Oct 10, 2014
Our Renaissance Year...gap year between Preschool and Kinder...
Oct 9, 2014
My baby is almost one!
Jul 27, 2014
A newly Stay at Home Mom....
I don't know if anyone else relates, but it is a big life change to become a stay at home Mom. Scratch that. It is a really big life change to become a mom altogether. To gain these two little beings and grow our family is just the best life change I can think of. When you have a baby, in 2013, now 2014, a lot of things in the economy can weigh heavily on the decisions we have to make. I guess what I am saying is, it's a financial tug of war. I am used to being a working mom and having a daycare program that was one I liked and trusted greatly but also, almost constantly made me feel guilty in that my little one was in their care almost 60 hours a week. We were slaves to our routine and bedtimes, baths and schedules. I loved and cherished our time at home together, at night, however, and weekends. That time was so so precious. I was also struggling financially, in that I was in a team of other salespeople (I was in inside sales at an industrial adhesives company) who mostly did not have children. I was the only one who did not have a school aged child in my team, and in the team down the hall in customer service. I think what I discovered was that at my payscale, most people wouldn't pay for full-time daycare at the rate we were making. So even though I was helping my household with finances, I wasn't making as big of a dent as I would like to have been, because of the cost of daycare. So when it came to keeping up with coworkers, with the clothes, lunches, excursions off of campus, it was not something I could partake in, all the way. Mostly, that was ok with me, because I was so happy being a mom and when I had extra time, I wanted to be with my husband and my little girl. I also saw the hustle of people in roles above me, and felt like that world did not appeal to me because of the travel and the stress for the extra, (I'm sure)padding to their salaries.
So it wasn't a hard decision for me to walk away from that world when my son entered the picture. I was so thrilled to be a new mom again, and yet, I can't help the new and different guilt that all the financial pressure is put on my husband.
So there it is, vent over. I love my babies so much, but I still think like a working mom, when I'm shopping, buying frivolously and I know I have to stop, adjusst and align my thinking to our new vision and support my husband who is working so so hard. I know the work I could be doing is still there, and I can hop back on the trolley at some point. For right now, this does feel right, in so many ways. I think with anything, it just takes time. I am a perfectionist, maybe a little bit, by nature, so what I do, I really want to do well. I am definitely, without a doubt, still a work in progress
May 1, 2014
Kim Kardashian On The Ellen Show 17/01/2014 Full Interview HD
Kim Kardashian Interview on Ellen, discussing Baby North and Preeclampsia experience
Feb 3, 2014
Birth story in GIFS
A mommy again, Lucas is born!
Hello to all, I am back with an exciting update. It has been a long long time since I have posted. My update is the birth of my beautiful second baby. My little guy is named Lucas Keith. He was born just before Halloween and was a nice healthy 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 and 3/4" long. My pregnancy was nowhere near as difficult as it had been with Julia. It was not without its own set of challenges, but I feel like we overcame them. Lucas was born within 6 hours of his due date.
That stunned me! I thought, for sure, this baby is coming around 37 weeks, maybe 35. The reason I thought that, was because they diagnosed me, early on in the pregnancy, AGAIN, with an irritable uterus, or, IU. It means that your uterus is much more sensitive than the average woman's, and therefore you are bound to feel much more contractions and stretching pain. Well my contractions decided to start earlier in this pregnancy than with Julia. They started at around 22 weeks. I was pretty scared.
I started my pregnancy with a doctor that looked all through my medical records postpartum with my first, after Julia was born. She is what is called a perinatologist, also known as a maternal fetal specialist. She helped me learn that I actually had HELLP Syndrome postpartum with Julia, that was never caught or treated. I believe I should have been admitted postpartum after I had Julia, and my blood pressure spiked, I was very ill feeling, nauseous, felt like I was drowning and my swelling was unbelievable.
That stunned me! I thought, for sure, this baby is coming around 37 weeks, maybe 35. The reason I thought that, was because they diagnosed me, early on in the pregnancy, AGAIN, with an irritable uterus, or, IU. It means that your uterus is much more sensitive than the average woman's, and therefore you are bound to feel much more contractions and stretching pain. Well my contractions decided to start earlier in this pregnancy than with Julia. They started at around 22 weeks. I was pretty scared.
I started my pregnancy with a doctor that looked all through my medical records postpartum with my first, after Julia was born. She is what is called a perinatologist, also known as a maternal fetal specialist. She helped me learn that I actually had HELLP Syndrome postpartum with Julia, that was never caught or treated. I believe I should have been admitted postpartum after I had Julia, and my blood pressure spiked, I was very ill feeling, nauseous, felt like I was drowning and my swelling was unbelievable.
Anyway, it was helpful to go to that doctor at the beginning of my pregnancy with Lucas, because I trusted her and did NOT want to go back to my old OBGYN!
After my 20 week ultrasound, we learned we were having a boy, and we were absolutely thrilled and overjoyed! As one of three girls, and an aunt to 7 nieces and a mother of one girl, I assumed of course I would have another girl, haha! Someone told my husband, he thought it was his lot in life to be surrounded by beautiful women. Such a cute sweet thought. I held onto all these clothes and gadgets for a baby girl, but God had another plan. And I couldn't be happier. It has been fun shopping for boy clothes and the sweet mother's bond to her son. At three months, he gazes at me so lovingly. He smiles extra big smiles for his momma, and it almost sounds like he says "mooo-mm-aa" when he fusses sometimes. True true love
Julia is a fantastic older sister. She loves her little baby and hands him toys, does goo goo ga ga with him and loves his bathtime. She mostly is in her own world of dolls, Barbies and Ponies. She has fallen in love with all things girly and pink these past few months. I don't remember her being as into princesses and dolls until the past 6 months or so. She just turned 4! She loved her birthday and can't wait to have another one.
Feb 27, 2013
Celiac Disease Diagnosis
Gluten Free Diet......
Going gluten free has been a big adventure for me. When I finally had a diagnosis, it was the greatest feeling! Prior to the Celiac diagnosis, I was put on antidepressants (because, I suppose my symptoms pointed to anxiety---it must be all in my head, I guess they thought) and I was told I had fibromyalgia. I took medication for the fibro for only a few days and then stopped, because the side effects were so unpleasant, and did not help any other symptoms. It was encouraging to hear that what I needed to do was simply to eliminate gluten from my diet. It all sounded so easy. I can now say, about 18 months in to the diagnosis that I make very few mistakes now and have very few setbacks.
In the beginning, I was constantly taking two steps forward and three steps back. Celiac Disease is an Autoimmune Disease, I can't just cut back on gluten, I must eliminate it completely out of my diet and around even items like lip balms, creams, lotions, toothpaste, etc can all be hiding gluten containing ingredients.
Gluten, if I consume it, or if anyone with Celiac does, attacks the lining of the intestine, kills the villi and it can take up to a year and a half for villi to regenerate and grow back. This means that your body is literally fighting and attacking itself. This causes a host of unpleasant side effects, which for some, can be silent, and for others living with Celiac Disease can be very disruptive to their lives.
For me, it is incredibly not worth it to sneak gluten in to my diet, or to take any chances when eating outside of my home---which I still do, but I am incredibly vigilant on the restaurant and the way food is prepared there. I have found my voice and will not risk a cross-contamination setback
For me, it is incredibly not worth it to sneak gluten in to my diet, or to take any chances when eating outside of my home---which I still do, but I am incredibly vigilant on the restaurant and the way food is prepared there. I have found my voice and will not risk a cross-contamination setback
My symptoms can last upwards of a week, even up to two weeks, I have noticed. For me, it starts with a fuzziness of my mind, a cloudy feeling, where it is hard to focus, I have noticed myself bumping into the wall walking to the bathroom, so not like a drunk feeling, just a very tired grogginess that comes over me within hours or less of the gluten exposure.
I then usually develop a headache that usually does not go away. It usually calls for a nap or early to bedtime sleep kind of night. Then the next symptom will last for several days, and that is leg pain and restless legs. I notice discoloration in my toes and feet and that my feet will feel much colder than the rest of me. And then finally the last symptoms that take effect are gastro related, and comes in the form of distended bloated belly for a few days followed by unpleasant almost food poisoning type symptoms. And then I am usually just not up to my higher level of energy for several days, into weeks.
So that is the journey that I am on. These setbacks, though awful when they occur, by following a careful, vigilant, Gluten Free diet, I live basically the same as everyone else.
It has become the new normal to live gluten free. And honestly, it is a healthy way of living anyway, if you can avoid a lot of the prepackaged Gluten Free junk that's out there. For me, it has challenged me to cook more for myself, to cook better for my family, and to be aware and conscious of everything that I eat. It makes me realize how unconscious I was before my diagnosis. I barely missed an opportunity to eat gluten before. Now I come prepared to family functions. I am constantly looking up and trying new recipes and have tried some fantastic gluten free bakeries and restaurants that are very conscious and safe
Jun 16, 2012
Apr 2, 2012
Long time no post!
We treasure the time home that much more, it feels like!
Anyway, my health...interesting....the neverending saga.
Well I have an official diagnosis (besides the Mitral Valve Prolapse, which isn't such a huge deal)...it is Celiac Disease!
