Birth Story

**I wrote this back a few days after I came home**

I was having some pretty severe upper back pain since like July 1st. It wasn't horrible but everyone once in a while it would get bad but i would take Tylenol and it would go away. Well on Tuesday the 6th I couldn't take it anymore and went to the doctor. They gave me some percocet and sent me home and told me to take off the next two days from work. They did bloodwork and said they would call me if they saw anything. I laid down and about 2 hrs later my doc calls and tells me that my blood work showed I had pre eclampsia and that I needed to start heading to the hospital. That they would call and let them know I was on my way. And oh yeah by the way because of it no epidural. Of course I freaked out. Then 10 mins later get a call back again from the doctor and they said you need to go now because your levels are severe and you could have a seizure. So off we went to the hospital.

They started me on magnesium and got me induced with a foley ball and cervidel around 7 pm. It was really painful with the contractions and I'm pretty glad the magnesium made me feel so out of it. Around 3 pm on Weds they started saying I was around 9 cm and that I would be pushing soon. Then a resident came in and told me that I was only 6-7 not 9, after another doc and 2 nurses had told me I was. Everyone was pissed at the resident but then the doc came in and confirmed I was only 6-7. I did end up taking some pain meds at that time since I was only that far along they would allow me to have some. After that things did progress pretty quick and by about 8 pm I was back up to 9. So they started getting everything ready but my contractions were still so far apart - like 6-7 mins. They kept saying if they would just get closer together I would be able to get her out in like 1/2 hr. Finally the doc came in and they really had me start pushing which was so painful but i had a great nurse and she really helped me through it. I pushed for about 3 hours or so. The doc finally decided that things just weren't going quick enough so they got out the vacuum. They tried twice with the vacuum before they got it to work and they did end up having to cut me down there as well. Thank god she was as small as she was. But she was perfect.

I lost a lot of blood after delivery and they were having a hard time getting it to stop and I still don't remember a lot from that time. I do know my blood pressure dipped pretty low and they were worried about me. They kept me down in labor and delivery overnight so they could keep a closer eye on me rather than moving me to post partum right away. And from there things just have been not good with my health - I was on the magnesium for 24 hrs after her birth and then we thought things were ok. Then my blood work came back and I ended up needing calcium and a blood transfusion. Then I started to get that upper back pain again - turns out that was gall stones. Then my liver enzyme levels still aren't right and my blood pressure keeps going up. So they finally let me go but I do have to go back for blood work tomorrow.