slowly recovering.