I was bloodtest positive as well as biopsy positive as well. The whole story is, I had had this longstanding issue with my nerve endings, always feeling tingly and numb, itchiness under my skin--an itch that literally couldn't be scratched, frequent stomachaches, tense muscles, restless leg syndrome, weight that clung to me for dear life---couldn't drop weight, tired all the time. Well I was finally diagnosed from my general MD with fibromyalgia, and given some drug to take. I was grateful to have a diagnosis. I was somewhat familiar with the illness, and it sounded plausible to me. Well I started the drug, and I think 3 days in, was having some very unpleasant side effects. I started Googling homeopathic remedies for fibromyalgia, and read tons online about going Gluten Free. I had no idea what gluten was.
I threw it out there on facebook, and learned from a friend, that fibromyalgia is often a misdiagnosis for Celiac. That I should try going Gluten Free and see how I felt. Well I looked into it, and it sounded like a way to cut the weight too, so why not. Literally, within 2 days or so, my restless legs STOPPED. I thought....whoa. Maybe I do have this. Maybe there's something to this. So easy as pie, I asked my doctor to test me for it, she said sure, why not? She ran the blood panel, and about 5 days later called me back, that I had a positive Celiac panel. Whoa! I diagnosed myself!
I relentlessly pursued this diagnosis, from six weeks postpartum, I knew something was wrong. I mean I was sick right afterwards with Postpartum HELLP Syndrome, but so many things lingered.
So that was October, and now I am officially six months gluten free.
Is it easy? Hell to the no.
I will post again about it more specifically. But it is now a way of life, and I have a lot of my health back on track. I sleep better, I lost 12 pounds, and I don't have the tingling and the restless legs, and constant stomachaches, oh, and more energy!
I do think there are some theories out there about what came first, the Preeclampsia, or the AutoImmune Disorder? I don't know. But in my opinion, my pregnancy unearthed this condition in me, I do not believe I have had it for life.....
Interesting stuff. I hope it helps someone out there in internet blog land:)
Jan 29, 2012
University of Vermont: Preeclampsia Study
What it Involved:
The goal of the study is to identify what the cause of Preeclampsia is and whether there are markers that can be perceived prior to conception, therefore making it possible to one day have testing available to determine whether a mother was at risk for developing this disease later in her pregnancy.
It took several months to plan, but my husband and I made a fun getaway out of it, and drove 5+ hours up to Vermont to participate in the study. It was incredible!I had everything from a DEXA scan that shows bone density in addition to body mass and fat content. That was basically a full body XRAY and showed some interesting data. It only took a few minutes and was fascinating to learn about. Apparently, in your lifetime, your bone density as a woman, decreases dramatically.
Blood flow studie was another critical part of the testing that they did and it determines and examined blood flow to the uterus, kidneys, one arm and one leg as well as the blood flow to the heart. These were timed tests. What they were doing was almost simulating the symptoms of the disease, by having an inflated blood pressure cuff on one arm and one leg for a solid 5 minutes, blocking blood flow, and then allowing the blood to rush back to the arm or leg, and measuring along the way. It was similar in feeling to sitting on your foot too long and having it fall asleep, and then magnifying that feeling, so that it puts stress on the blood flow. What they were doing was very measured and exacting. There were several physicians in the room and each one had their roles, whether it was using the stop watch, providing the pressure, administering the blood draws, and the main doctor, and head researcher, Dr. Ira Bernstein. I was the 26th participant to do this study, and by the end of 5 years, 160 women will have participated.
As a part of this study, there were also ultrasounds of the heart that they did, as well as ultrasounds of the uterus.
Before testing began, I was on a strict 72 hour diet of low/no sodium so that testing would be extremely baseline. I also had to complete a 24-hour urine collection before coming to the center, so I had a jug and a kit that I carried on our trip up to Vermont. All in the name of science, I tell you!
Then there was something called Sympathetic Tone Measurements. They did something called Valsalva maneuvers which is measuring heart rate and blood pressure and blowing into this mouthpiece for 20 seconds which doesn't sound like much, but it took some serious endurance. The goal was to keep the pressure consistent the entire 20 seconds at a designated pressure, then release, and do this again and again and again. This is similar to clearing your ears when you are scuba diving, or in an airplane. There's no discomfort, but it does require some effort. The idea here is that the blood pressure response to these measurements helps them understand how our nervous systems work.
The next test was something they called the Volume Challenge. While measuring my blood pressure continuously, they also gave me 500ml of a salt solution through an IV over 15 minutes to examine blood pressure response to this extra volume in the vascular system. After having been to Labor & Delivery 15 times before actually having Julia, I can tell you, 15 minutes for this IV was incredibly fast. They usually did this to me about once a week leading up to my birth and it would take an hour or more! I told this to Dr. Bernstein, who said that its funny there isn't a lot of evidence to suggest that an IV will actually calm a uterus or stop contractions. So funny, all those IVs were for nothing! Well you never know, maybe it helped me stay pregnant longer! I will never know!
Plasma Volume Estimates: EVANS Blue Dye test. An additional part of the research was to inject a blue dye through the saline lock catheter. Blood samples were then obtained both before and at 10 and 30 minutes following the injection of the blue dye. This test measures your plasma volume, or the volume of fluid in your vascular system. If they hadn't told me they injected a blue dye, I would have not known. This was cool to learn about.
Clotting TestsUsing the same intravenous line, they did several test and checked several markers for how blood clots at rest. They did a blood draw, after I rested for an hour, which was easy enough for me, I just watched TV and hung out and tried not to fall asleep though that would have been fine too. One of the things they were measuring is endothelial function, the lining of the blood vessels.
Exercise Tests: One of the last steps in the test was exercise testing that was on a bicycle and would show my maximum level of effort. The measured the heart at this point, with sticky pads on the chest, an external heart monitor, and a device that measured breath in and out.
The final step was an MRI of the head. The purpose of the MRI is to collect data on how preeclampsia causes changes in a woman's brain. Understanding how the brain is affected will help the medical community work towards preventing eclampsia, or seizures.
No, I don't think a person off the street would ever wake up one day and say they wanted to do all of this, but I definitely had motives, as in I still had so many questions that came from having Preeclampsia/HELLP and the desire to know that I was now considered ok enough to try to conceive myself, or ok enough in that I didn't have any lasting damage to my heart, liver, kidney or uterus, arteries, or something else!
All in all, it's an amazing thing what the University of Vermont is doing, and the research that they are getting through all of this, I am sure is going to shed so much light on the disease and hopefully can really change and save lives of women and their babies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The goal of the study is to identify what the cause of Preeclampsia is and whether there are markers that can be perceived prior to conception, therefore making it possible to one day have testing available to determine whether a mother was at risk for developing this disease later in her pregnancy.
It took several months to plan, but my husband and I made a fun getaway out of it, and drove 5+ hours up to Vermont to participate in the study. It was incredible!I had everything from a DEXA scan that shows bone density in addition to body mass and fat content. That was basically a full body XRAY and showed some interesting data. It only took a few minutes and was fascinating to learn about. Apparently, in your lifetime, your bone density as a woman, decreases dramatically.
Blood flow studie was another critical part of the testing that they did and it determines and examined blood flow to the uterus, kidneys, one arm and one leg as well as the blood flow to the heart. These were timed tests. What they were doing was almost simulating the symptoms of the disease, by having an inflated blood pressure cuff on one arm and one leg for a solid 5 minutes, blocking blood flow, and then allowing the blood to rush back to the arm or leg, and measuring along the way. It was similar in feeling to sitting on your foot too long and having it fall asleep, and then magnifying that feeling, so that it puts stress on the blood flow. What they were doing was very measured and exacting. There were several physicians in the room and each one had their roles, whether it was using the stop watch, providing the pressure, administering the blood draws, and the main doctor, and head researcher, Dr. Ira Bernstein. I was the 26th participant to do this study, and by the end of 5 years, 160 women will have participated.
As a part of this study, there were also ultrasounds of the heart that they did, as well as ultrasounds of the uterus.
Before testing began, I was on a strict 72 hour diet of low/no sodium so that testing would be extremely baseline. I also had to complete a 24-hour urine collection before coming to the center, so I had a jug and a kit that I carried on our trip up to Vermont. All in the name of science, I tell you!
Then there was something called Sympathetic Tone Measurements. They did something called Valsalva maneuvers which is measuring heart rate and blood pressure and blowing into this mouthpiece for 20 seconds which doesn't sound like much, but it took some serious endurance. The goal was to keep the pressure consistent the entire 20 seconds at a designated pressure, then release, and do this again and again and again. This is similar to clearing your ears when you are scuba diving, or in an airplane. There's no discomfort, but it does require some effort. The idea here is that the blood pressure response to these measurements helps them understand how our nervous systems work.
The next test was something they called the Volume Challenge. While measuring my blood pressure continuously, they also gave me 500ml of a salt solution through an IV over 15 minutes to examine blood pressure response to this extra volume in the vascular system. After having been to Labor & Delivery 15 times before actually having Julia, I can tell you, 15 minutes for this IV was incredibly fast. They usually did this to me about once a week leading up to my birth and it would take an hour or more! I told this to Dr. Bernstein, who said that its funny there isn't a lot of evidence to suggest that an IV will actually calm a uterus or stop contractions. So funny, all those IVs were for nothing! Well you never know, maybe it helped me stay pregnant longer! I will never know!
Plasma Volume Estimates: EVANS Blue Dye test. An additional part of the research was to inject a blue dye through the saline lock catheter. Blood samples were then obtained both before and at 10 and 30 minutes following the injection of the blue dye. This test measures your plasma volume, or the volume of fluid in your vascular system. If they hadn't told me they injected a blue dye, I would have not known. This was cool to learn about.
