At 28 weeks with my first I was doing inversion’s still. 29 weeks I was at the hospital with a BP of 170/100. They let me go. Over the next week the swelling and pitting edema got worse. I was down south for my baby shower with my family and friends. Everyone was worried about me from just looking at me, but I was determined to get back to Vermont, where I live now. I flew home October 5th and thank god I had a check up the very next morning. I was 30 weeks pregnant.

I went from my appointment, to the local hospital, and then an 2 hour ambulance ride up to another hospital I didn’t go back home for 6 weeks.
They were able to get my BP under control with a mag drip and meds, but I was admitted and in bed rest with Preeclampsia with severe features. My protein was high and my liver and kidneys were showing signs.

Friday, October 15, two weeks after I was admitted I was feeling good. I had lost 15 lbs of water weight and the doctors didn’t even recognize me. My dad and sister were in town and we had a lunch date out in the hospital garden. I was so excited to see people, it was still COVID protocol in the hospital. The nurse came in and wanted to check my BP before we went out to the garden. She looked at me and said, let’s give it 15 and check again before you go.

After that reading things happend so fast. Nurses everywhere, lots of questions, pricks, lights, docs, so many sounds and the sinking feeling, this is it.
Back on the mag drip, meds and they want to start the induction with “the balloon”. I didn’t know better, so I agreed and was in for the worst 12 hours of my life; at this point in time. Cramps, dry heaving, no food, no bath/shower, begging for them to take the balloon out. After that and it only opening me 1cm, we went to the pitocin drip, and still on the mag drip. It’s Saturday and things are quiet. My BP is holding and we are just playing the waiting game. By nightfall they max out my pitocin and I am 24 hours in with no food. Sunday morning I wake up and have a hard time getting to the bathroom, my legs are not working, then I realize, I am having a hard time seeing. I used to be able to see Lake Champlain out of my window. Now it was all a blur. They decide to stop the mag drip and pitocin for the morning. But by mid afternoon I was back on both. I don’t know what time I started to feel labor coming on. I was so out of it. I didn’t know what I needed or wanted or could get in this moment. I felt stuck to the bed and so I asked for the epidural. I thought I had to, I was told that because of my BP I had to have it.
The anesthesiology came in and I sat on the edge of the bed and breathed. My husband coached me through the fist two pokes and the nurses helped him on the next three because I was so agitated. 5 needles into my spine, for him to finally place the epidural.

After the epidural things went fast. My daughter Ryland was born Sunday morning at 2:38 AM, weighing 3 lbs 13oz. She was 7 weeks early and so tiny, but I was able to hold her. My husband went with her to the NICU and I delivered the placenta and got 1 single stitch. It was not long before I started to feel weird. Pain in my neck, spine, head. I couldn’t stand up without getting the most intense headache I have ever experienced. This was the start of my first spinal headache. After 12 hours of torture and not being able to see my baby I was given a blood patch to fix the spinal. If you have never had a blood patch it’s essentially an epidural while giving blood, and then they take that blood band insurgence it into your spine. The pressure is one of the craziest sensations I have ever felt. But within an hour I was sitting up eating pizza! It’s amazing how hungry labor makes you. 20 hours after giving birth I was able to go see my sweet girl. She did amazing and was on room air. We spent 27 days in the NICU learning how to swallow, feed and not desat at night.
She is 3 and 100% in height . You would never know she was a premiee.