Wendy's story

My original due date was May 29. I went in on April 16 for a routine office visit. My doctor had me walk over to the hospital (his office was attached to the hospital I was to deliver at) because he wasn't happy with my b/p readings. I was actually irritated about this because it was like 6:00pm and I wanted to get home to take a nap. They monitored my b/p for about 3 hours in a triage room and then finally admitted me. They released me on Monday, April 20 with orders for strict bed rest.

My husband is constantly out of town on business so I moved in with my parents for the last month of my pregnancy and did nothing. I was not allowed even to shower (well, they let me do that every other day, but only 10 minute ones).

I went in for another office visit April 29 and they admitted me to the hospital again (my b/p always seemed to shoot up right before the appointments or if I sat up for more than 1/2 hour stretches and did not lay on my left side when I way lying down). When they admitted me this time I was totally devastated and just cried and cried which I know did not help my b/p but I was so depressed and now they were talking like they were going to induce me (I was only 35 - 36 weeks) and I was so afraid my daughter hadn't "percolated" enough. Plus by this time I was getting a lot of contradicting info from everyone (I so wish this site had been around then).

They ended up releasing me again (my main OB/GYN would admit me and his partner would always release me on follow up) that Fri. (May 1). May 4 was my next office visit and they decided then that they would induce me May 13 after that office visit. They induced me with cervidil at 4:30pm on May 13, another dose at 4:30am May 14, pitocin at 9:00am May 14 with steadily increasing doses. Of course I couldn't walk through the contractions, I was catheterized, and had a magnesium sulfate drip going to prevent seizures.

My water finally broke at 11:50pm May 14 and then the contractions really began. Then at one point they put me on oxygen. I found out later it was because my daughter had gone into distress. The hospital staff never really let on how serious my situation was. Stephanie was finally born at 12:50pm May 15. She was 6 lbs. 2 oz., 19 1/2" long and her APGAR scores were 9 then 10.

What I found to be the scariest was after the moved me to the recovery room and took me off all the medication the next day my b/p jumped immediately to 200/100 and they rushed me back to another room on the delivery wing and put me back on the mag sulfate which just drained me. Of course I was nursing and though everyone kept saying the med's I was on wouldn't hurt her I had my doubts. But she seems to be doing very well developmentally on an up note to this whole long depressing story.

Now I think about how will I be able to have another baby if I end up on total bed rest again and still have to be able to take care of Stephanie during my second pregnancy. And the thing that really bums me out is though two of my aunts had pre-eclampsia, I don't otherwise fall into any of the other "risk" categories...I have normal b/p now, no diabetes, kidney disease or migraines, I am 29, and it wasn't a multiple birth. I am glad to know there are others out there though to talk to.

Wendy