Clotting TestsUsing the same intravenous line, they did several test and checked several markers for how blood clots at rest. They did a blood draw, after I rested for an hour, which was easy enough for me, I just watched TV and hung out and tried not to fall asleep though that would have been fine too. One of the things they were measuring is endothelial function, the lining of the blood vessels.
Exercise Tests: One of the last steps in the test was exercise testing that was on a bicycle and would show my maximum level of effort. The measured the heart at this point, with sticky pads on the chest, an external heart monitor, and a device that measured breath in and out.
The final step was an MRI of the head. The purpose of the MRI is to collect data on how preeclampsia causes changes in a woman's brain. Understanding how the brain is affected will help the medical community work towards preventing eclampsia, or seizures.
No, I don't think a person off the street would ever wake up one day and say they wanted to do all of this, but I definitely had motives, as in I still had so many questions that came from having Preeclampsia/HELLP and the desire to know that I was now considered ok enough to try to conceive myself, or ok enough in that I didn't have any lasting damage to my heart, liver, kidney or uterus, arteries, or something else!
All in all, it's an amazing thing what the University of Vermont is doing, and the research that they are getting through all of this, I am sure is going to shed so much light on the disease and hopefully can really change and save lives of women and their babies
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nov 6, 2011
Preeclampsia Study
I wanted to take some time and discuss something I was involved in, and is in a small way, my way of giving back, and helping understand better what causes Preeclampsia/HELLP Syndrome and how to treat it. I was involved in a Preeclampsia Study at the University of Vermont that "...seeks to understand the relationship between a woman’s health and physiology prior to pregnancy and the risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. They are currently recruiting women who are planning to become pregnant within the next year and who might be at risk for the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy. "
"Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy, associated with high blood pressure as well as the appearance of protein in the urine in pregnant women. It can be dangerous to both mother and baby. In this study, we will be looking for ways to predict whether a woman is at increased risk for preeclampsia and gain insights into improved ways to both prevent and treat it.
"If you choose to participate, you will undergo testing on 3 occasions, one prior to pregnancy and 2 during your pregnancy, if you become pregnant. For each visit, you will be provided meals for 3 days prior to your appointment. During the initial visit, we will ensure you are not pregnant before allowing you to continue in the study. Using ultrasound and MRI, we will measure the way blood flows in your body. You will spend one night in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at Fletcher Allen during each visit. We will provide you with ovulation detection kits to aid your timing in achieving conception. Financial compensation of up to $375 is provided."
If you are interested in participating, or would like to know more, please call (802) 656-0309 and leave your name and phone number. You can also email Carole McBride at Carole.Mcbride@uvm.edu
This experience was amazing to me on so many levels. Ever since I had Julia, born miraculously healthy to me after developing Preeclampia, and then having Postpartum HELLP Syndrome, because of my untreated Preeclampsia, I know we are both very lucky to have made it through this, and yet I still have had so many questions. I also have had lingering side effects, and spent countless hours on the internet trying to find answers. I also went to several doctors; to my general MD, my former OBGYN, new OBGYN, MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, High Risk Pregnancy Doctors). I've been to a cardiologist (they did tell me I have mitral valve prolapse, a minor heart condition that means my valve is prolapsed, most people don't feel any symptoms, but I have some heart palpitations daily), a rheumatologist who has ruled out everything, etc.
I found out about this study on the website for Preeclampsia, http://www.preeclampsia.org.
"Preeclampsia is a disease of pregnancy, associated with high blood pressure as well as the appearance of protein in the urine in pregnant women. It can be dangerous to both mother and baby. In this study, we will be looking for ways to predict whether a woman is at increased risk for preeclampsia and gain insights into improved ways to both prevent and treat it.
"If you choose to participate, you will undergo testing on 3 occasions, one prior to pregnancy and 2 during your pregnancy, if you become pregnant. For each visit, you will be provided meals for 3 days prior to your appointment. During the initial visit, we will ensure you are not pregnant before allowing you to continue in the study. Using ultrasound and MRI, we will measure the way blood flows in your body. You will spend one night in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at Fletcher Allen during each visit. We will provide you with ovulation detection kits to aid your timing in achieving conception. Financial compensation of up to $375 is provided."
If you are interested in participating, or would like to know more, please call (802) 656-0309 and leave your name and phone number. You can also email Carole McBride at Carole.Mcbride@uvm.edu
This experience was amazing to me on so many levels. Ever since I had Julia, born miraculously healthy to me after developing Preeclampia, and then having Postpartum HELLP Syndrome, because of my untreated Preeclampsia, I know we are both very lucky to have made it through this, and yet I still have had so many questions. I also have had lingering side effects, and spent countless hours on the internet trying to find answers. I also went to several doctors; to my general MD, my former OBGYN, new OBGYN, MFM (Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, High Risk Pregnancy Doctors). I've been to a cardiologist (they did tell me I have mitral valve prolapse, a minor heart condition that means my valve is prolapsed, most people don't feel any symptoms, but I have some heart palpitations daily), a rheumatologist who has ruled out everything, etc.
I found out about this study on the website for Preeclampsia, http://www.preeclampsia.org.
Labels:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/
Nov 1, 2011
Mariah Carey Had Preeclampsia
My favorite singer since childhood and I know Preeclampsia is very common, but its so rare for someone in the public eye to share their story. Very powerful! Beautiful Babies and a miraculous story!
Aug 15, 2011
My full story, trying to put it all down on one page.
My Story
.
I can summarize with saying that I had HELLP Syndrome Postpartum (It stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets, I had to google that one... )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HELLP_syndrome. I was admitted to the Emergency Room six days Pospartum with intense and severe swelling of my face, arms, legs and hands and feet; all extremities. My blood pressure was high, up around 160/110 which my doctor told me over the phone was IMPOSSIBLE!! (when I told him I had the pediatrician take my BP at the visit for her checkup. He even asked me why I would have them do that??!!) It may have been higher than that because between delivery from Preeclampsia on December 20 and December 26 when I finally went to the ER, I was ill that entire time, I kept swelling, my feet, legs, arms and hands, it was difficult to walk, climb stairs, I was seeing spots, my vision was blurry, I was nauseated and tired and felt like I was going to die. On top of which I was exhausted for having just given birth, trying my best to care for a days-old infant, with help of my husband, of course, but my stubborn self wanted things to go much better much faster. My milk was barely coming in and she was dropping weight instead of gaining, but I was determined to breastfeed. My husband, however was worried we were harming her, which was very stressful.
My baby was miraculously healthy. I was induced at 37 weeks; for Preeclampsia http://www.preeclampsia.org/they call it premature still and still did not want us to leave the house much. Her weight at birth was 6 pounds 4 ounces. She left the hospital at 5 pounds 14 ounces but then got down to 5 pounds 10 ounces because of failing with early breastfeeding.
But with the help of a lactation specialist, and through supplementing, we got the hang of it, and she started gaining beautifully. She was and is, to this day, our little miracle.
It really was the story of the girl screaming in the dark and not being heard. When I was early on in my pregnancy, I had a bloodtest result that was the first red flag that may or may not had been an indicator of what was to come. The result was a low PAPP-A, (plasma associated with plasma protein A), The result was that of a 1. This was at 13 weeks. They told me this result, what it can point to is that it can be associated with eventual intrauterine growth restriction, they told me, but not to worry, with good medical care, this would not happen to us, not with the vitamins he was prescribing, hahaha . They said, they would give me extra ultrasounds in the 3rd trimester. Nothing to worry about they said, he only had one other patient with this low result before and everything turned out just fine. I now also know that this low result could also be linked to potentially eventually developing Preeclampsia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21427871
CONTRACTIONS
Fast forward to 10 weeks later, at 23 weeks, I started having very painful contractions. Very scary. They would stop me in my tracks. These contractions would stop me from what I was doing. I would feel like the wind was knocked out of me. The first time it happened, we were on vacation in Disney World, with another couple, our good friends, Nick & Chrissy. We just stopped what we were doing, got something to eat and drink, took it a little easier. But a week later, it started up again, more intensely, more scary. So we called the doctor. And they told me to go to the hospital, since I was pregnant! So I did. It was during the workday and my husband was at work. I didn't work the whole time I was pregnant. I was laid off when I was only six weeks pregnant due to downsizing, so I was home. But I called him.
When I got to the hospital, I had never been to a hospital before for myself, I didn't know where to go: they sent me to Labor & Delivery, and I had to tell my husband to meet me there. I thought he would surely have a heart attack, telling him this kind of news over the phone, to meet his, barely six months pregnant wife in Labor & Delivery. Well, right then, they hooked me up to the monitors, and sure enough, I really was having contractions. But they didn't do anything for them this time, but this wouldn't be the first time or the last time this would happen, that I would get admitted to L&D for contractions. I would end up having to go to Labor & Delivery 15 MORE times until I delivered!!
Every time I went to the hospital, they sent me to Labor & Delivery, and every time, they hooked me up to the monitors, and each time, they did detect contractions, sometimes as close as six minutes apart. They were very concerned. They would check my cervix to see if I was dilating, thankfully and miraculously I never was, which was an amazing blessing. I also never spotted and never leaked fluid at all. They checked my blood pressure and very often did a test which is called a fetal fibronectin
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/pretermlabor_fetalfibronectin.htmlwhich is a test which is a swab of the cervix to tell if you are close to delivery, close to rupture. I always passed that test too.
