Lena's story

I was 23 years old when I got pregnant. Newly married & very healthy. I had a fairly uneventful pregnancy. As a matter of fact, I used to get worried because I didn't have all those aches and pains all the mothers I knew kept warning me about. I exercised occasionally and ate very well. I am my mother's only child and she has always been very protective of me and was especially so during my pregnancy. See, she had extreme pre-eclampsia, went into seizures while in labor with me and slipped into a coma. She and I both almost died. I had to assure her that pre-eclampsia was NOT genetic and there was nothing to worry about. Still, she waited with baited breath for every urine/protein test result and blood pressure report after each of my doctor's visits. Perfect every time. "Ideal pregnancy" my doctor said.

Around 33 weeks, bad heartburn started to wake me up at night. My belly was really starting to grow and I attributed the heartburn to a big baby pressing against my esophagus. I also started to get this horrible aching across my rib cage. Sometimes I felt it was hard to even breathe. I was absolutely miserable. The thing was, the pain wasn't consistent. It would be there one night and not the next.

On my week 34 visit, my blood pressure was a little high (130/90). It had been getting high off and on recently. He had me move positions while he took it until it was lower, claiming it was my position that was increasing it. I had also gained 5 pounds in 6 days! I wasn't eating anymore than usual - I was just so bloated. My girlfriend saw me at my baby shower & then when she saw me a week later, she couldn't help but comment on how swollen I had become. It was mainly in my face, hands, and feet. Because I am a small boned person in good physical shape to begin with, it didn't appear overly extreme to other people. Including, apparently my doctor. He was set to go on vacation for a week, but said he was sure I would go full term with no problems.

Friday, October 12, 2001 I called my doctor's office and talked to his assistant. She said he had left for his vacation. I told her I was having horrible pain in my ribs & could she please page the on-call doctor? She called me 8 hours later & left a message telling me she was going to tell my doctor (rather than paging the on-call dr. as I requested) but that he never called in as she as expected. She paused and said "Why don't you just call your primary doctor". That was the help I received from my doctor's office.

Early in the morning on October 14, 2001 I awoke with horrible heartburn. I tried standing, walking, sitting, laying, even crawling on the floor on my hands & knees. NOTHING would provide relief. My husband found me stretched out on the couch moaning around 7:00am. He was upset I hadn't woken him. I said there was nothing we could do. This was pregnancy...but I WAS miserable with a capital M. He insisted on calling my doctor. My regular doctor was still out of town, so the on-call doctor called me right back. She said she wanted me to go to the ER to rule out an appendicitis. I KNEW it wasn't an appendicitis and was very grumpy to have to move, let alone get dressed and in the car! I swear, if my husband hadn't insisted, I would have stayed on that couch. Little did I know, he was saving my life.

We arrived at the hospital & they admitted me into Labor & Delivery, where the doctor had ordered an U/S & numerous blood tests. The pain was still in my ribs, but I was starting to feel better. I was sure they would give me a Tylenol & we'd be on our way! About 3 hours after we arrived the nurse put an ID bracelet on me & cheerfully said the doctor was coming in to discuss the blood test results with me. My mom, husband, and I all looked at each other. We knew this couldn't be good.

The doctor arrived about 30 minutes later. She pulled up a chair & softly and seriously explained that my liver enzymes were "dangerously elevated" and my blood platelets were "extremely low and dropping". I believe they were around 115 at that time. She informed me I had HELLP syndrome and that the only cure was to deliver the baby immediately. I remember turning away, trying to pretend I wasn't hearing her correctly. Tears immediately ran down my face. My mother started to sob, unable to ignore her own experience 23 years earlier. My cervix was high & closed, so the doctor explained she didn't want to risk trying to induce me. She said they would prep me for a C-section and were going to immediately start me on Magnesium Sulfate to prevent seizures. I remember looking at her and asking, almost dumbfounded, "Am I going to die?" She immediately responded "That's why we're doing everything we can. To make sure you don't".

Our family & close friends arrived quickly and quietly. There was no birth plan. No doula, as we had hired 3 weeks earlier. There was no video camera for fear of what it would capture. To say I was terrified would be an understatement. I hugged my family as they wheeled me into the OR. With my "scrubbed" husband at my side and the blessed anesthesiologist behind me, they cut into me. I could feel them reaching up inside me & tugging. It was the most unnerving feeling. I was literally jostled and bounced all over the table, to the point that I started to cry. My husband kept his face close to mine & whispered that it would be okay. I prayed silently through my tears that God would protect my precious baby and allow me to survive this to take care of her. All I could think was "Please let my baby have her mommy".

At 4:49 p.m. they pulled Savannah Catherine out from within me. And the voice of an angel filled the room with that precious healthy cry! She weighed 5 pounds, 9 ounces and was 19 inches long. She scored 9,9 on the Apgar.

They took blood draws every 2 hours after Savannah was born. They said my blood platelet levels were still dropping, but that that was normal & they expected them to start to rebound. My family and I were very nervous about this, especially because I would refuse to accept a blood transfusion for religious reasons. Twenty-four hours after I had Savannah, they took me off the Mag drip. I was now out of the risk of a seizure, which was a huge relief. However, my blood platelets were not rising, nor were my liver enzymes decreasing. But, they had stabilized. I remember looking at myself in the mirror the next day & being shocked by the yellow cast my skin had. Was my liver failing?

On the third day in the hospital, the nurse told me that my levels were finally starting to correct little by little. I remember telling my husband that as he walked in the room and his eyes welled up with tears as he said "that's so good to know". Then he sat down in the chair next to the bed & stared at the ground. I didn't know until that moment how terrified he was. I was now on my way to health again. They discharged us 2 days later.

Savannah is now a thriving 5 month old. She is petite, but in the 50th percentile. My husband and I have decided not to have any more children for fear of a reoccurence of HELLP syndrome. The ordeal we went through together was a harrowing experience, albeit brief. I feel as if I have been robbed of something precious, that beautiful birth experience, and yet blessed immeasurably.

Lena