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June 2012 Moms
mamey327
member
HELLP syndrome -baby born at 37 weeks!
mamey327
member
this is my first time writing on this board. for months i have read all of the other june mom posts, this has been one of my go-to places to see if what i was feeling/experiencing was "normal." i want to share my story in hopes that someone else will read this and it will help them.
my daughter was due on june 12, 2012. i had a very healthy pregnancy, felt pretty good most of the time and had not one medical issue arise. the 3rd trimester had been a bit tougher for me. acid reflux reared its ugly head but seemed manageable for the first few weeks. at 35 weeks pregnant i noticed that taking medication for it was no longer really working and many nights and mornings it was causing me to get sick. i (along with everyone else i talked to, including my doctor's office) chalked it up to one of those annoying pregnancy symptoms. at 36 weeks nausea was added to the mix (it felt like i was having morning sickness but in the 3rd trimester), i was exhausted all of the time, my feet were swollen but still i trudged to work every day and again everyone said this is what pregnancy is like at the end. sleeping starting to become even more difficult, when i would lay down at night i would have this tightness and pressure across the top of my abdomen. it felt like i was in a constant state of braxton hicks. i would spend all night attempting different positions to get comfortable and in my head i kept thinking that something cannot be right. when i would tell others about this new "symptom" they would laugh-no pregnant woman sleeps during the 3rd trimester! so every "symptom" i was experiencing was "normal" and nothing to be concerned about. i thought i was just being a wimp as i really started to count the days left to my due date and the stopping of work.
on may 22nd, after another night of no sleep, nausea and vomiting i again called my doctor's office and told them of my symptoms and stressing to them that something just did not seem right. i was 37 weeks exactly that day. they asked me to come in and be seen. my blood pressure was 140/100 (i had never had high blood pressure before) and based on my urine test it looked like dehydration had set in. i was sent over to labor and delivery for some bloodwork and to get an IV to rehydrate me, bring my blood pressure down and was written a prescription for zofran to help with the nausea.
it was while in labor and delivery that the whole day and my pregnancy changed. blood test results showed that my platelet count was down to 27,000 with the average being 150,000. my liver enzymes were through the roof and my blood pressure was not coming down. i was diagnosed with HELLP and told that i would need to deliver the baby that day. the 3 main symptoms of HELLP are acid reflux, nausea and general feeling of being unwell. the problem is that we all think of these as "normal" pregnancy symptoms.
my community hospital decided it would be safer for me to be transferred into the city where they would perform an emergency c-section under general anesthesia. no amount of planning, classes taken, blog reading could have prepared my husband and i for this moment. even though i was very sick the thing that got me through was that the ultrasound and fetal monitor showed a strong and healthy baby. i was taken by ambulance and delivered my baby girl at 9:04pm. she was 5lbs,13 ounces and 18 inches long-perfectly healthy.
i know this is long but i hope it helps someone else in being an advocate for themselves, questioning those things that we all think are "normal"-trust your body in knowing that something might not be right.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: HELLP syndrome -baby born at 37 weeks!
Make a pregnancy ticker
Together since 2000, Married 10/17/2009
TTC since 2/2010,Dx with PCOS 12/2010, taking 1500mg Metformin
2/11-6/11 Medicated cycles w/RE
7/11-9/11 Break from RE
Suprise BFP 10/7/11! DD born 6/14/2012!!!
Congrats on your baby girl! Thank you for sharing your story!
Wow, that is really good info to have, thanks for sharing! Congrats on your little bundle!
I totally agree with you...you have to be your own advocate when it comes to medical care. Im always worried about being a pest but really we know our bodies better than anyone so I decided during this pregnancy, I didnt care if I was the biggest pest ever...if something was bothering me, I called:)