I would often get saline bags of IV fluid to hydrate me, because that was considered a non-invasive way to calm my uterus down. They eventually told me I had an 'irritable uterus'. They would get very stern and lecture me about how much I was eating and drinking though I thought it was plenty, my appetite was fine, and my weight gain was right on track, but they would want me to double or triple it my liquid intake for the baby, to drink up to 2L of water a day.
The IV's would usually do very little but make me very nervous but would not calm the contractions. I very often was administered a drug called terbutaline
TERBUTALINE
The drug, the first time they gave it to me was a shot intravenously in the leg. I talked myself into it very bravely, because it was such a wave of activity, me being so early in my pregnancy to be having all of these contractions and the doctors and nurses telling me that this would calm things down and was very safe for the baby and was safer in general overall than delivering. These were my options, it sounded like. I beared through it, it wasn't too bad. The shot itself was just a shot, it was ok. The aftereffects were really something else entirely!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/737609I started to feel like I was hyperventilating, like my skin was crawling, my heart was pounding, I was all jittery, and couldn't calm down, couldn't relax, and couldn't find my center, basically. Couple that with the stress of all of these experiences happening to me all at once, worrying about my baby, trying to stay strong for my husband who is watching this all happen to me, not knowing how to find my strength, and then finding them putting an oxygen mask over my face, and for the first time, I just break down. I close my eyes and let the tears flow. This pregnancy was not supposed to go like this. I have always wanted to be a mother, the way a person knows they are meant to do something. Some people are just compelled in that way, and I always had been, since childhood. And when I got pregnant, I was elated, and so was my husband, slightly nervous, but mostly and entirely excited and overtaken with joy with the thrill of it all. I thought about it all the time, read every book, saw every movie, admired everyone elses' baby, was the favorite Auntie for years.....
It's hard even now, to go back and try to put into words what the emotional and physical experience felt like, but it was overwhelming, and I tried as best I could to power through, continue to rest, take it easy and try to relax, but the odds seemed to be stacked out of my favor, and the direction of my health did not seem to be in my hands most of the time. I would go for a walk and be blindsided by pain, I would be reading a book, and contractions would start, I would be doing very little and things would just come to a crashing halt. I had to cancel plans and limit my activities. I wouldn't attend this party, or I would sit on the sidelines at that event. I didn't go trick or treating for the first year ever. My whole family went to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Spectacular and I didn't think it was a good idea to be that far away from my doctor.
I ended up moving my baby shower up to 32 weeks, because we just weren't sure how long the pregnancy would be sustainable. Would I make it the full term or not?
For the mother-to-be going through this kind of thing, it is hard to relate to most people, because most everyone you talk to cannot relate to this. Pregnancy aches and pains are supposed to be funny. You're supposed to complain about your weight gain, not really to the point that you are worried there might be something wrong with you. You should be able to wear your shoes. Your face shouldn't swell, your hands shouldn't swell the way mine did, where most bracelets, let alone my wedding ring, didn't fit for four months Postpartum. This wasn't normal. This wasn't status quo, and there was nothing I could do to control what was happening. People should say "aww you are only pregnant in your belly" not the look-away,-say-nothing thing that comes when you swell to what seems like twice your size.
It was more than just appearances though, it was trying to muscle through the experience of being pregnant and keep focused on staying healthy for the baby, drinking enough, resting enough, when I could barely lay on one side without having contractions start up again and feel winded.
Finally at the end of the pregnancy, I was eager for it to be over and that's when the rash started.
PUPPPS RASH
I developed a rash that I didn't even mention to my doctor until an hour or two after I delivered. I had been dealing with them for about a week until that point. Little did I know this was also related to the pregnancy, and my skin was trying to reach out and scream out to everyone "HELP HER!!
I was surprised and I still am how little information is out there on PUPPPS and how few doctors I have mentioned I have had it, know about it, as well. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruritic_urticarial_papules_and_plaques_of_pregnancy
The rash, it's hard to describe, someone online, on message board, where I found most of my information on PUPPPS rash described it as "Dante-esque". It wouldn't calm down with ointment, it mostly was more irritated with lotion or cream or gel, it itched like crazy and the only thing that would stop the itching is to take a shower and cake my whole body in Aveeno oatmeal bath for chicken pox. I couldn't bathe yet since I had just given birth. So I would stand in the steam and cake myself in this powdery goo and get relief. I would take 2 Benadryl at night but then would feel the guilt of potentially passing the Benadryl in my system to the baby while nursing, and yes, I nursed through all of this whole ordeal!!
Having Julia finally born and in our lives made the nightmare of delivery of PUPPPS, Preeclampsia and HELLP worth it all.
Having her down the hall, or in my arms, or even near me in any way made everything better.
I went to the regular OB for this and he gave me Prednisone which you are also not supposed to take while breastfeeding, but I did anyway, and weighed the pros and cons. It might be why she ended up getting thrush. Puppps was a terrible thing to go through, and for awhile took my mind off of everything else, because it is hard to focus on much else when you are head to toe in hives and itch. At one point, I had welts from my neck to my ankles, on my arms, legs, neck, everywhere but my face. It was worse on my tummy, buns, thighs, legs, arms, hands, and feet. The soles of my feet, palms of my hands and my face were spared.
So all in all, the rash lasted 10 weeks, 1 week before I gave birth, maybe even 2 if I can recall, but I wasn't too attuned to it because it was low on the list of things that was going on and it hadn't peaked in severity yet. It was at its worst 1-2 weeks after delivery and finally completely went away 6 weeks Postpartum.
Delivery
Having Julia. When I can separate in my mind the crap that came before having my beautiful baby and the awful parts afterwards and focus on the delivery itself, I can find my happiest memories. My pregnancy was such a long and painful and scary time when I just tried to be brave and hold on and make it through and look forward and think positively and hang in there. And then finally one day it all became worth it. It was worth it all along, but it was coming true, we were going to get to meet her. I had a relatively easy delivery considering everything we had been through. When it was time, it was time. I was induced because of Preeclampsia. I had proteinuria of +3 and blood pressure of 140/90 which was just the borderline cut-off for high blood pressure. What they were most concerned with was the protein and all that I had been through up until that point, and the fact that I was 37 weeks meant I could now be induced. Prior to this, I was on bed-rest for all of 24 hours. We had just gotten the first real serious snowfall of the season, over a foot, and we were within 5 days of Christmas. I was buzzing with excitement. I was almost over the limit of excitement of finally having my baby, and Phil was too, we could hardly really process what was happening. They started me out with a Pitocin drip at 1:30 in the afternoon and I ended up delivering Julia at 19:19(military time), 7:19pm, just under six hours of labor. I went so quickly, every time they checked my progress, I thought they were joking. They told me I was going to more than 75% likely be a C-section because I was early, she had not descended and because I didn't go into labor on my own, and was getting Preeclampsia. I readied my mind for it. About 4 hours in, I was prepared to hear that I was going to get a section, and sure enough, they told me I was 9 centimeters and I would be pushing soon. I couldn't believe it. I got an epidural somewhere in there, I am not sure if I was 4cm or when that was. I was a complete and total disaster before the epidural, and not sure how I would have gotten through the experience without one, or without someone surgically removing my brain so I could forget the pain. I was looking at Mom and Phil both for support and they both were so wonderful and so helpful but it was so hard to even remember how to breathe through the pain. And the pain would come right on top of each other. Pain on pain on pain.
But it was over relatively quickly. I couldn't believe how quickly the phases were moving, and all of the sudden the room filled with people and I was pushing. I wanted the pushing to not last forever so I gave it everything I had, and it only took four pushes and she was born. Seeing my husband regard our baby for the first time, was one of the most amazing moments of my life. It changed both of our lives forever. All of these illnesses, all of these things that had happened, they were all just like tides in the ocean, just part of the flow of what had to happen to get us to this moment. She was here, and she was perfect. She was a tiny miracle. I couldn't believe how warm she was, and how calm she was. She seemed to know us right away and want to be held and touched. It was amazing to me how much better I felt instantly after giving birth. The pain was mostly gone, but the pressure was really gone. I felt like I had lost 100 pounds, though unfortunately it was hardly any weight loss at all thanks to the Preeclampsia....
I then was able to begin recovery and have my sisters and my dad come into the room. They were able to come meet the baby and see me as well. It was amazing to me that they were there the whole time. It was a whole Dorothy wakes up at the end of the Wizard of Oz kind of moment! And you were there, and you, and you. All in one room, and now meeting our little precious addition.
Then, it seemed, we would be changing rooms and going down the hall to where we would spend the rest of our stay. Julia would go to the nursery and I would go to the recovery room of my own.
Recovery
At that point, once in my room, I was assigned a nurse. I was then starting to feel the effects of having been through something as momentous as giving birth. I don't think I thought I could stand, and they didn't think I could either, so someone assisted me to stand from my wheelchair to the bathroom because apparently it is important to empty your bladder after giving birth.
They also took my vitals for what will be one of the first 100 times in the next 24 hours. The nurse helped me from the bathroom to the bed. Then about 30 minutes later they came back and had me try again to empty my bladder and told me it was very important for me to try, because they measured my output and my measurement was extremely low. They sat with me, and then left me alone to see if it would help if I had privacy. It didn't. They then determined that after everything that I had been through, that I was now going to need to be catheterized. This was a one-time procedure that was necessary to do (and I am only sharing this information because of everything else that happened. It completely stunned me, it hurt like crazy!! and for about 18 months, I didn't even tell my mother because I was so looped and so spent at this point, I barely could remember all the details of everything that I had been through.)I don't mean to scare anyone, but the word barbaric definitely comes to mind.....
