Wanda's story

I had pre-eclampsia with my first child.

I'd have my normal check-up with the doctor and everytime my blood pressure was okay and it did this right up until the end. My baby was supposed to been born around November 12 or so. I had a doctor's appointment on November 5th 1996 on election day.

My blood pressure reading wasn't looking to hot so my mid-wife admitted me into the hospital. They did a stress test and it read fine. My blood pressure was still going up no matter what they had me do. They put an iv in to give me liquids to keep me from dehydrating and they were going to start a pit drip on me the next morning to induce labor.

Well I didn't last very long after that. The next thing I knew I was being hauled down the hall into another room, my doctor came in and told me he was gong to do a emergency C-section. It was better that way he said.

The next day they brought a tray of food to me, I finished it, they handed my son to me and the next thing I knew I was throwing up blood and started hemorrhaging. So they sent me to the University hospital in Oklahoma city where they gave me 3 bags of blood and a bag of platelets.

Later on when I was better and could understand what the doctor was telling me he said that I had gone from pre-eclampsia to eclampsia to HELLP syndrome. I didn't know how I looked at that time, I've seen pictures of me, I was yellow. It looked like I had real bad jaundice. My baby boy was just fine they couldn't find a thing wrong with him at all. It was all on me, which made me glad that I had a very healthy baby.

They put me on blood pressure medicine after all of that, which I only had to take it until January 1997. I'm pregnant again, and the doctors are watching me very closely. They even put me on blood pressure medicine, because the first time I had an appointment it was up, and they weren't going to give it a chance this time. It's been doing fine an I'm okay. My baby is due in January, I'm a little scared but I think everything is going to be alright. After this there is no more.

Wanda

**UPDATE** Wanda gave birth to a healthy 7lbs 14ozs baby boy. Garrett Reece was born on Jan 8th. Wanda had no problems with this one! **Congratulations Wanda!**