Margaret's story

I had HELLP Syndrome with my son, Jesse, now 9 years old. My symptoms were atypical however. My abdominal pain started on Christmas day at 24 weeks. After being prescribed Tylenol codeine and lying on my left side my symptoms improved. The obgyn thought the baby was lying on my kidney causing the pain.

On New Years Day I decided to go to the grocery store with my husband. Big mistake. The symptoms returned with a vengeance. I had run out of the codeine and like a drug addict frantically searched for someone to fill my prescription. I did not call the doctor because I didn't want to bother him on a Holiday.

That evening I admitted myself into the nearest hospital. In the course of the next seven days, My platelets dropped to 10,000, I had gained 36 pounds (26 pounds in the last 24 hours of pregnancy), I had liver failure, heart failure (a heart rate of 45 bpm), lung failure (couldn't breath lying down, and kidney failure. I was on lasix, morphine and a number of other drugs. Morphine is great stuff. What confused the doctors is that (1) my symptoms occurred so early and (2) my symptoms improved with bed rest.

My son was delved at 26 weeks weighing 1 pound 10 ounces. He spent 99 days in the hospital and it was 32 days before I held him for the first time. He is a terrific 9 year old now. The only symptoms he has is low muscle tone. Considering the alternatives we got off easy.

My daughter Cassidy now 5. She was born pre term at 36 weeks after going into pre term labor at 32 weeks. I showed no signs of any pre-eclampsia. I just thought the doctors needed a new twist on labor and deliver.

What my third pregnancy has in store is up for grabs is anyones guess. All the doctors say that because my second pregnancy was normal that I have a good chance of a normal third pregnancy. But being 35 adds yet a new twist to the pot.

Margaret