All in all though, the recovery process wasn't so bad. The best part was being with my baby, and being together with Phil, the three of us, bonding. It was also nice having visitors. In my mind, before giving birth, I imagined myself being in the hospital for awhile and getting time to heal for a bit, but the healing time is barely just beginning, when we had found ourselves signing forms for our release and our time was up.
The best part was when Phil bought Julia some Christmas themed outfits. We didn't have anything at all Christmas-themed for her, our beautiful surprise December 20th baby, because she wasn't due until January 9th. It wasn't in our minds that it was a possibility that she would come so early (even with all of our earlier drama, at least not thinking she would be as early as before Christmas)
He went to the mall and got the absolute cutest outfits for her very first hospital pictures. The hospital also gave her a candy-cane striped stocking cap that was so tiny. It had a giant bow on it. We had that cap forever and it looked so warm and snug and she looked so cozy in it! She had a stunning head of absolutely beautiful dark brown-- almost black silky hair! Everyone was stunned by her hair! Her pediatrician said, she is absolutely the most beautiful baby he had ever seen, and he has seen a lot of babies!
She was the sweetest baby I had ever seen, and my heart filled with joy instantly when she was born. It was an unexplainable wave of love that came over me, over us. It was this shear joy, this shared connection. This powerful thing that meant that she looked to us for her needs to be met and she trusted that we would meet those needs and just that wide open trust and love. It was boundless love. I still can't get over that. My brother, when we called him, he said, doesn't it feel like your heart just quadrupled in size? And he hit the nail right on the head. That was really it.
Emergency Room
It is hard to tell this story in a linear way, because it just didn't seem to happen that way. There were good times and it wasn't all 911 drama and emergencies. We went home happy and excited. We played with Julia and took a million pictures. We introduced her to the puppy, as we had worrisomely planned for months, which went fine, of course. Julia slept mostly and was very content. We showed her each of the rooms of the house. I was exhausted but thrilled, of course.
My first feelings of, this is not quite right, was when my parents came over on Christmas Eve. We were told by her pediatrician, for the holidays, because she was still a newborn, and still premature, not to leave the house. We were 2 days out of the hospital. We went to the doctor that day and Julia had dropped weight, which I was worried about. She was now 5lb10oz. I weighed myself and was more than I had ever weighed, possibly more than I was when I delivered. I burst into tears! I remember learning from my big sister that when you give birth, you lose 20-30 pounds. I was somehow on the losing end of that deal. What the hell!?!/!?
I started taking notice of the pain I was having and called my doctor. I asked for a refill of the Percocet I had after giving birth. He said no, they don't refill that. The pain I was having was what I thought just pain in my abdomen from cramping from after giving birth, but after learning more about HELLP Syndrome, I now know it as epigastric pain. I had this pain starting on Christmas Eve and did not go to the ER until December 26.
I didn't know I was in trouble, but things were starting to get worse, not better. The swelling that I experienced at the end of my pregnancy was starting to get more pronounced and more painful. It was hurting me to walk. The look of my legs was thick from thigh to ankle, hardly tapering at the knee. The ankle was so swollen, they were puffy and sore. The tops of my feet would hurt just to tap to the touch. My face had swollen, my hands and arms and my whole body more or less.
I would have something to eat and feel lightheaded, nauseated and disoriented. I was also on the least amount of sleep of my life and in the most pain after childbirth, but it was starting to be clear that I was not well.
I was absolutely 100% more concerned about Julia though at this point, however though.
I did not have a good lactation consultant and I was under the impression that unless I wanted to introduce nipple confusion, supplementing formula was the devil and for lazy moms, and breastfeeding was the best. I was determined to make it work! I would only give her the tiniest amount of formula at first the first few days, meandwhile my milk was barely coming in. Also, I was dealing with all of these things, and she is starving! I can't believe to this day, I put her through this!
I am so glad I got better advice, and quickly. We ended up supplementing with formula for 3 solid weeks until she kept getting diarrhea and I finally said enough is enough, and we threw out the formula. I breastfed for 14 months proudly after that!!
So a long story short, we went to a doctor visit on December 26 just to check that she was indeed gaining weight and that everything else was going well. Well we go to the visit and her weight gain was perfect, better than anticipated! They were so happy, and we were so happy too because we had been basically feeding her for 48 hours straight, like a bunch of crazy people:)
At the very end of the visit, I asked if the doctor didn't mind, would he check my blood pressure, and explained to him about my Preeclampsia and how they induced me, and he told me to call my doctor right away.
He said my BP was 160/110 and I should probably go to the Emergency Room of the hospital where I delivered.
I was stunned. That couldn't be right. So I panicked, and of course called my OB. We did this on our drive home. We were on our drive home, and my OB called back. He was very defensive and rude. He asked first off: why would I have the pediatrician take my blood pressure? what kind of blood pressure cuff did he use? that reading is impossible! I would be in a hospital if it were so high! If I really found it necessary, I should just go to an ER, he doesn't know what else to tell me.
I hung up the phone in tears. What a long miserable road it had been. How long had I been shoved aside by this doctors group? Oh it's you again? The one with the contractions? I just couldn't take it anymore! I didn't know what to do! I didn't want to go to an ER! I had never been to an ER!
I certainly didn't want to take Julia (little did I know you are not allowed to bring infants, though, duh, that makes sense) And I wasn't sure what my health issues meant.
So anyway, an hour or 2 later, my mom takes me there. I am still not even driving myself places so soon after giving birth. They admit me pretty fast but don't seem to link my chart from upstairs in Labor & Delivery. It really should have been much more obvious. It took 14 months for someone to tell me that what I presented with was Postpartum HELLP Syndrome.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HELLP_syndrome.
I had extremely low platelets, elevated liver enzymes and hemolysis. I finally got my medical records after a similar amount of time had gone by too. I started getting a little bit angry and a little bit questioning, "why did nobody catch this? why wasn't I treated?"
I can summarize with saying that I had HELLP Syndrome Postpartum (It stands for Hemolysis, Elevated Liver Enzymes and Low Platelets, I had to google that one... )http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HELLP_syndrome. I was admitted to the Emergency Room six days Pospartum with intense and severe swelling of my face, arms, legs and hands and feet; all extremities. My blood pressure was high, up around 160/110 which my doctor told me over the phone was IMPOSSIBLE!! (when I told him I had the pediatrician take my BP at the visit for her checkup. He even asked me why I would have them do that??!!) It may have been higher than that because between delivery from Preeclampsia on December 20 and December 26 when I finally went to the ER, I was ill that entire time, I kept swelling, my feet, legs, arms and hands, it was difficult to walk, climb stairs, I was seeing spots, my vision was blurry, I was nauseated and tired and felt like I was going to die. On top of which I was exhausted for having just given birth, trying my best to care for a days-old infant, with help of my husband, of course, but my stubborn self wanted things to go much better much faster. My milk was barely coming in and she was dropping weight instead of gaining, but I was determined to breastfeed. My husband, however was worried we were harming her, which was very stressful.
My baby was miraculously healthy. I was induced at 37 weeks; for Preeclampsia http://www.preeclampsia.org/they call it premature still and still did not want us to leave the house much. Her weight at birth was 6 pounds 4 ounces. She left the hospital at 5 pounds 14 ounces but then got down to 5 pounds 10 ounces because of failing with early breastfeeding.
But with the help of a lactation specialist, and through supplementing, we got the hang of it, and she started gaining beautifully. She was and is, to this day, our little miracle.
It really was the story of the girl screaming in the dark and not being heard. When I was early on in my pregnancy, I had a bloodtest result that was the first red flag that may or may not had been an indicator of what was to come. The result was a low PAPP-A, (plasma associated with plasma protein A), The result was that of a 1. This was at 13 weeks. They told me this result, what it can point to is that it can be associated with eventual intrauterine growth restriction, they told me, but not to worry, with good medical care, this would not happen to us, not with the vitamins he was prescribing, hahaha . They said, they would give me extra ultrasounds in the 3rd trimester. Nothing to worry about they said, he only had one other patient with this low result before and everything turned out just fine. I now also know that this low result could also be linked to potentially eventually developing Preeclampsia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21427871
CONTRACTIONS
Fast forward to 10 weeks later, at 23 weeks, I started having very painful contractions. Very scary. They would stop me in my tracks. These contractions would stop me from what I was doing. I would feel like the wind was knocked out of me. The first time it happened, we were on vacation in Disney World, with another couple, our good friends, Nick & Chrissy. We just stopped what we were doing, got something to eat and drink, took it a little easier. But a week later, it started up again, more intensely, more scary. So we called the doctor. And they told me to go to the hospital, since I was pregnant! So I did. It was during the workday and my husband was at work. I didn't work the whole time I was pregnant. I was laid off when I was only six weeks pregnant due to downsizing, so I was home. But I called him.
When I got to the hospital, I had never been to a hospital before for myself, I didn't know where to go: they sent me to Labor & Delivery, and I had to tell my husband to meet me there. I thought he would surely have a heart attack, telling him this kind of news over the phone, to meet his, barely six months pregnant wife in Labor & Delivery. Well, right then, they hooked me up to the monitors, and sure enough, I really was having contractions. But they didn't do anything for them this time, but this wouldn't be the first time or the last time this would happen, that I would get admitted to L&D for contractions. I would end up having to go to Labor & Delivery 15 MORE times until I delivered!!
