Morning sickness was a 24/7 ordeal for me. Instead of enjoying and craving delicious and strange things, I hated the thought of eating simply because I knew I would be running for the nearest toilet, trashcan, grocery bag, or car door I could find the minute the food digested. I puked in parking lots, a McDonald’s drive-thru, more street sides than I could list, and in front of so many co-workers, family members, and strangers that I just had no shame pretty soon.

During the first 3- 4 months of pregnancy, I lost 20 pounds. I thought that was a cause for significant concern since pregnant women generally do the opposite of losing weight. My doctor assured me that it was normal and not to worry, although he did comment that my blood pressure was a little higher than he'd like. However, it was attributed to the antidepressant Effexor XR, which I weaned off of immediately upon discovering my pregnancy. At 19 weeks, I went to the ER again for vaginal bleeding. While there, I got to see my baby for the first time; even though the baby was stepping on my bladder and making me miserable and sick, I knew I loved that tiny creature more than anything on earth. After scaring the crap out of me by saying things like threatened miscarriage and placenta previa; they determined the baby, and I were fine and sent me home. They put me on a week of bed rest and called it good. There was no attempt to discern the cause of the bleeding or reassure me. After the week of bedrest, I slowly started to gain weight and felt pretty good for a couple of weeks.

Sometime in February, I began experiencing strange pains in my ribs and swelling in my hands and feet, and my blood pressure continued to be high. I was given urine and blood glucose tests at the 20-week mark, and everything was normal. My doctor instructed me to keep off my feet, lay off the salt, and try to relax as much as possible. After dealing with the ever-increasing pains in my ribs for a month, I finally couldn't take it anymore. On March 8, 2009, I went to the ER complaining of pain. I was admitted that night by my doctor for observation and testing. A day or so later, my doctor brought in an OBGYN to tell me that I had been diagnosed with preeclampsia and was now considered a high-risk pregnancy; they moved me from observation, to in-patient. I was told I had severe preeclampsia and would be put on complete bedrest in the hospital for the remainder of my pregnancy. I was given a catheter and IV. I was put on magnesium sulfate, fluids, and other medications to control my blood pressure and keep me from going into labor. I was not allowed to do more than sit up, lay down, and rotate side to side.

On March 11, 2009, sometime around 9 pm, the pain in my ribs began to increase substantially. After two shots of pain relievers not working, they finally informed me that I might need an emergency c-section. An ultrasound was ordered to determine whether or not I could attempt a natural birth. During the ultrasound, I was told that our baby was most likely female and that she was breached and could not be delivered vaginally. After screaming in pain for almost ten solid hours, Doctor came in and told me they would be prepping me for an emergency c-section. A nurse scrubbed my stomach and wheeled me out into the operating room. I cried out in pain even as they were prepping me for surgery. A nurse said, " It's ok, you will feel better soon," with those words, I was out.

I awoke in a different room to a nurse pulling a tube out of my throat. My first hoarse words were, "Where is my baby?" The nurse told me she was ok and asked for her name. "Sierra Renee" was all I got out before the pain medications overtook me. Sierra Renee Lewis was born at 7:28 am on Thursday, March 12, 2009.