Every time I went to the hospital, they sent me to Labor & Delivery, and every time, they hooked me up to the monitors, and each time, they did detect contractions, sometimes as close as six minutes apart. They were very concerned. They would check my cervix to see if I was dilating, thankfully and miraculously I never was, which was an amazing blessing. I also never spotted and never leaked fluid at all. They checked my blood pressure and very often did a test which is called a fetal fibronectin
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/pretermlabor_fetalfibronectin.htmlwhich is a test which is a swab of the cervix to tell if you are close to delivery, close to rupture. I always passed that test too.
I would often get saline bags of IV fluid to hydrate me, because that was considered a non-invasive way to calm my uterus down. They eventually told me I had an 'irritable uterus'. They would get very stern and lecture me about how much I was eating and drinking though I thought it was plenty, my appetite was fine, and my weight gain was right on track, but they would want me to double or triple it my liquid intake for the baby, to drink up to 2L of water a day.
The IV's would usually do very little but make me very nervous but would not calm the contractions. I very often was administered a drug called terbutaline
TERBUTALINE
The drug, the first time they gave it to me was a shot intravenously in the leg. I talked myself into it very bravely, because it was such a wave of activity, me being so early in my pregnancy to be having all of these contractions and the doctors and nurses telling me that this would calm things down and was very safe for the baby and was safer in general overall than delivering. These were my options, it sounded like. I beared through it, it wasn't too bad. The shot itself was just a shot, it was ok. The aftereffects were really something else entirely!
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/737609I started to feel like I was hyperventilating, like my skin was crawling, my heart was pounding, I was all jittery, and couldn't calm down, couldn't relax, and couldn't find my center, basically. Couple that with the stress of all of these experiences happening to me all at once, worrying about my baby, trying to stay strong for my husband who is watching this all happen to me, not knowing how to find my strength, and then finding them putting an oxygen mask over my face, and for the first time, I just break down. I close my eyes and let the tears flow. This pregnancy was not supposed to go like this. I have always wanted to be a mother, the way a person knows they are meant to do something. Some people are just compelled in that way, and I always had been, since childhood. And when I got pregnant, I was elated, and so was my husband, slightly nervous, but mostly and entirely excited and overtaken with joy with the thrill of it all. I thought about it all the time, read every book, saw every movie, admired everyone elses' baby, was the favorite Auntie for years.....
It's hard even now, to go back and try to put into words what the emotional and physical experience felt like, but it was overwhelming, and I tried as best I could to power through, continue to rest, take it easy and try to relax, but the odds seemed to be stacked out of my favor, and the direction of my health did not seem to be in my hands most of the time. I would go for a walk and be blindsided by pain, I would be reading a book, and contractions would start, I would be doing very little and things would just come to a crashing halt. I had to cancel plans and limit my activities. I wouldn't attend this party, or I would sit on the sidelines at that event. I didn't go trick or treating for the first year ever. My whole family went to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas Spectacular and I didn't think it was a good idea to be that far away from my doctor.
I ended up moving my baby shower up to 32 weeks, because we just weren't sure how long the pregnancy would be sustainable. Would I make it the full term or not?
For the mother-to-be going through this kind of thing, it is hard to relate to most people, because most everyone you talk to cannot relate to this. Pregnancy aches and pains are supposed to be funny. You're supposed to complain about your weight gain, not really to the point that you are worried there might be something wrong with you. You should be able to wear your shoes. Your face shouldn't swell, your hands shouldn't swell the way mine did, where most bracelets, let alone my wedding ring, didn't fit for four months Postpartum. This wasn't normal. This wasn't status quo, and there was nothing I could do to control what was happening. People should say "aww you are only pregnant in your belly" not the look-away,-say-nothing thing that comes when you swell to what seems like twice your size.
It was more than just appearances though, it was trying to muscle through the experience of being pregnant and keep focused on staying healthy for the baby, drinking enough, resting enough, when I could barely lay on one side without having contractions start up again and feel winded.
Finally at the end of the pregnancy, I was eager for it to be over and that's when the rash started.
PUPPPS RASH
I developed a rash that I didn't even mention to my doctor until an hour or two after I delivered. I had been dealing with them for about a week until that point. Little did I know this was also related to the pregnancy, and my skin was trying to reach out and scream out to everyone "HELP HER!!
I was surprised and I still am how little information is out there on PUPPPS and how few doctors I have mentioned I have had it, know about it, as well. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pruritic_urticarial_papules_and_plaques_of_pregnancy
The rash, it's hard to describe, someone online, on message board, where I found most of my information on PUPPPS rash described it as "Dante-esque". It wouldn't calm down with ointment, it mostly was more irritated with lotion or cream or gel, it itched like crazy and the only thing that would stop the itching is to take a shower and cake my whole body in Aveeno oatmeal bath for chicken pox. I couldn't bathe yet since I had just given birth. So I would stand in the steam and cake myself in this powdery goo and get relief. I would take 2 Benadryl at night but then would feel the guilt of potentially passing the Benadryl in my system to the baby while nursing, and yes, I nursed through all of this whole ordeal!!
Having Julia finally born and in our lives made the nightmare of delivery of PUPPPS, Preeclampsia and HELLP worth it all.
Having her down the hall, or in my arms, or even near me in any way made everything better.
I went to the regular OB for this and he gave me Prednisone which you are also not supposed to take while breastfeeding, but I did anyway, and weighed the pros and cons. It might be why she ended up getting thrush. Puppps was a terrible thing to go through, and for awhile took my mind off of everything else, because it is hard to focus on much else when you are head to toe in hives and itch. At one point, I had welts from my neck to my ankles, on my arms, legs, neck, everywhere but my face. It was worse on my tummy, buns, thighs, legs, arms, hands, and feet. The soles of my feet, palms of my hands and my face were spared.
So all in all, the rash lasted 10 weeks, 1 week before I gave birth, maybe even 2 if I can recall, but I wasn't too attuned to it because it was low on the list of things that was going on and it hadn't peaked in severity yet. It was at its worst 1-2 weeks after delivery and finally completely went away 6 weeks Postpartum.
Delivery
Having Julia. When I can separate in my mind the crap that came before having my beautiful baby and the awful parts afterwards and focus on the delivery itself, I can find my happiest memories. My pregnancy was such a long and painful and scary time when I just tried to be brave and hold on and make it through and look forward and think positively and hang in there. And then finally one day it all became worth it. It was worth it all along, but it was coming true, we were going to get to meet her. I had a relatively easy delivery considering everything we had been through. When it was time, it was time. I was induced because of Preeclampsia. I had proteinuria of +3 and blood pressure of 140/90 which was just the borderline cut-off for high blood pressure. What they were most concerned with was the protein and all that I had been through up until that point, and the fact that I was 37 weeks meant I could now be induced. Prior to this, I was on bed-rest for all of 24 hours. We had just gotten the first real serious snowfall of the season, over a foot, and we were within 5 days of Christmas. I was buzzing with excitement. I was almost over the limit of excitement of finally having my baby, and Phil was too, we could hardly really process what was happening. They started me out with a Pitocin drip at 1:30 in the afternoon and I ended up delivering Julia at 19:19(military time), 7:19pm, just under six hours of labor. I went so quickly, every time they checked my progress, I thought they were joking. They told me I was going to more than 75% likely be a C-section because I was early, she had not descended and because I didn't go into labor on my own, and was getting Preeclampsia. I readied my mind for it. About 4 hours in, I was prepared to hear that I was going to get a section, and sure enough, they told me I was 9 centimeters and I would be pushing soon. I couldn't believe it. I got an epidural somewhere in there, I am not sure if I was 4cm or when that was. I was a complete and total disaster before the epidural, and not sure how I would have gotten through the experience without one, or without someone surgically removing my brain so I could forget the pain. I was looking at Mom and Phil both for support and they both were so wonderful and so helpful but it was so hard to even remember how to breathe through the pain. And the pain would come right on top of each other. Pain on pain on pain.
But it was over relatively quickly. I couldn't believe how quickly the phases were moving, and all of the sudden the room filled with people and I was pushing. I wanted the pushing to not last forever so I gave it everything I had, and it only took four pushes and she was born. Seeing my husband regard our baby for the first time, was one of the most amazing moments of my life. It changed both of our lives forever. All of these illnesses, all of these things that had happened, they were all just like tides in the ocean, just part of the flow of what had to happen to get us to this moment. She was here, and she was perfect. She was a tiny miracle. I couldn't believe how warm she was, and how calm she was. She seemed to know us right away and want to be held and touched. It was amazing to me how much better I felt instantly after giving birth. The pain was mostly gone, but the pressure was really gone. I felt like I had lost 100 pounds, though unfortunately it was hardly any weight loss at all thanks to the Preeclampsia....
I then was able to begin recovery and have my sisters and my dad come into the room. They were able to come meet the baby and see me as well. It was amazing to me that they were there the whole time. It was a whole Dorothy wakes up at the end of the Wizard of Oz kind of moment! And you were there, and you, and you. All in one room, and now meeting our little precious addition.
Then, it seemed, we would be changing rooms and going down the hall to where we would spend the rest of our stay. Julia would go to the nursery and I would go to the recovery room of my own.
Recovery
At that point, once in my room, I was assigned a nurse. I was then starting to feel the effects of having been through something as momentous as giving birth. I don't think I thought I could stand, and they didn't think I could either, so someone assisted me to stand from my wheelchair to the bathroom because apparently it is important to empty your bladder after giving birth.
They also took my vitals for what will be one of the first 100 times in the next 24 hours. The nurse helped me from the bathroom to the bed. Then about 30 minutes later they came back and had me try again to empty my bladder and told me it was very important for me to try, because they measured my output and my measurement was extremely low. They sat with me, and then left me alone to see if it would help if I had privacy. It didn't. They then determined that after everything that I had been through, that I was now going to need to be catheterized. This was a one-time procedure that was necessary to do (and I am only sharing this information because of everything else that happened. It completely stunned me, it hurt like crazy!! and for about 18 months, I didn't even tell my mother because I was so looped and so spent at this point, I barely could remember all the details of everything that I had been through.)I don't mean to scare anyone, but the word barbaric definitely comes to mind.....
All in all though, the recovery process wasn't so bad. The best part was being with my baby, and being together with Phil, the three of us, bonding. It was also nice having visitors. In my mind, before giving birth, I imagined myself being in the hospital for awhile and getting time to heal for a bit, but the healing time is barely just beginning, when we had found ourselves signing forms for our release and our time was up.
The best part was when Phil bought Julia some Christmas themed outfits. We didn't have anything at all Christmas-themed for her, our beautiful surprise December 20th baby, because she wasn't due until January 9th. It wasn't in our minds that it was a possibility that she would come so early (even with all of our earlier drama, at least not thinking she would be as early as before Christmas)
He went to the mall and got the absolute cutest outfits for her very first hospital pictures. The hospital also gave her a candy-cane striped stocking cap that was so tiny. It had a giant bow on it. We had that cap forever and it looked so warm and snug and she looked so cozy in it! She had a stunning head of absolutely beautiful dark brown-- almost black silky hair! Everyone was stunned by her hair! Her pediatrician said, she is absolutely the most beautiful baby he had ever seen, and he has seen a lot of babies!
She was the sweetest baby I had ever seen, and my heart filled with joy instantly when she was born. It was an unexplainable wave of love that came over me, over us. It was this shear joy, this shared connection. This powerful thing that meant that she looked to us for her needs to be met and she trusted that we would meet those needs and just that wide open trust and love. It was boundless love. I still can't get over that. My brother, when we called him, he said, doesn't it feel like your heart just quadrupled in size? And he hit the nail right on the head. That was really it.
Emergency Room
It is hard to tell this story in a linear way, because it just didn't seem to happen that way. There were good times and it wasn't all 911 drama and emergencies. We went home happy and excited. We played with Julia and took a million pictures. We introduced her to the puppy, as we had worrisomely planned for months, which went fine, of course. Julia slept mostly and was very content. We showed her each of the rooms of the house. I was exhausted but thrilled, of course.
My first feelings of, this is not quite right, was when my parents came over on Christmas Eve. We were told by her pediatrician, for the holidays, because she was still a newborn, and still premature, not to leave the house. We were 2 days out of the hospital. We went to the doctor that day and Julia had dropped weight, which I was worried about. She was now 5lb10oz. I weighed myself and was more than I had ever weighed, possibly more than I was when I delivered. I burst into tears! I remember learning from my big sister that when you give birth, you lose 20-30 pounds. I was somehow on the losing end of that deal. What the hell!?!/!?
I started taking notice of the pain I was having and called my doctor. I asked for a refill of the Percocet I had after giving birth. He said no, they don't refill that. The pain I was having was what I thought just pain in my abdomen from cramping from after giving birth, but after learning more about HELLP Syndrome, I now know it as epigastric pain. I had this pain starting on Christmas Eve and did not go to the ER until December 26.
I didn't know I was in trouble, but things were starting to get worse, not better. The swelling that I experienced at the end of my pregnancy was starting to get more pronounced and more painful. It was hurting me to walk. The look of my legs was thick from thigh to ankle, hardly tapering at the knee. The ankle was so swollen, they were puffy and sore. The tops of my feet would hurt just to tap to the touch. My face had swollen, my hands and arms and my whole body more or less.
I would have something to eat and feel lightheaded, nauseated and disoriented. I was also on the least amount of sleep of my life and in the most pain after childbirth, but it was starting to be clear that I was not well.
I was absolutely 100% more concerned about Julia though at this point, however though.
I did not have a good lactation consultant and I was under the impression that unless I wanted to introduce nipple confusion, supplementing formula was the devil and for lazy moms, and breastfeeding was the best. I was determined to make it work! I would only give her the tiniest amount of formula at first the first few days, meandwhile my milk was barely coming in. Also, I was dealing with all of these things, and she is starving! I can't believe to this day, I put her through this!
I am so glad I got better advice, and quickly. We ended up supplementing with formula for 3 solid weeks until she kept getting diarrhea and I finally said enough is enough, and we threw out the formula. I breastfed for 14 months proudly after that!!
So a long story short, we went to a doctor visit on December 26 just to check that she was indeed gaining weight and that everything else was going well. Well we go to the visit and her weight gain was perfect, better than anticipated! They were so happy, and we were so happy too because we had been basically feeding her for 48 hours straight, like a bunch of crazy people:)
At the very end of the visit, I asked if the doctor didn't mind, would he check my blood pressure, and explained to him about my Preeclampsia and how they induced me, and he told me to call my doctor right away.
He said my BP was 160/110 and I should probably go to the Emergency Room of the hospital where I delivered.
I was stunned. That couldn't be right. So I panicked, and of course called my OB. We did this on our drive home. We were on our drive home, and my OB called back. He was very defensive and rude. He asked first off: why would I have the pediatrician take my blood pressure? what kind of blood pressure cuff did he use? that reading is impossible! I would be in a hospital if it were so high! If I really found it necessary, I should just go to an ER, he doesn't know what else to tell me.
I hung up the phone in tears. What a long miserable road it had been. How long had I been shoved aside by this doctors group? Oh it's you again? The one with the contractions? I just couldn't take it anymore! I didn't know what to do! I didn't want to go to an ER! I had never been to an ER!
I certainly didn't want to take Julia (little did I know you are not allowed to bring infants, though, duh, that makes sense) And I wasn't sure what my health issues meant.
So anyway, an hour or 2 later, my mom takes me there. I am still not even driving myself places so soon after giving birth. They admit me pretty fast but don't seem to link my chart from upstairs in Labor & Delivery. It really should have been much more obvious. It took 14 months for someone to tell me that what I presented with was Postpartum HELLP Syndrome.)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HELLP_syndrome.
I had extremely low platelets, elevated liver enzymes and hemolysis. I finally got my medical records after a similar amount of time had gone by too. I started getting a little bit angry and a little bit questioning, "why did nobody catch this? why wasn't I treated?"
Jul 18, 2011
Film about Preeclampsia Coming Soon to Lifetime...
This is the real life story of Angela Burgin Logan and her experience with Preeclampsia nearly claiming her life. Just watching the preview of this reduced me to tears. Such a similar story to mine....very visceral still, how close to death she (and I came)
The part that is particularly painful is the doctors being dismissive of her symptoms and what would eventually turn out to be life threatening disease
The part that is particularly painful is the doctors being dismissive of her symptoms and what would eventually turn out to be life threatening disease
Jun 19, 2011
Preeclampsia Study
It's been awhile since I have updated, but I do have some new things happening. Julia is doing amazingly well. She is 18 months old on Monday and continues to amaze us both. She has about 35 words and even can say I love you. I am so grateful for her health and the blessing she is in our lives.
I am going to be participating in the study for Preeclampsia at the University of Vermont. I am so excited for this.
I am so hoping that through the testing that I will be undergoing, I may get some answers on my current health issues. I am still dealing with numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes, an itch sometimes under the skin on the back of my head. I am achey and have pins and needles to the touch in my arms and legs. It may have to do with the preeclampsia also. They will do a dye test and study the arteries in the legs arms and uterus, and do an ultrasound of the kidneys as well. An MRI is also involved. I am hopeful that if I don't get answers for myself, this may help others and the medical community get more information on preeclampsia, the silent killer.
http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=42150&p=335501&hilit=university+of+vermont
Study Participants Needed: Pregnancy Phenotype and Predisposition to Preeclampsia
This research study seeks to understand the relationship between a woman’s health and physiology prior to pregnancy and the risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy, as well as to gain insights into improved ways to both prevent and treat it. We are recruiting women who are planning to become pregnant within the next year and who might be at risk for the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant soon and fit into one of the following categories, please contact the study coordinator:
1) If you are between 18 and 42 years old and planning to conceive your first child,
2) If you have diabetes, OR have a personal OR family history of hypertension, OR
3) If you have had preeclampsia in a prior pregnancy.
If you choose to participate, you will undergo testing on 3 occasions, one prior to pregnancy and 2 during your pregnancy. For each visit, you will be provided meals for 3 days prior to your appointment. For those who do not live locally in Vermont, 3days of a food diary can be done instead of meals being provided. During the initial visit, researchers will ensure you are not pregnant before allowing you to continue in the study. Using ultrasound and MRI, the way blood flows in your body will be measured. You will spend one night in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at Fletcher Allen during each visit. Ovulation detection kits will be provided to aid your timing in achieving conception. Financial compensation of up to $375 is provided.
We are focusing on the northeast region of the United States because of concerns about travel, but if anyone is willing to come from further away, we certainly would not deny you! The main concern is that while we can offer some funds for reimbursement and travel expenses, the further you travel, the more it costs. Unfortunately we do have a limited budget.
Also if you are not interested/eligible for inclusion, please inform any friends or family members who may be able to travel to Vermont. We are also recruiting women who are trying for their first child.
Carole McBride
Clinical Research Coordinator
Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Vermont College of Medicine
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-0309
Carole.McBride@uvm.edu
I am going to be participating in the study for Preeclampsia at the University of Vermont. I am so excited for this.
I am so hoping that through the testing that I will be undergoing, I may get some answers on my current health issues. I am still dealing with numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes, an itch sometimes under the skin on the back of my head. I am achey and have pins and needles to the touch in my arms and legs. It may have to do with the preeclampsia also. They will do a dye test and study the arteries in the legs arms and uterus, and do an ultrasound of the kidneys as well. An MRI is also involved. I am hopeful that if I don't get answers for myself, this may help others and the medical community get more information on preeclampsia, the silent killer.
http://www.preeclampsia.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=76&t=42150&p=335501&hilit=university+of+vermont
Study Participants Needed: Pregnancy Phenotype and Predisposition to Preeclampsia
This research study seeks to understand the relationship between a woman’s health and physiology prior to pregnancy and the risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy, as well as to gain insights into improved ways to both prevent and treat it. We are recruiting women who are planning to become pregnant within the next year and who might be at risk for the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant soon and fit into one of the following categories, please contact the study coordinator:
1) If you are between 18 and 42 years old and planning to conceive your first child,
2) If you have diabetes, OR have a personal OR family history of hypertension, OR
3) If you have had preeclampsia in a prior pregnancy.
If you choose to participate, you will undergo testing on 3 occasions, one prior to pregnancy and 2 during your pregnancy. For each visit, you will be provided meals for 3 days prior to your appointment. For those who do not live locally in Vermont, 3days of a food diary can be done instead of meals being provided. During the initial visit, researchers will ensure you are not pregnant before allowing you to continue in the study. Using ultrasound and MRI, the way blood flows in your body will be measured. You will spend one night in the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) at Fletcher Allen during each visit. Ovulation detection kits will be provided to aid your timing in achieving conception. Financial compensation of up to $375 is provided.
We are focusing on the northeast region of the United States because of concerns about travel, but if anyone is willing to come from further away, we certainly would not deny you! The main concern is that while we can offer some funds for reimbursement and travel expenses, the further you travel, the more it costs. Unfortunately we do have a limited budget.
Also if you are not interested/eligible for inclusion, please inform any friends or family members who may be able to travel to Vermont. We are also recruiting women who are trying for their first child.
Carole McBride
Clinical Research Coordinator
Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Vermont College of Medicine
Burlington, VT 05405
(802) 656-0309
Carole.McBride@uvm.edu
Apr 28, 2011
New FDA Terbutaline Warnings
So I found out some very interesting information. I often find myself looking on the internet for information relating to my symptoms. And I just so happened to have googled: Terbutaline + FDA and found some pretty serious stuff!
FDA Drug Safety Communication: New Warnings against use of Terbutaline to treat preterm labor. 2-27-2011
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm243539.htm
Additional Information for Patients:
Be aware that serious side effects, including maternal heart problems and death, have been reported after prolonged use of terbutaline to manage preterm labor
Be aware that death and serious adverse reactions including increased heart rate, transient hyperglycemia, hypokalemia, cardiac arrythmias, pulmonary edema, and myocardial ischemia have been reported after prolonged administration of oral or injectable terbutaline to pregnant women.
Treatment with Terbutaline administered by injection or by continuous infusion pump should not be used beyond 48 to 72 hours. In particular injectable terbutaline should not be used in the outpatient or the home setting.
There are certain obstetrical conditions where the healthcare professional may decide that the benefits of terbutaline injection for an individual patient in a hospital setting clearly outweighs the risk.
Oral terbutaline is contraindicated for the treatment or prevention of preterm labor.
Good to know and share....
Always good to be informed......
FDA Drug Safety Communication: New Warnings against use of Terbutaline to treat preterm labor. 2-27-2011
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm243539.htm
Additional Information for Patients:
Be aware that serious side effects, including maternal heart problems and death, have been reported after prolonged use of terbutaline to manage preterm labor
Be aware that death and serious adverse reactions including increased heart rate, transient hyperglycemia, hypokalemia, cardiac arrythmias, pulmonary edema, and myocardial ischemia have been reported after prolonged administration of oral or injectable terbutaline to pregnant women.
Treatment with Terbutaline administered by injection or by continuous infusion pump should not be used beyond 48 to 72 hours. In particular injectable terbutaline should not be used in the outpatient or the home setting.
There are certain obstetrical conditions where the healthcare professional may decide that the benefits of terbutaline injection for an individual patient in a hospital setting clearly outweighs the risk.
Oral terbutaline is contraindicated for the treatment or prevention of preterm labor.
Good to know and share....
Always good to be informed......
Jan 9, 2011
My baby is one....still having side effects:))
My baby Julia just turned one. Oh my goodness! I am in awe of her. I get very wistful of all of her milestones. I hope I'm not too corny. But she started taking her first steps, she is eating real table food, she has 8 teeth now. She is about 20 pounds. She has a full head of hair. All of these things, I am just marveling at. She is such a miracle! She is a happy baby too. Her only flaw, in our eyes, is that she doesn't sleep through the night. But honestly, I enjoy seeing her in the middle of the night. It's kind of a nice bonding time. But to not have slept through the night in over a year, yeah. I hope it's around the corner soon.....
In terms of my health, I got more bloodwork recently. I was borderline low for iron, low blood sugar. And some thing showed in my blood for a possible drug allergy??
I went back to the neurologist, and he has now referred me to a Neuroscience Institute. I was stunned. But I guess it makes sense. If my symtoms were obvious, they would have figured it out by now. My symptoms are this:
.Numbness and tingling in all fingers
.Numbness and tingling in toes
.Itchiness under the skin on the back of my head
.Tingling and overall muscle hypersensitivity in legs, arms, vaginal area, roof of mouth and tongue
My liver enzymes are normal. My brain MRI is normal, as is my back. I am not taking any drugs and haven't in a full year.
The drugs that I was taking were:
.Prednisone for 6 weeks postpartum, on a 30 day taper, and one full week before the taper for the PUPPPS Rash
.Labetalol for the high blood pressure postpartum (the height of it was 160/110) for 2months
.Terbutaline as a shot in the leg to stop preterm labor at 25.5 weeks gestation and 3times between 26-37 weeks intravenously. Taken orally 5mg daily from 30-36 weeks pregnant, as prescribed by my OBGYN for constant contractions.
In terms of my health, I got more bloodwork recently. I was borderline low for iron, low blood sugar. And some thing showed in my blood for a possible drug allergy??
I went back to the neurologist, and he has now referred me to a Neuroscience Institute. I was stunned. But I guess it makes sense. If my symtoms were obvious, they would have figured it out by now. My symptoms are this:
.Numbness and tingling in all fingers
.Numbness and tingling in toes
.Itchiness under the skin on the back of my head
.Tingling and overall muscle hypersensitivity in legs, arms, vaginal area, roof of mouth and tongue
My liver enzymes are normal. My brain MRI is normal, as is my back. I am not taking any drugs and haven't in a full year.
The drugs that I was taking were:
.Prednisone for 6 weeks postpartum, on a 30 day taper, and one full week before the taper for the PUPPPS Rash
.Labetalol for the high blood pressure postpartum (the height of it was 160/110) for 2months
.Terbutaline as a shot in the leg to stop preterm labor at 25.5 weeks gestation and 3times between 26-37 weeks intravenously. Taken orally 5mg daily from 30-36 weeks pregnant, as prescribed by my OBGYN for constant contractions.
Nov 20, 2010
What else is new...
Well I feel like I have reached the end of this topic, at least for now. But I want to keep writing. What else is new? It's almost Christmas. Which means it's almost Julia's first birthday! There are tons of emotions! She is such a blessing. I am still home with her. It has been a tough year financially and with my health. The economy is still down and my family is dealing with a crisis. We have a lot of challenges, for sure. But we have so much to be thankful for! Julia is doing amazingly well. I think she is a verbal baby! She says Mama, Dada, Baba, Nigh Nigh, Hi, Yay. She waves when you say "Hi" or "Bye bye" She claps when you say yay. She even claps when people on tv are cheering. She is a happy baby. She loves her cousins, kids of all ages, and our dog, Maggie. Maggie is a sheltie/eskimo mix. Mags was the baby of the house before Julia came along. She loves Julia, if not maybe a little bit jealous.
Julia claps when Dada comes home and says Dada 90% more than she says Mama. She likes car trips, and she loves exploring her world. She's still crawling, but she's standing up, and crusing on the furniture.
Julia claps when Dada comes home and says Dada 90% more than she says Mama. She likes car trips, and she loves exploring her world. She's still crawling, but she's standing up, and crusing on the furniture.
Nov 8, 2010
Please visit this GREAT website...for Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome Awareness
This website was just redone. I am not affiliated with it, but it has endless information that will help any of you who has questions. Please see this wonderful site to learn more about HELLP Syndrome, Preeclampsia, etc.
Labels:
http://www.preeclampsia.org/
Oct 11, 2010
I had HELLP Sybdrome!!
Wow, holy shit!!! I went to a perinatologist on Friday who told me this. First reaction?? ANGER!!! Shouldn't I have known this? Been on drugs for this? Been hospitalized for this? My doc had me thinking I was a hypochondriac!!! I have no words
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